U5 back to normal service
Since Sunday 9 October 2016, modern U5 U-Bahn trains have been running on the line between central station and Preungesheim.
Since Saturday 29 October 2016, the trains of the U5 line have had barrier-free access at the Glauburgstraße station.
Passengers must wait until the middle of the week for the U5. Up through 2 November, trains will run between central station and Hauptfriedhof, from where replacement buses are still running to Preungesheim, because VGF needs to enlarge the track curve at the Eckenheimer Landstraße / Marbachweg junction to accommodate the wider U5 train. The works will be completed as announced earlier, meaning the U5 will run again from the opening of business on 3 November according to its timetable and along the entirety of the line.
The commissioning of the station will also put an end to the access restriction at Eckenheimer Landstraße between Glauburgstraße and Oeder Weg, with the street once again free for through traffic. During the building period it was only open for residents and business owners/customers. The side streets in the section leading up to Nordendstraße, where building containers are still located and roadworks are necessary, are open. Additionally, 18 parking spaces are once again available on Eckenheimer Landstraße.
Building works at Musterschule station completed.
The Musterschule station is completed and in operation: this also applies to the roads, pavements and bike lanes around the station, as well as the traffic lights and street lamps. The fitting of four shelters, benches, cabinets, ticket machines and display boards with Dynamic Passenger Information (DFI) at the station conforms to the usual standard in Frankfurt. What is not standard is the expensive integration of the platform into the street. The plan, which envisages a smooth transition, came from Kölling architects.
Outstanding works necessary
At the Glauburgstraße station, works ran under the “rolling operation” of the U-Bahn, but unfortunately despite huge staff deployment they still aren’t quite completed. In the next two weeks, pavements and bike lanes will be paved behind the platform, which were provisionally put in place at the time of opening. Supply delays meant it was necessary to install provisional railings on 29 October which will be replaced in the coming weeks. The panes for the shelters will also start to be installed in the next few days. Because these panes also provide protection behind the shelters, the railings in the shelters are also provisional measures.
Roadworks are still necessary in the southern construction area as well as on Nordendstraße. The works on Eiserne Hand will be completed in November.
Barrier-free access at Musterschule and Glauburgstraße
The platforms at the stations Musterschule and Glauburgstraße boast unique characteristics: the platforms of around 73.5 metres in length are split into three sections, where the front and back sections are around 60 centimetres high, and the middle 80 centimetres. At this part of the platform, barrier-free access is possible. At the positions where other carriages stop, one stays at the 20-centimetre level marked by yellow dots on the platform.
This “bastion design” was chosen in order to avoid a bulky appearance and a divisive effect on the narrow Eckenheimer Landstraße. Anyone who wants to benefit from barrier-free access at the Musterschule and Glauburgstraße stations must know beforehand which carriage to enter. The relevant platform sections are marked with yellow stripes on the ground and yellow stickers on the station walls, at Hauptbahnhof and Konstablerwache stations heading out of the city and between Preungesheim and Deutsche Nationalbibliothek heading into the city.
Because of this concept, the trains will stop at the terminus, Preungesheim, in such a way that the “right doors” are in the yellow-marked entry area for disembarking. For arriving passengers, this means the trains will not travel to the end of the platform, making it necessary to double back a few metres on foot upon leaving the station.
Reduction of U-Bahn noise
The noise emissions of the U5 trains on the rebuilt section have been dealt with as previously announced by VGF: not only will all 200 carriages of this kind supplied so far be fitted with wheel vibration absorbers by the end of 2017, VGF will also install a stationary greasing system at Rampe Scheffeleck heading out of the city. This could be in operation within the next three weeks. VGF will continue to monitor the cornering ability of its trains.
Questions, suggestions and criticism
Please send your questions, suggestion or criticism to info(at)vgf-ffm.de
Accessibility upgrade of above-ground stations along the U5 tram line
In summer 2013, VGF began modernising the above-ground stations along the U5 line to prepare for the use of the modern high-floor trams.
In the past few years (2013 to late 2015) the stations
-Sigmund-Freud-Straße
- Ronneburgstraße
- Theobald-Ziegler-Straße
- Gießener Straße
- Marbachweg / Sozialzentrum
- Hauptfriedhof
- Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as well as
- Preungesheim
were upgraded. The basis for this was the agreement of the Frankfurt City Magistrate on 19 April 2013 with the building and financing proposal for the accessibility upgrade of eight stations on the U5 tram line between Preungesheim and Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
In 2016, VGF continued the works and modernised the Musterschule and Glauburgstraße stations (works here are set to run until late October 2016). With the commissioning of the Musterschule station on 9 October 2016, the stations Neuer Jüdischer Friedhof (planned for upgrade in 2018) and Eckenheimer Landstraße / Marbachweg (to be closed in the future) taken out of operation.
The stations will each get an 80 centimetre high platform (with the exception of the graduated platforms at Musterschule and Glauburgstraße, which only have this height in the approx. 25 metre long middle section), crossings with traffic lights, ramps as well as tactile conductive elements running from the crossings to the platforms and access routes. As well as the dismantling of the existing platform and building of the new, higher platform, the renovations also include adjustments for tracks and overhead lines. In addition to this, the road and traffic routeing will also be adjusted along with the cycle paths, grass verges and traffic lights, which will give priority to trams after the completion of all stations along the route. The street lamps will also be renovated in parts.
This will allow for the use of the new U5-style trains as well as step-free, level access to these trains (barrier-free). The length of the future stops amounts to 78 metres (currently around 60 metres), thus providing the space required for the use of three-carriage trains necessary with the extension of the train line to the Europaviertel. The stations themselves will be fitted with tactile floor panels and visual and acoustic passenger information according to requirements. They will also receive transparent shelters with sufficient seating, ticket machines and showcases for passenger information.
(As of: 10 October 2016)
