South of the station there was a locomotive depot and to its east there was a freight yard and a central workshop.

The tracks ran at ground level and the approach lines were built with sharp curves because of the confined spaces.

The increased rail traffic and the resulting frequent closures of the level crossings disrupted the ever-growing city and made its expansion more difficult.

Ludwig-Erhard-Allee was built in the meantime on the grounds of the freight yard, the workshop area is currently being redeveloped with blocks of flats (2010).

The station building, which continues in use, was built about a kilometre south of its predecessor between Südstadt and the marshalling yard.

Construction began in 1910 to the plans of August Stürzenacker and the station was opened on the night of 22/23 October 1913.

East of the station building there is a second underpass, which originally served as an outlet for arriving passengers and was used for a time mainly as an underground car park and a few years ago for secure bicycle parking, but it is now back in use as a pedestrian underpass.

The station forecourt is a typical ensemble of urban architecture from the last years before the First World War.

A new terminus for the Alb Valley Railway (Albtalbahn) was opened 300 meters west of the station in Ebertstraße in 1915.

In 1969, the rebuilding of the station forecourt began, where—in the spirit of the times—a pedestrian underpass was created and the car and tram traffic were reorganised.

Two platforms were extended and modernised for Karlsruhe's inclusion in the Intercity-Express network and the access stairs were complemented with lifts and escalators.

West of the station are carriage sidings with a turntable and the Karlsruhe depot of DB Regio.

Most of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn services, however, use platforms A to D on the station forecourt (officially: Bahnhofplatz), which is shared with urban trams and buses.