In mid-December 2023, the Hessian Minister of Economics and Transport, Tarek Al-Wazir, handed over funding decisions from the federal and state governments amounting to 51 million euros to Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main (VGF) and the City of Frankfurt. Funding will be provided for the renewal and expansion of existing rail infrastructure, including track and switch construction, the creation of barrier-free accessibility through the installation of elevators, the replacement of old power supply units and the renewal of rectifier stations for traction current supply.
Part of the funding will go towards projects that VGF is planning for the first half of 2024 and that serve to maintain, renew, expand and improve Frankfurt's public transport system. Not all of the work is visible, but all of it will help to ensure safe and comfortable rail operations.
"Construction work to maintain our existing rail infrastructure is necessary and just as important as building new lines," says Head of Mobility Wolfgang Siefert. "I am grateful for the funding from the federal and state governments. It is an important contribution to maintaining and improving the performance of the rail infrastructure in Frankfurt and thus making local public transport more attractive. We are building here for all citizens who are already VGF passengers - and for those who we want to convince to use public transport as part of the mobility transition."
This press release contains a non-exhaustive but nevertheless very comprehensive list of the projects planned for the first half of 2024.
DTC - train control goes digital
A key milestone in the digitization process will be reached during the Easter vacations: From Saturday, March 23 to Sunday, April 14, cables for the digital train control system DTC, which is based on so-called CBTC technology, will be installed on the route of the U4 and U5 lines - the B line. "As planned, we will be converting our control and safety technology to CBTC technology on the B line from Easter. Where effort and time requirements allow, we will of course also combine other construction work on the line in order to avoid further closures and work efficiently. In addition to work in the tunnel, our program also includes extensive track and switch work on the above-ground line between Scheffeleck and Preungesheim," says Michael Rüffer, VGF Managing Director of Technology and Operations.
In the tunnel, in the shadow of the DTC project, work is being carried out on the tracks, overhead wire, tunnel lighting, cables, for example a fibre optic cable for the expansion of digitalization, the fire alarm systems and some cosmetic repairs in the stations.
While the B line is the first section of the regular route network to be converted for the DTC project, the first journeys are to take place on a VGF test route, which will be converted by the end of May. A vehicle equipped with the new technology will be used as a prototype.
Further information on the major DTC project is available at innovation.vgf-ffm.de/dtc.
Along the tracks
Numerous construction measures aimed at maintaining and modernizing Frankfurt's local transport network are also taking place on other lines. For example, on tracks, points and crossings: In February and March, VGF will be working on the tracks in Weißkirchen, in April and May on the level crossing at Zeilweg, on Saalburg-/Wittelsbacherallee and Hartmann-Ibach-Straße. In May, work will also be carried out on Schweizer Straße and in June at the Stresemannallee/Gartenstraße junction. Work "behind the scenes" is taking place on the site of the VGF East depot: Five point machines will be renewed here in the first half of 2024.
Construction is also underway along the tracks: With a view to increasing digitalization, the fibre optic cable connection between Waldau and Rheinlandstraße stations, for example, will be completed in the first half of the year. The cables will be used for passenger information technology, ticket machines and monitoring the technical infrastructure, among other things.
At the other end of the city, work is underway in Rebstöcker Straße to install a new traffic signal system that will regulate operations on a single-track section of the line. Commissioning of the new system is planned for March.
Stops will be longer, barrier-free and digital
The first new "T" streetcars have been in service with the VGF since 2022, so far with a standard length of around 30 meters. In 2024, the first "T40" trams, i.e. a 40-meter-long version of the new streetcar model, are due to arrive in Frankfurt. The new streetcars will initially be used on line 11. For this, the platforms have to be adapted so that the longer streetcars can also stop there. The program is already underway and the first stops have been converted. In the next few months, conversion work is due to begin at Galluswarte at the end of February.
In spring, the Stresemannallee/Gartenstraße stop will be converted to make it barrier-free in the direction of the city center, and work on the Textorstraße stop will begin at the same time. At Textorstraße, both the streetcar and bus stops will be converted in both directions. In this case, it is not the VGF that is taking the lead, but the Office for Road Construction and Development, as the road space is also being renovated and modernized. A close exchange is taking place here.
The first digital stops are to be completed as a pilot project by the 2024 European Football Championship. The stops are part of the Digital Information Broker System Frankfurt (DIB) - a future-proof and innovative passenger information system designed to make public transport use more attractive and meet today's demands for digital information services. Further information on the project can be found on the VGF innovation page at Digital Information Broker - System Frankfurt - Innovation VGF (vgf-ffm.de).
Working underground
Work is also being carried out in the tunnels and underground stations: VGF regularly replaces escalators in subway stations. From May, it will be the turn of two escalators at the Zoo, which have been in service for 37 years and are now being replaced. A blog article at Läuft und läuft und läuft - Fahrtreppen-Erneuerung bei der VGF - VGF-Blog (vgf-ffm.de) provides information about the escalator replacement program.
The electrical infrastructure in the Dom/Römer and Römerstadt stations is being renewed, for example cables for the station lighting are being replaced and new distribution cabinets installed.
In various project phases, a BOS object radio system for the fire department, police, federal police and emergency services is also being converted from analog to digital in the underground traffic facilities. This includes the installation of antenna cables, antennas and connecting cables. Part of the work will take place during the aforementioned tunnel closure in the Easter vacations.
For safety and service
In line with current safety standards, VGF is investing in the fire protection of its stations. From May, the Leipziger Straße station will be renovated as part of the fire protection refurbishment. This will also include preparatory work for the replacement of the station lighting. The fire protection refurbishment already underway in the Miquel-/Adickesallee station can be completed in the first half of 2024.
Preliminary measures are being finalized in various other stations. This blog article from 2017 explains what is meant by preliminary measures in the context of fire protection projects: Millions for fire protection - VGF-Blog (vgf-ffm.de). Following the preliminary measures, numerous works will take place in technical rooms, i.e. behind closed doors. They remain largely invisible to passengers, but are no less crucial to the fire safety project.
Cameras, emergency call and information pillars (NIS) and emergency call and information display cabinets (NIV) at and in stations have been and are being replaced in multi-stage projects. New cameras have already been installed along the above-ground section of the U5 line, new NIVs will be installed at the above-ground stations by February and new NISs at the Preungesheim and Konstablerwache stations by March. Along the A line (lines U1, U2, U3 and U8), a total of 90 cameras will be replaced with new ones by April. Modernization work will also be carried out in the control centre, where the threads of security and service come together, with the renewal of the video wall installed there.
Under power
The traction current for the trains is provided by so-called rectifier plants, which are distributed throughout the city. Several of these plants are on the list for the first half of 2024: Upgrading work will be completed on Lübeckerstraße, work will begin on Oberforsthaus, Borsigallee and Hessestraße and construction work is due to start on a new rectifier station on Lyoner Straße. |
