Alongside Berlin Zoologischer Garten station it was one of the city's two main stations; however, it has declined in significance since the opening of the new Hauptbahnhof on 26 May 2006, and many mainline trains have been re-routed on the North–South mainline through the new Tiergarten tunnel, bypassing Ostbahnhof.
Berlin Zoologischer Garten station was one of the city's two main stations; however, it has declined in importance since the opening of the new Hauptbahnhof on 26 May 2006, and many mainline trains have been rerouted through the new Tiergarten tunnel, bypassing Ostbahnhof.