In less than an hour from Hamburg to Amsterdam, or Berlin – with the Transrapid Magnetbahn, rail travel between European metropoles takes on an entirely new dimension. On the stretch between Berlin and Hamburg is a stopover in Schwerin; the stop here lasts two minutes, before the train continues. The new technology demands a new architecture: with the design for the Transrapid rail station in Schwerin, the designers depart from the concept of the classical train station with it’s concourse and platforms. The form of the trains, assist in giving a form to the building. Long and slim, they ply themselves to the tracks. Within the building, everything is geared to time-saving, which is crucial to this new form of transport: after checking-in, embarking passengers await in ‘tubes’ located outwith the main terminal building, which connect the main circulation level to the rail level above. Thus, the length of the train stop can be reduced to a minimum.