“Little green train station” in Zorneding

Deutsche Bahn has opened its first “little green station” in the Upper Bavarian town of Zorneding. The special feature: The modular wooden station focuses on sustainability. In future, Deutsche Bahn would like to build more stations of this type.

The “little green station” in Zorneding is an important pilot project for Deutsche Bahn, as it represents the blueprint for many other stations. The sustainable station boasts a small photovoltaic system on the roof, including battery storage. A sustainable second-life battery storage system made from used electric car batteries can store up to 20 kWh of energy from the solar system and release it when needed. The station’s skylights provide natural light. The exterior construction is made of wood from the region. The modular station should allow more space to be provided in future. Deutsche Bahn is also planning to build many similar modular sustainable mini-stations. The next one is currently being built in Haar, a town just a few kilometers away, and is due to open in early summer 2024.

Zorneding’s new station opened on December 18, 2023 and is the first station reception building to be made entirely of wood. Bernd Koch, CEO of DB Station&Service AG, inaugurated the 200 square meter building. Representatives from the federal government, the Free State of Bavaria and the municipality were also present. The building cost a total of around 2.2 million euros. Deutsche Bahn financed this prize together with the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BDMV), the state of Bavaria and the municipality of Zorneding.

Sustainability is a clear priority for the “little green station”, both in terms of construction and the technical equipment and interior design. The wood for the Zorneding station comes from the region. A traditional timber construction company from Regensberg produced the individual building elements. These modules are standardized and, similar to prefabricated houses, can now be used to create many different floor plans, sizes and designs. The construction basis remains the same. Deutsche Bahn hopes that many more “small green stations” will be built in the coming decades. They should provide individual, fast and environmentally friendly access to travel.

The station’s waiting room has modern seating, charging facilities for cell phones and a ServiceStore DB, which offers outdoor seating on the forecourt. 200 additional bicycle parking spaces and a new bicycle ramp will make the station more accessible. The new Zorneding station also includes public, barrier-free toilet facilities and a ticket machine. In winter, a climate-friendly heat pump ensures pleasant temperatures, while cooling is also possible in summer.

Bernd Koch, CEO of DB Station&Service AG, says: “Our aim is to build sustainable station buildings for cities, communities and our passengers in a short space of time. Zorneding is the debut for a whole series of other small green stations. Because the more inviting and attractive the experience at our stations is, the more passengers we can attract to the climate-friendly railroad and thus to “Strong Rail”.”

Dr. Corinna Salander, Head of the Railways Department at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, emphasizes that the design of the Zorneding station is forward-looking: “Serial, sustainable construction is a huge issue for us. This construction method combines three key advantages: it is faster, more sustainable and cheaper in the long term. We will therefore be taking a very close look at this pilot project because we believe that it offers great opportunities for the construction methods of the future.”

Want to read more about train stations? The November issue of G+L is dedicated entirely to this topic.