Hamburg-Altona station

Hamburg-Altona or Altona is a railway station in Hamburg, Germany. It is situated west of the city's main station, Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, in the district of Altona, and is the usual terminus for southbound long-distance trains.The main line station Hamburg-Altona is a terminal station, and most InterCityExpress (ICE) services to southern Germany begin and terminate there. The underground station is named Altona and is used by the rapid transit trains of the Hamburg S-Bahn. The station is managed by DB Station&Service.HistoryThe original Altona station was built at the end of the line from Kiel, some 300 metres south of the current station by the Altona-Kiel Railway Company and opened in 1844. Altona was then an independent city within the Duchy of Holstein, but is now the Borough of Altona and the old station is used as its town hall. In 1866 the link line was opened, allowing trains to run through to Klosterthor station (near the current Hamburg Hauptbahnhof) and on to Berlin or Hanover. In 1867 the Altona-Blankenese railway was opened to the towns on the right bank of the river Elbe, now used by lines S1 and S11 of the S-Bahn.