Passenger services were soon running on the Lübeck–Lauenburg route and after the opening of the bridge over the Elbe in Lauenburg to Lüneburg.

After the Second World War, the Berlin–Hamburg line was divided between Schwanheide station and Büchen by the Inner German border.

[6] For the time being three through freight trains ran each day in each direction and were handed over between Büchen and Schwanheide.

On 10 September 1949, passenger traffic was resumed with two pairs of trains, one operated by railcars of the Cologne class (Bauart Köln), which were derived from the Flying Hamburger.

Freight trains running in transit to and from West Berlin passed through Büchen from 1965.

The border crossing was the most important in West Germany for the transport of freight, especially in transit between Comecon countries and the port of Hamburg.

With the upgrading of the route as part of the German Unity Transport Projects (Verkehrsprojekte Deutsche Einheit), the Hagenow Land–Büchen section was electrified in 1996.

These two platform tracks continue about 1.5 km from the station towards Hamburg and then connect with the double-track main line.

After this junction, this line runs as two tracks in the station area with an intervening island platform.

Stairs gives access from this tunnel to platforms 1 and 4 on the Berlin-Hamburg line, as well as the western part of town.

Since the renovation, the station has had an entrance building built of containers with a Deutsche Bahn travel centre and a branch of a local baking chain.