From June 23 to August 5, 2018
Hurrah, holidays at last! While things will be a little quieter and more relaxed all over the city starting Friday, commuters who also have to work during the holidays will once again have a major annoyance this summer vacation: the closure of the S-Bahn tunnel. But there is also good news: this will be the last closure. Because after more than three years of construction, the Frankfurt S-Bahn tunnel is entering its final closure phase during the Hessian summer holidays.
As in the previous holidays, the main line between Frankfurt Central Station and Frankfurt South or Frankfurt-Mühlberg will be completely closed for the last time from 23 June to 5 August for final tests and acceptance runs on the tunnel line for S-Bahn traffic. Where otherwise up to 24 trains an hour run in each direction, the railway's construction crews will then work around the clock to carry out the final safety tests and dismantle the technology of the old signal box.
After that, the new signal box will finally be able to go into operation, promises Gerd-Dietrich Bolte, Head of Major Projects Central at DB Netz AG: "After the summer holidays, the line will then be well positioned for the future - and S-Bahn passengers will benefit from state-of-the-art technology."
S-Bahns will not stop at Taunusanlage, Hauptwache, Konstablerwache, Ostendstraße and Lokalbahnhof stations during the Hessian school holidays. The Mühlberg station will not be served from 23 June to 15 July. Further modernisation work will also be carried out at some stations during the closure.
"With this closure, we are entering the final spurt", says RMV managing director Prof. Knut Ringat. "I'm already looking forward to when the construction work is completed in August and the suburban trains can then also run through the tunnel at night."
As usual, during the summer holidays, it is again ensured that all passengers also get to their desired destination. On <link http: sbahnbaustelle.de _blank>sbahnbaustelle.de you will find all information about the replacement services and alternative travel offers. In addition, there are interesting and exciting stories about the tunnel and the people who roll up their sleeves again during the holiday season for the Rhine-Main region.
Regional and long-distance trains are not affected by the tunnel closure and are often a good alternative. However, due to the simultaneous extension of the Main-Weser-Bahn, there are - independent of the tunnel closure - changes in the timetables of the lines RB40/41, RB34/48, RB49 as well as RE30 and RE98/99. The changes are also included in the online information.
The long-distance trains (ICE, IC/EC) are released on the route section Hanau Hbf-Frankfurt Süd/Frankfurt Hbf for RMV tickets and DB tickets of local transport, provided that the tickets are valid for this relation; DB tickets valid on the closed tunnel section are accepted on the alternative connections in all means of transport (also underground, tram and bus).
In addition to the travel alternatives by bus and train, Call a Bike, S-Bahn Rhein-Main and RMV are jointly offering customers another attractive option for getting around the construction site: During the time of the tunnel closure, all customers will travel free of charge for the first 30 minutes of each trip and save the first annual fee when registering.
All timetable changes are already incorporated into the electronic journey planner at <link http: www.rmv.de _blank>www.rmv.de and <link http: www.bahn.de _blank>www.bahn.de . In addition, a comprehensive brochure with line-specific information on replacement services and alternative travel options is available at DB Information, RMV Mobility Centres and at all travel centres along the S-Bahn routes. Here, passengers can also conveniently obtain information via QR code about transport services during the tunnel closure.
Regular users of local public transport (ÖPNV) have the option of creating their own personal timetable for the construction period at <link http: www.bahn.de persoenlicherfahrplan _blank>www.bahn.de/persoenlicherfahrplan . This can be individually adapted to their own wishes and needs.
The electronic interlocking of the Frankfurt tunnel trunk line is being implemented as part of the Frankfurt RheinMainplus program, which is being implemented by the federal government, the state of Hesse, the city of Frankfurt, RMV and Deutsche Bahn. This master plan for the expansion of the rail network in the Rhine-Main metropolitan region ensures that millions of people will be able to reach their destinations even faster, more comfortably and without barriers in the future.
