Station building

The station building (left) of New York City's Grand Central Terminal includes spaces like its Main Concourse (right).

A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger railway station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers.^[1][2][3] A station building is a component of a station, which can include tracks, platforms, an overpass or underpass, and a train shed.

Normally, a station building will be of adequate size for the type of service that is to be performed. It may range from a simple single-storey building with limited services to passengers to a large building with many indoor spaces providing many services. Some station buildings are of monumental proportions and styles. Both in the past and in recent times, especially when constructed for a modern high-speed rail network, a station building may even be a true masterpiece of architecture.

A typical railway station building will have a side entrance hall off the road or square where the station is located. Near the entrance will be a ticket counter, ticket machines, or both. There will also be one or more waiting rooms, often divided by class, and equipped with seats and luggage stands. From the waiting rooms, there will usually be direct access to rail passenger services. Medium to large size station buildings will often also have offices for rail staff involved in the management and operation of trains. Smaller or more rural stations will have no station building at all.^[4]