Weißer Turm (Nuremberg U-Bahn)
Encyclopedia
Weißer Turm is a Nuremberg U-Bahn
Nuremberg U-Bahn
The Nuremberg U-Bahn is a metro run by VAG Nürnberg , which itself is a member of the VGN . The Nuremberg U-Bahn is Germany's newest metro...

 station, located on the U1 and U11 lines. Located in the south-western part of Nuremberg's historical city and at the western end of the pedestrian-only shopping district. It serves as destination for shoppers and shop employees during the day and provides transportation to the amusement venues (primarily bars and restaurants) located in the vicinity during the evenings. Like all subway stations in Nuremberg, it opens at about 5 am and closes at about 1 am Mondays to Sundays.

Platform level

The station features a island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...

 with one track at each side located at the -2 level. The 100 meter long platform is aligned in a northeast-southwest direction and has middle columns.

At the southwest end, a straight staircase and one upward escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...

 lead to the southwest entrance level. About one third from the northeast end the north east staircase is located one upward and one downward escalator on each side. At the northeast platform end (below the northeast staircase) an elevator provides access from and to the platform, the northeast access level and the street level.

Almost walls and all columns are tiled with leaf-green tiles, except the wall behind the tracks, which are covered with sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

s, a reference to the sandstone of Nuremberg's Castle Hill
Nuremberg Castle
Nuremberg Castle is a historical building on a sandstone rock in the north of the historical city of Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. It comprises three sections: the imperial castle , some buildings of the Burgraves of Nuremberg , and the municipal buildings of the Imperial City at the eastern site...

, to which this subway station is the closest.

Access levels

There are two access level, located at the -1 level at the northeast and at the southwest end of the station.

Southwest

The southwest access level is a small space with a disused ticket booth and ticket vending machines. A staircase with one upward escalator leads from the platform level to this access level, and another staircase with one upward escalator leads to the street level. The access level space and the downward staircase are tiled leaf-green.

Northeast

This is the access level used by most shoppers. A broader staircase with one upward and one downward escalator provide access to the platform level. Two escalators (one up and one down) opposite the downward staircase are located inside the historical structure of the Weißer Turm link the access level to the pedestrian only street above, and surface in front of the Ehebrunnen (Marriage Fountain). At the north side of the access level, there are two ticket vending machines, a ticket and convenience booth and a door to the basement level of the Wöhrl clothing store. To the south, there is a fixed staircase to the street level and door to the basement level of the C&A
C&A
C&A is an international chain of fashion retail clothing stores, with its European head offices in Vilvoorde , Belgium and Düsseldorf, Germany...

 clothing store.

Infrastructure

The station is served by two tracks (1435 mm European normal gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...

), which are usually used as direction tracks, with right side traffic. Signals are present at both tracks in both directions.

To the northeast there are no points
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....

 between Weißer Turm and Lorenzkirche (Nuremberg U-Bahn)
Lorenzkirche (Nuremberg U-Bahn)
Lorenzkirche is a Nuremberg U-Bahn station, located on the U1 and U11 lines....

, therefore signal can show only Hp0 (Stop), Hp1 (Proceed at Line speed) and Hp5 (Proceed and be prepared for obstacles on track, used only in cases of Interlocking malfunctions) aspects.

To the southwest, an X-shaped crossing (scissors crossing) links both tracks before the two tracks separate, the westbound track leading to Plärrer
Plärrer (Nuremberg U-Bahn)
Plärrer is the only Nuremberg U-Bahn station apart from Hauptbahnhof Nürnberg to have an interchange with all the U-Bahn lines – the U1, U2, U3, U11 and U21....

's -2 Level and the eastbound track leading to Plärrer's -3 level. Consequently, the signals at the southwest platform end can show the aspect Hp2 (Proceed at 40 km/h) in addition to Hp0, Hp1 and Hp5 which is used when a train crosses from one track to the other via the X-shaped crossing.
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