History
The first station on the current site, a temporary building serving the line to Lehrte, was erected in 1843. From 1845 to 1847, a more permanent station, one of the first through stations, was built on the same site.
After tearing down the old buildings in 1875, today's station was constructed from 1876 to 1879, further extended by an additional station hall in 1910.
The station was badly damaged during World War II and underwent extensive remodelling, finished in 1948. By 1963, the rails were electrified and in 1973 construction of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line began.
The station building itself underwent extensive remodelling in the 1970s during the construction of the Hanover Stadtbahn system, opening in 1976 and 1979 and including a passenger tunnel underneath the station, connecting the inner city district around Kröpcke to the Stadtbahn station at Raschplatz.
In 1991, regular InterCityExpress services began calling at the station, it being the northern point of Germany's first dedicated high speed train line.
The station underwent remodelling again for the Expo 2000, construction finishing on 1 May 2000. The station was equipped with a shopping centre, lifts to all platforms and new signage according to the current DB corporate design.
The long-neglected passenger subway below the station, which was built in the 1970s for the Hanover Stadtbahn, underwent extensive remodelling from 2004 to early 2006. It is now part of the Niki de Saint Phalle promenade spanning from Raschplatz to Kröpcke.
Read more about this topic: Hanover Central Station
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