The station was put into operation on 16 May 1867. At that time it was the endpoint of a railway line to Erfurt in the north. In 1879 the route followed to Plaue-Ilmenau and in 1894 the line to Saalfeld. The railway Plaue-Ritschenhausen, which crosses the Thuringian Forest, was completed in 1884 (Wikipedia).
At the time of the Reichsbahn, Arnstadt station was of great importance. The route from Erfurt to Arnstadt was electrified. In addition to passenger trains, there was also heavy freight traffic, especially in the direction of Saalfeld. All trains had to be converted to steam or diesel locomotives. Today the station has lost its importance. Only regional trains operate. The catenary was dismantled again.
The main station is the hub of the Neudietendorf-Ritschenhausen railway lines (part of the Erfurt-Arnstadt-Suhl-Meiningen/Würzburg line), Erfurt-Ilmenau and Arnstadt-Saalfeld. A railway depot was also attached to the Arnstadt main station. Today it functions as the Arnstadt/historic railway depot and manages all steam locomotives in Central Germany. The water tower has been beautifully restored. There are also various cranes and a turntable.