Train station facts for kids

Train station in Sweden

A train station or railway station (also called a railroad station, rail station, or depot) is a place where passengers can get on and off trains and/or goods may be loaded or unloaded.

Early stations were usually built to handle passengers and goods. Today, goods are usually only unloaded at big stations. Stations are next to a railway line, or they are the terminus for a route. Usually there are platforms to let passengers get on and off the train easily and safely. Many stations have things such as shelters, ticket sales and benches.

The busiest railway station in the world is Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan. The largest station is Nagoya Station in Nagoya, Japan. The busiest station in Europe is Clapham Junction in south London in the United Kingdom. At peak times, there is one train every 13 seconds there.

Different types of railway stations

• 

  Luxulyan railway station in Cornwall, a very basic railway station. Trains stop only on request. People who want to get off here must tell this to train staff. The station is used by about 1.000 people per year.

• 

  Terminal station (one of six in Paris). Trains that go through (and do not terminate) here must change direction. On the other hand, people can walk from one track to another without the need to cross tracks.

• 

  Shinjuku is the busiest railway station in the world. It is in Tokyo. On an average day, 3.6 million people use it. This is what it looks like during rush hour.

• 

  Platforms at Leeds City Station, Leeds, UK

• 

  A freight station

Station facilities

Railway stations usually have either ticket booths, or ticket machines. Ticket sales can also be together with an information desk or a shop. Many stations have a shop or a kiosk.

Bigger stations often have fast-food or restaurants. In some countries these stations also have a bar, or a pub. Other station facilities are: toilets, luggage rooms, lost-and-found (lost property office), timetables, trolleys, waiting rooms, taxi ranks and bus stops.

Images for kids

• 

  Station with train and coal depot by Gustave Le Gray, (about 1850–1860s)

• 

  A Presto contactless smart card reader and self-serve ticket machine at a suburban train station in Toronto

• 

  Grand Central Terminal in New York City is the largest station by number of platforms, with 44 on two levels.

• 

  St. Pancras station in London, designed by William Henry Barlow and opened in 1868

• 

  Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands

• 

  Berlin Hauptbahnhof in Berlin, Germany

• 

  Atocha Station, in the city of Madrid, is the biggest train station in Spain.

• 

  Helsinki Central Station, designed by Eliel Saarinen, is located in the city center of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.

• 

  Luz Station in São Paulo, Brazil. Since 2006, is also the seat of Museum of the Portuguese Language.

• 

  Dunedin Railway Station, in Dunedin, New Zealand, is one of the country's most famous historic buildings.

• 

  Hsinchu Station in Hsinchu City, Republic of China.

• 

  Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, India

• 

  Central station of Utrecht, Netherlands

• 

  Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza (Toledo) in Toledo, Ohio, United States, seen in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Estación de ferrocarril para niños