Railway stations serve as the primary means of long-distance travel for students attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They represent a significant intersection between the magical and non-magical communities, often requiring enchantments to hide wizarding activity from Muggle eyes. King's Cross Station Located in London, King's Cross Station is a major real-world Muggle railway terminus that secretly houses the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The entrance is a solid brick barrier between platforms nine and ten. To access the magical platform, witches and wizards must walk or run directly at the barrier, passing through it to the other side where the scarlet Hogwarts Express steam engine awaits. The platform is bustling with students, families, owls, and cats on September 1st at 11 a.m. and again at the end of the school year in June. It is here that Harry Potter first meets the Weasley family, who kindly show him how to access the platform. The Ministry of Magic is responsible for maintaining the secrecy of the platform, occasionally placing plain-clothed wizards to assist those who are struggling and to deal with any Muggle witnesses. The decision to use a Muggle station was conceived by Minister for Magic Ottaline Gambol in the 19th century as a discreet and efficient way to transport hundreds of students to Hogwarts (Pottermore). Hogsmeade Station This is a small, dark station located near the wizarding village of Hogsmeade and serves as the final destination of the Hogwarts Express. Upon arrival, first-year students are traditionally met by Rubeus Hagrid, who leads them across the Great Lake in a fleet of small boats to Hogwarts Castle. Older students travel from the station to the castle in horseless carriages, which are revealed in their fifth year to be pulled by Thestrals. The station is the primary point of entry and exit for students during the school year. Metaphysical King's Cross Station After being struck by Lord Voldemort's Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest, Harry Potter experiences a vision of being in a place that strongly resembles a clean, sunlit, and deserted King's Cross Station. This location acts as a state of limbo, a crossroads between life and death. Here, he meets the spirit or manifestation of Albus Dumbledore, who explains the nature of Horcruxes, the Deathly Hallows, and Harry's choice to either “board a train” and move on to the afterlife or return to the living world to defeat Voldemort. Also present in this limbo is the malformed, whimpering remnant of Voldemort's soul that had been housed within Harry.
Stations in the series are powerful symbols of transition and connection.