Following heavy damage during World War II, limited services to the main station were resumed, but then suspended in 1951.

After German reunification, it was decided to improve Berlin's railway network by constructing a new north–south main line, to supplement the east-west Stadtbahn.

The bridges carrying the Stadtbahn are approximately 680 metres (2,231 ft) long, and span not only the station area, but also the adjacent Humboldthafen.

In the glass surface, a 2,700 square metres (29,000 sq ft) photovoltaic system with a capacity of 330 kilowatts was integrated.

In contrast to earlier railway stations, built with brick façades, and in keeping with then-current trends, Lehrter Bahnhof was designed in the French Neo-Renaissance style.

Although the front of the building was ornate and had a grand entrance, most passengers entered and left via the east side, where horse-drawn carriages were able to stop.

In 1882 the metropolitan railway, predecessor of the S-Bahn, began service along two of the Stadtbahn tracks; long-distance traffic commenced in 1884 along the other two.

[citation needed] Even in its early years, the line was known as one of the country's fastest: in 1872, express trains could attain a speed of 90 km/h (56 mph).

During the late 1940s it became a frequent spot for Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany soldiers to sexually assault passengers.

The biggest challenge in the demolition of the station was to preserve the viaducts of the Stadtbahn, which ran directly overhead.

On 1 December 1930, the newly electrified suburban trains were given the designation S-Bahn, making the Lehrter Stadtbahnhof an S-Bahnhof.

The S-Bahn, like the mainlines leading to West Berlin, was run by the East German railway, the Deutsche Reichsbahn.

The following year, a design competition for the project was held, which was won by the Hamburg architecture firm Gerkan, Marg and Partners.

The lowest level, 15 metres (49 ft) underground, was to have platforms served by new tunnels to Potsdamer Platz under the Spree and the Tiergarten, forming a new north–south line running to the northern part of the S-Bahn ring around central Berlin.

In 1997, a financing agreement was signed between Perleberger Straße and Spreebogen, between the federal government and the railway in the total amount of €700 million.

Execution planning and construction supervision were carried out by the Stuttgart engineering consultants Schlaich, Bergermann and Partner.

On 9 September 1998, the foundation stone was laid symbolically by Federal Minister of Transport Wissmann, railway director Ludewig and Berlin's governing mayor Eberhard Diepgen in the then 17-metre (56 ft)-deep excavation pit.

The incident necessitated a far-reaching change in the safety concept during the construction phase, in order to keep the groundwater lying about 3 metres (9 ft 10 in) below the ground.

Over the first weekend of July 2002 the bridges and main station hall were brought into service so that traffic could be diverted onto the new alignment.

The main concourse, supported by two towers, provides roughly 44,000 m2 (470,000 sq ft) of commercial space.

It was decided early in 2005 that the station would be renamed "Berlin Hauptbahnhof" on the date of its opening, 28 May 2006, to avoid confusing rail passengers.

In addition, Deutsche Bahn decided to implement a slightly different version of the "Pilzkonzept" by running intercity trains through the new Tiergarten tunnels rather than via the Stadtbahn.

[15] On 26 May 2006, the station was ceremonially opened by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who arrived together with transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee in a specially chartered Intercity Express from Leipzig.

[21] In the next days extra lugs were welded to the remaining beams to secure them in place[22] and the station declared stormproof on 23 January.

The rail bridge construction leading into the upper level of the station forms a curve, and some of the screws holding it in place have loosened.

This required a €25 million reconstruction which involved the closure of the upper level rail tracks during a 3-month period in summer 2015.

[24] In 2022, the train station became a key gateway for tens of thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine and entering Germany.

The station's basement became a makeshift processing point where refugees received supplies and directed to temporary accommodation or their next destination.

The subterranean station, which lies in the north-south Tiergarten tunnel, offers long-distance services to Hamburg, Leipzig or Munich.

The wall cladding consists of enamel plates which are decorated with photographs of the former Berlin head stations.