Frankfurt: The Birthplace of The LRT (and Much More)
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- Опубліковано 26 кві 2024
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Frankfurt, like many of its German sibling cities, has a myriad of railways in the city, and it might even be the progenitor of the LRT we know today. Let's take a closer look to unravel all of its mysteries.
Special thanks to Empress Sock and Martin Ibert for their help with this video!
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I was in Frankfurt when you uploaded this, what are the odds?!
Do COLOGNE NEXT PLEASE
Can you do Phoenix valley metro
Wooo! Frankfurt! Thank you for finally covering my hometown as well!
Edit: The only thing missing unfortunately is the Ebbelwoi-Express, a colourful retro tram that runs on weekends and sells Pretzels as well as the local speciality, Apple Wine (a bit like cider but without added sugar), to its riders. You can even rent the tram yourself, and it is quite popular for bachelor parties and similar events.
yeah he sadly just wanted to focus on sbahn and the ubahn part of the system, no frankfurt trams this time :(
@@EmpressSock would it be possible in the future that he covers those as well? Anyway, I was just stoked that somebody was talking about Frankfurt on topics other than the upcoming EM and *that* area near the Hbf. :-)
Also: hello, fellow Frankfurters!
@@markb1170 that's up to him to decide, i'll always be gladly collect footage where needed.
might even upgrade my gear until then...
I will surely do the trams at some point, its just too much for one video!
I’m from Frankfurt too, live in the US now since 1994
Fun fact, if you take the S8 from start to end, you almost cross 3 german states and 2 state capitals, wiesbaden is the capital of hessen, and mainz of rheinland palatinate. hanau is just at the bavarian border.
Hanau is hardly adjacent to the bavarian border, calling S8 "almost" border-crossing is weird.
It seems the Frankfurt transport system, of S-Bahn and U-Bahn would be a good model for West Yorkshire?
How would you develop of the West Yorkshire Metro? Would the U-Bahn be defined as a tram train?
@@clivebroadhead4381 The U-Bahn is a light rail system, not a tram-train. That means that it doesn‘t share tracks with main line trains/it doesn‘t run on lines primarily used by main line trains. Such light rail systems can work well in an interurban environment present in West Yorkshire. Have a look at the Rhein-Ruhr Stadtbahn for an example of that.
@@powgames I mean it literally borders bavaria, yes of course nowhere near the city center, but still even if you measure hauptbahnhof to kahl am main its below 10km linear / air distance.
@@Teddini thats why i said hardly.
So can I add a few things. First of all Frankfurts suburban Railway system isn't really complete without mentioning the Regional Bahn, which in places works effecitvely as an adjunct to the S-Bahn System, either as circle routes or as extra S-bahn lines (for examples of the former: RB-49 runs a partial circuit from Hanau to Friedberg, RB-16 runs another arc from Friedberg to Friedrichsdorf (which you might recognise as the start point of the S-5 and S-6 respectively) so you don't have to go into Frankfurt change and come out. For the latter: There are a number of Suburban Radial routes on the RB system that, as far as I can tell, are not part of the S-bahn for no apparent reason, running radial commuter routes to similar suburban destinations as the S-Bahn: RB-12 runs from Koenigstein, which is within walking distance of Kronberg (where the S4 ends) to the Haupbahnhof. RB-11 runs from Bad Soden to Frankfurt Hoechst, similar, I could go on but you get the point. Effectively it's a 2nd S-Bahn system laid over the top of the S-Bahn.
And then a couple of nitpicks: My OCD is so triggered that you randomly started some lines in the East and others in the West. The Frankfurt S-Bahn, either deliberately or accidentally is laid out in a beautiful clockwise turn: S-1 Starting in the West in Wiesbaden, S2, S3, and S4 in a sequential arc to the North West of the city, S5 and 6 to the North, S7 starting in the City centre (soon to start in the North East, and then S8 and S9 starting in the far East and running out to the west.
Finally: A note on pronounciation: The final E in Wache (Watch) isn't silent, and in German "W" is pronounced more like the English "V" so it should be pronounced less like "Wa-ch" and more like "V-ach-uh"
was a pleasure helping out!
