Transport hub facts for kids

A transport hub is a special place. It's where people and goods switch from one type of travel to another. Think of it as a busy meeting point for different ways to get around.

What is a Transport Hub?

These hubs help you move easily. For example, you might arrive at a train station. Then you can switch to a bus or a subway. This makes journeys smoother. Transport hubs are also called transport interchanges.

Different Kinds of Hubs

There are many types of transport hubs. They serve different needs.

For People

Public transport hubs are for passengers. They include:

• Train stations
• Metro stations (for subway trains)
• Bus stops
• Tram stops
• Airports
• Ferry slips (for boats)

For private transport, like cars, a parking lot acts as a hub. It's where you leave your car to switch to walking or another transport.

For Goods

Freight hubs are for cargo and packages. These busy places include:

• Classification yards (for sorting train cars)
• Seaports (for ships)
• Truck terminals (for trucks)

Sometimes, a hub can combine these. It might handle both trains and trucks.

How Transport Hubs Started

The idea of a "hub and spoke" system began with airlines. It's like the center of a wheel (the hub) with lines going out to many other places (the spokes).

Delta Air Lines first used this system. They started it for planes in 1955. Their main hub was in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. This helped them compete with other airlines.

Later, FedEx adopted this idea. They used it for delivering packages overnight. This happened during the 1970s.

In 1978, a law changed how airlines worked. This was called the Airline Deregulation Act. After this, many other airlines started using the hub and spoke system too. It became a very popular way to organize flights.

Images for kids

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  DHL hub at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Germany

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  In suburban Toronto, Finch Station connects underground train, local, regional, and interregional bus services.

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  Underground bus and coach terminal and metro station are located underneath the Kamppi Center in Helsinki, Finland

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  South Station, a MBTA, Amtrak and Greyhound transportation hub in Boston, Massachusetts, United States

See also

In Spanish: Intercambiador para niños