In spite of its severe war damage the station was one of the distinctive buildings in the central Dresden.
The restoration of rail connections had to take precedence over the restoration of the historic building.
So passenger services were restored to Bad Schandau by 17 May 1945.

A temporary reconstruction began after the war and was completed in the same year.
Some parts of the building, such as the concourses and the dome, were not immediately repaired and continued to deteriorate.
At the same time a far-reaching reorganisation of the railway infrastructure was considered as the large-scale destruction of the city seemed to make it possible.
Draft plans from 1946 show a turning loop south of the station, which would have allowed east-west traffic on the Chemnitz–Görlitz route to stop without a change of locomotives.
In 1946 and 1947, several drafts of a new, generously-dimensioned central station replacing the Wettiner Straße station  emerged.
The former Hauptbahnhof would have been renamed Bahnhof Dresden Prager Straße and passenger services would have operated only through the north hall and from the east side.
Initially a postal station was planned for the remaining area.
This was abandoned in the draft of 1947; the south hall would now also be used for passenger operations, while the central hall would be used for any purpose.

It is not absolutely certain why these plans ultimately did not proceed.
Possible reasons were financial problems, material shortages, labour shortages and general planning uncertainty during a period of social and political changes.
A planned new entrance building on Wiener Platz with an attached new administration building for the Reichsbahndirektion Railway division of Dresden was also not realised.

The remaining structure was restored from 1950 in a similar but simpler form, due to economic difficulties and the shortage of skilled workers.
The roof, which had previously been partially covered with glass, was temporarily covered with wood, board and slate.
The station building itself was only partially restored.
In particular, the buildings south of the main hall remained hollow ruins, although the outer walls implied a complete reconstruction.
The intact steel construction of the dome over the main hall was also externally covered with wood and slate and a coffered ceiling was built inside it.
The construction work was not largely completed until the early 1960s.
One of the last measures was the modification of the clock towers on either side of the entrance portal to fit the “skeletal” facade.

In the coming decades, the station's makeshift parking and traffic arrangements and its power lines shaped perceptions of it.
In spite of its severe war damage the station was one of the distinctive buildings in the central Dresden. The restoration of rail connections had to take precedence over the restoration of the historic building. So passenger services were restored to Bad Schandau by 17 May 1945.
A temporary reconstruction began after the war and was completed in the same year. Some parts of the building, such as the concourses and the dome, were not immediately repaired and continued to deteriorate. At the same time a far-reaching reorganisation of the railway infrastructure was considered as the large-scale destruction of the city seemed to make it possible. Draft plans from 1946 show a turning loop south of the station, which would have allowed east-west traffic on the Chemnitz–Görlitz route to stop without a change of locomotives. In 1946 and 1947, several drafts of a new, generously-dimensioned central station replacing the Wettiner Straße station  emerged. The former Hauptbahnhof would have been renamed Bahnhof Dresden Prager Straße and passenger services would have operated only through the north hall and from the east side. Initially a postal station was planned for the remaining area. This was abandoned in the draft of 1947; the south hall would now also be used for passenger operations, while the central hall would be used for any purpose.
It is not absolutely certain why these plans ultimately did not proceed. Possible reasons were financial problems, material shortages, labour shortages and general planning uncertainty during a period of social and political changes. A planned new entrance building on Wiener Platz with an attached new administration building for the Reichsbahndirektion Railway division of Dresden was also not realised.
The remaining structure was restored from 1950 in a similar but simpler form, due to economic difficulties and the shortage of skilled workers. The roof, which had previously been partially covered with glass, was temporarily covered with wood, board and slate. The station building itself was only partially restored. In particular, the buildings south of the main hall remained hollow ruins, although the outer walls implied a complete reconstruction. The intact steel construction of the dome over the main hall was also externally covered with wood and slate and a coffered ceiling was built inside it. The construction work was not largely completed until the early 1960s. One of the last measures was the modification of the clock towers on either side of the entrance portal to fit the “skeletal” facade.
In the coming decades, the station's makeshift parking and traffic arrangements and its power lines shaped perceptions of it.
Dresden Hauptbahnhof