VGF is improving its service and retrofitting older U-Bahn train stations with lifts in the coming years in order to make them as mobility-friendly and accessible as possible.
This lift retrofit programme was launched by the company in 2004, at the time for eight underground stations which were built without lifts, some of them over 45 years ago (the A-line opened in October 1968). To date, the following stations have been upgraded:
U “Holzhausenstraße” (U1, U2, U3, U8)
- two lifts operating since May 2008
U “Grüneburgweg” (U1, U2, U3, U8)
- two lifts operating since December 2009
U “Kirchplatz” (U6, U7)
- one lift operating since December 2009
U “Alte Oper” (U6, U7)
- one lift operating since October 2010
U “Miquel- / Adickesallee” (U1, U2, U3, U8)
- four lifts operating since September 2015
U “Schweizer Platz” (U1, U2, U3, U8)
- two lifts (one vertical lift operating since December 2015; one inclined lift operating since April 2016).
Two more stations are part of the programme:
U “Westend” (U6, U7)
- one lift for approx. €3.3 million
- operating since September 2022
U “Eschenheimer Tor” (U1, U2, U3, U8)
- two lifts for approx. €1.7 million
- subsidy of €835,000 granted in December 2015
In the past VGF always used to specify its own timetable for all projects with the start of construction and commissioning. These were considered binding and irrevocable although the works depend on factors over which VGF has no influence, for instance pledges to provide financial support on which VGF relies. Therefore, please understand that against this background we no longer wish to specify our planned construction time frames and commissioning dates given that we are unable to guarantee them.