The replacement transport concept at a glance
S-Bahnlinien
S-Bahnlinie S1
The S1 usually runs every half hour on the sections Wiesbaden - Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (low) (from 5 am to 10 pm) resp. Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (high) (from 10 pm to 5 am). In addition, the S1 runs on the section Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (high) - Frankfurt Süd - Rödermark-Ober-Roden. Between Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof and Offenbach Ost, the S1 is diverted and stops only in Frankfurt Süd, and in the direction of Rödermark-Ober-Roden additionally in Offenbach Hauptbahnhof.
Partial trips from both directions also start/end at Frankfurt Süd. From/to the main station, there are then regional trains. In Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, a change is required between the S1 commuter service from/in the direction of Wiesbaden in the underground station and the S1 commuter service from the overground tracks.
S-Bahn line S2
During the closure, the S2 runs half-hourly on the sections Niedernhausen - Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (low) (from 5 am to 10 pm) resp. Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (high) (from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) In addition, the S2 runs on the section Dietzenbach - Offenbach-Kaiserlei (23.06.-15.07.), respectively Dietzenbach - Frankfurt-Mühlberg (16.07.-05.08.). In Offenbach-Kaiserlei there is a connection to a replacement bus to Konstablerwache, in Mühlberg to the tram for the onward journey to Frankfurt.
Additional trains run on weekdays from 6am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm on the Niedernhausen - Frankfurt-Griesheim section and between Dietzenbach and Offenbach Hauptbahnhof. Of these trips, there is a connection to the S1 in Offenbach-Bieber for the onward journey to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
S-Bahn lines S3 and S4
The S3 runs every half hour on the Bad Soden - Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (low) (from 5 am to 10 pm) or Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (high) (from 10 pm to 5 am) section. Coming from Darmstadt, the S3 ends at Frankfurt Süd during the tunnel closure, from where passengers can take the S1 as well as regional services to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
The S4 runs every 30 minutes on the Kronberg - Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (low) (from 5 am to 10 pm) or Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (high) (from 10 pm to 5 am) section. On Mondays to Saturdays, the S4 line additionally runs on the Frankfurt Süd - Langen section, so that S-Bahns of lines 3 and 4 then alternate every 15 minutes in this section as usual.
S-Bahn line S5
The S5 runs every half hour between Friedrichsdorf and Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (up), and on Mondays to Saturdays additionally every 30 minutes between Bad Homburg and Frankfurt-Rödelheim. This schedule ensures that the Bad Homburg - Frankfurt-Rödelheim section has commuter trains every 15 minutes during the day during the week.
S-Bahn line S6
The S6 runs every half hour between Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (up) and Friedberg. The stops Messe and Galluswarte are cancelled.
S-Bahn line S7
The S7 is not affected by the closure.
S-Bahn lines S8 and S9
The S8 runs every half hour exclusively between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (up). Between Frankfurt and Offenbach, regional trains and the S1 run alternatively. Between Frankfurt and Hanau, ICE trains with RMV tickets can be used as an exception during the tunnel closure.
The S9 runs half-hourly between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (high) as well as on the Hanau - Offenbach-Kaiserlei section (23.06. - 15.07.), or Hanau - Frankfurt-Mühlberg (16.7. - 05.08.). In Kaiserlei there is a connection to a replacement bus to Konstablerwache. From Mühlberg, there is also a connection to tram line 16 to Frankfurt city centre. There will also be a shuttle bus between Offenbach Ost and Frankfurt Airport, Terminal 1, running every half hour without a stop.
U-Bahn lines
Line U2: Three cars from early to late
The subway line U2 (Südbahnhof - Bad Homburg-Gonzenheim) runs from Monday to Saturday continuously with three-car trains. On Sundays and holidays, three-car trains are in service from about 12:00. Together with the U1, U3 and U8 lines, the U2 connects Frankfurt Südbahnhof with the central (interchange) stations Willy-Brandt-Platz and Hauptwache every minute.
The U2 from Bad Homburg-Gonzenheim is an alternative to the S-Bahn for Bad Homburg residents. The U3 connects Oberursel (connection from the S-Bahn line S5) with Frankfurt city.
At Eschersheim station, it is possible to change from the S-Bahn line S6 with a short walk to the U-Bahn lines running at dense intervals at the "Weißer Stein" station.
