Ansbach station named Bahnhof des Jahres 2026, the eighth Bavarian winner
A nine-member jury cited the station's bright waiting hall, barrier-free platforms and short connections to bus, car and bike. Ansbach is the eighth Bavarian station to receive the title.
Award for a renovated station
Allianz pro Schiene, a transport alliance, announced on 15 October 2026 that the station in Ansbach, Middle Franconia, is Bahnhof des Jahres 2026. The alliance has given the title since 2004, and the choice rests on the perspective and needs of travellers. A nine-member jury of transport and tourism experts was convinced by the station's services as well as its design. Ansbach is the eighth station in Bavaria to take the title. Among the jury's organisations are the Verkehrsclub Deutschland, the Fahrgastverband Pro Bahn and the Deutscher Bahnkunden-Verband.
Inside the renovated hall
The station was rebuilt over several years, and the jury praised the bright and friendly atmosphere it creates for arriving passengers. The waiting hall is flooded with light and furnished with curved wooden benches and stylish ceiling lamps. Platforms and the underpass were comprehensively renovated and are now barrier-free. Bayerischer Rundfunk notes that the postwar station building looks plain from outside, while turquoise accents on walls and floors freshen the interior. Lockers for luggage and a modern public toilet on the forecourt add to the services, and green areas beside the building offer benches for waiting outdoors in good weather.
Links to bus, car and bike
The jury singled out the station's connections to other transport. Allianz pro Schiene said the bus station sits right in front of the building.
The bus station is located directly in front of the station building in Ansbach and can be reached by a very short route.
Parking for cars and bikes is available, and lockable bike boxes are provided for high-value bikes. Most bike spaces are covered and lie a short walk from the platforms. Taxis and private cars can use side access zones to drop off and collect passengers.
Usage and public funding
The Bavarian transport ministry says more than 10,000 people get on, off or change trains at the station on weekdays, which makes it one of the busiest stations in Middle Franconia. It is an important junction on the lines between Nuremberg and Stuttgart and between Augsburg and Würzburg, and it has been an ICE stop since 2022. The state funded the barrier-free expansion with more than 20 million euros, and that work was a precondition for the award. The jury still sees room for improvement in Ansbach, though the available reports do not say where. Earlier Bavarian winners were Oberstdorf (2006), Landsberg am Lech (2007), Aschaffenburg (2012), Murnau (2013), Bayerisch Eisenstein (2017), Altötting (2020) and Coburg (2022).
- Oberstdorf named Bahnhof des Jahres
- Landsberg am Lech named Bahnhof des Jahres
- Aschaffenburg named Bahnhof des Jahres
- Murnau named Bahnhof des Jahres
- Bayerisch Eisenstein named Bahnhof des Jahres
- Altötting named Bahnhof des Jahres
- Coburg named Bahnhof des Jahres
- Ansbach named Bahnhof des Jahres
