Dresden Hauptbahnhof has 18 tracks. Eleven carry traffic through the station whilst the remaining seven, all from the west and located in the middle of the station, are terminal tracks. This layout makes Dresden Hbf unique among German central railway stations. The station is divided into three halls, the central one of which is the biggest and covers the terminating tracks.

The arrivals hall is situated in front of the terminating tracks giving the station the character of a terminal station. The new 30,000 m² roof, covered by a canopy made from Teflon-coated fibre glass, was designed by Foster and Partners with fabric roof design by Buro Happold and other structural design by Schmitt Stumpf Fruhauf and Partner. The reconstructed building was nominated for the 2006 Stirling Prize and won the 2006 IStructE Award for Heritage Buildings.