We at Deutsche Bahn are keen to protect biodiversity. That's why we are working on sustainable solutions for a diverse ecosystem. This includes greening our station roofs, for instance.
DB's hanging gardens
To generate power in a way that saves resources, we start at the top. The roofs of our green stations in Kerpen-Horrem and Lutherstadt Wittenberg do not only generate solar power. They also hold grasses and herbs and, thanks to an innovative rainwater management system, provide water for the station building's sanitary facilities. In addition, the green roofs function as a natural air conditioning system. This is because the plant layer provides cooling in summer and serves as thermal insulation in winter.
The passenger building in Münster and the station in Uelzen in Lower Saxony, the latter famous for its design by Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, both have a roof garden too. The plants on green roofs provide clean air and improve the ambient air temperatures and humidity levels around DB stations. Insects and birds also find a new, valuable habitat here.
We have not been greening only our station roofs. We greened a stairwell roof for the first time at the S-Bahn station in Rommelshausen near Stuttgart. In this way, the green roof will fulfill two functions in the future: our customers will have protected access to the platforms even in bad weather and our plants will provide better air quality and create new habitats for insects and birds.
