Hockenheim station

Hockenheim station is a through station in the town of Hockenheim in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was rebuilt during the building of the Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn (DB) as a category 4 station. It has three platforms and it is in the area where fares are set by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (Rhine-Neckar Transport Association, VRN).ConstructionThe station serves as a passenger station—with two 314 m long platforms—and as a passing place for trains.The new high-speed line and the Rhine Railway are connected in the station. It is the northernmost of the four connections from the new line to the existing network, excluding those at the ends of the line. Some scheduled trains change between the two lines at the station.Two passing loops have been built between the two lines.HistoryThe first Hockenheim station was opened on the Rhine Railway on 4 August 1870 and it was replaced by the new station in 1986.PlanningDuring the planning for the high-speed railway in 1973, provision was made for an operations station in the Hockenheim area . The new line would run to the west of this town and not be linked with the existing line in this area.The present route of the Rhine Railway at the station was set out in the planning for zoning section 3a of the new line . The planning approval procedure was initiated in May 1976. The public hearing took place in February 1979 in the Hockenheim town hall. This provided for a combination of new and existing track in Hockenheim station.