Lines U4 and U5: As often as possible
The subway line between Hauptbahnhof and Konstablerwache takes over a large part of the passengers from the parallel running S-Bahn. It also connects to the U6 and U7 subway lines at Bockenheimer Warte and the U1, U2, U3 and U8 subway lines at Willy-Brandt-Platz.
The U4 line always operates there with four-car trains that can accommodate up to 700 passengers. Mondays to Fridays, it runs continuously from 6 am to 9 pm at dense 5-minute intervals. On this section, it is supplemented by the U5 line with two-car trains, so that a subway train provides good connections every two and a half minutes during rush hours. Additional trains are available to make up for delays at short notice.
To ensure that the U4 with its four-car trains can run frequently and without disruption on the particularly important tunnel section Bockenheimer Warte - Hauptbahnhof - Konstablerwache - Seckbacher Landstraße, it will not run as far as Enkheim during the S-Bahn tunnel closure from 6:00 to 22:00. Passengers are asked to use the U7 line from Konstablerwache, which also has Enkheim as its destination.
Lines U6 and U7: Almost normal
The lines U6 and U7 run according to schedule. Three- and four-car trains will operate continuously on the U7 from Monday to Saturday.
Tram lines
For just two more days, the S-Bahn tunnel closure will overlap with construction work in Frankfurt-Oberrad, during which tram line 16 will have limited service from Oberrad Balduinstraße to Ginnheim: From Monday, 25 June, the tram route is free again.
Linie 16: Now again on the whole route
With this, the line 16 can run its whole route, from the city limits of Offenbach via Oberrad, the S-Bahn station Mühlberg, Südbahnhof and Hauptbahnhof to Ginnheim. It mostly runs every 10 minutes. On Saturdays and Sundays, Line 16 normally begins its service at half-hourly intervals. However, during the S-Bahn tunnel closure, it will be condensed to a 15-minute frequency between Oberrad and Westbahnhof from the start of service.
Line 18: Continuous alternative to Konstablerwache
Also from 25 June and until the end of the S-Bahn tunnel closure, tram line 18 will be extended from Gravensteiner-Platz in Preungesheim beyond Lokalbahnhof to the Offenbach city limits. From Mondays to Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., passengers will thus be able to travel every ten minutes, and on Saturdays every fifteen minutes, from there via Oberrad and the Mühlberg S-Bahn station to Lokalbahnhof and from there on to Konstablerwache with its subway connections. From and to the Offenbach city limits, line 18 will replace line 15 during the summer holidays, which will continue to shuttle only between Niederrad and Südbahnhof.
Bus lines
Line 61 with articulated buses
The bus line 61 connects Frankfurt Airport with Südbahnhof, where there is a connection to the municipal subway and tram network. It will run with articulated buses during the tunnel closure, which offer more space.
Linie 64: Dichter Takt zur Taunusanlage
On line 64, additional buses will run every quarter hour between Hauptbahnhof, the (closed) Taunusanlage S-Bahn station and Bremer Platz during rush hour in the morning from about 7 to 10 am and in the afternoon from about 3 to 7 pm.
Main-Weser-Bahn
RB 40/41 RB49
The trains of the RB49 are cancelled between Friedberg and Hanau.
The RB40/41 trains are diverted via Hanau to Frankfurt Süd or Frankfurt Stadion and serve the stops between Friedberg and Hanau as a replacement service for the cancelled RB49. The stops Bad Vilbel and Frankfurt West are cancelled. There are also additional stops in Hanau, Frankfurt East and Frankfurt South.
RB34/48
The trains of the RB34/48 are cancelled between Friedberg/Bad Vilbel and Frankfurt Hbf. As a substitute, passengers continue with the RE30, RE98/99 and the S6.
RE30 RE98/99
The trains of the RE30, RE98/99 run with changed times and additionally stop in Bad Vilbel and Frankfurt West in the direction of Kassel. In the direction of Frankfurt, the trains only stop in Bad Vilbel.
Reinforced trains of the RE30 are diverted via Hanau