Danke :) Freut mich so sehr dass er ein Video über Frankfurt macht :D
_Do we know each other?_
@@lillywho perhaps we talked before.
i do frequent certain subreddits, like frankfurts :)
however often enough i am just a simple stealthy ninja ;)
@@EmpressSock We definitely have. That's the joke. 🙃
@@lillywho i'm aware. hence naming the most notable, relating subreddit we frequently met in.
Other than the extension plans you've already mentioned (S7 to Hanau, U5 to Europaviertel) there are numerous other extensions plans.
- Closing the U-Bahn gap between Ginnheim and Bockenheimer Warte
- Extending U5 north to Frankfurter Berg station to connect to S6
- Extending S5 to Usingen
- Regional Tangente West, a tram-train running along the western border of the city to relief pressure from the central station by acting as a tangential connection between the S-Bahn branches in the West. (I'm surprised you didn't mention that, since construction has already started)
The U2 extension to Bad Homburg railway station to connect with the S5 as well.
Yeah, I was waiting for this section, but then the video just ended. A bit disappointing honestly.
With S7 you mean the north-main-S, right?
That will actually be the S5, not S7
@@captainb4 in the Deutschlandtakt Plans, the S7 will be the North Main S-Bahn, just like Reece said in the video.
@@felixw19 that is good to know... maybe I should actually finish the video instead of trying to correct commenters...
I moved to Frankfurt about 2 years ago and have sinced used my car maybe 5 times since. It's very convenient getting around the city with public transit.
If some parts of the Frankfurt U-Bahn network feel railway-like, it's because once upon a time they were railways, especially U3 to Oberursel and Hohemark whose outer end was once a steam-powered local railway. This got gobbled up by one of several transport operators which once ran in the area, electrified as an interurban and connected to the Frankfurt tram network. Steam traction was retained for interchange freight with the mainline railway, the steam locos being equipped with bow collectors on their cab roofs to trip the wire-contact based signalling system. The steamers were retired in the 1960's (one is preserved) and replaced with dual-mode (battery/OHW) locos; these and the freight service ran into the early 1980's.
Another side effect is that many crossings on the U1-3 are protected by barriers which is partially caused of its railway legacy and the three legal classifications of tramways (being on par as that of an actual metro).
For sure, and that's not at all uncommon for light railways! The gates certainly help keep things speedy!
@@MarioFanGamer659 The barrieres along the route of the U3 north of Niederursel and all the way to Hohemark have all been removed several years ago. Though I wish they'd've keept them at both sections where the U3 crosses the main road in Oberursel from north to south of the road, and further up, back to south to north.
Remarkedly, the Duewag U2, which was the first U Bahn in Frankfurt, made it as far as Edmonton, Calgary, San Diego, Sacramento, Mendoza, Mexico City. The ET420 saw a lot of use in Germany, it was adopted by the S-Bahn Ruhr, Stuttgart and Munich, even the SL in Stockholm got some cars. Munich still uses the ET420 on some routes and Cologne ueses some ET420s on relief during Gamescom and other exhibitions. Sadly, Frankfurt no longer has the ET420.
Another quirk: A mural on the station "Messe" was commissioned when Canada was a guest country for the book fair, I think that was around 2021 or so and it is still there. A huge painting of an eagle standing for Frankfurt and a raccoon for Toronto was painted as streetart "Frankfurt meets Toronto".
420s in Cologne are still in regular service, mostly on the S12. Unfortunately they are being replaced by 424s from Hannover atm
Darmstadt mentioned in an RMTransit video??? I never thought this day would come 🙏🏼
Great job on the pronunciations for all the place names btw! Almost spot on. Just a tiny correction: There are currently plans to build a second downtown tunnel but not for S-Bahn but for long distance trains. Also the first part of the future ring line is currently under construction with plans to extend it to a full ring in the relative near future. It’s called Regionaltangente West (RTW for short). :)
Yep, the tunnel is for mainline, ala Berlin and Stuttgart
Fun fact about the Skyline:
The EZB is that far erst because they wanted a building that sticks out and that's why it isn't near the other skyscrapers
It certainly does stick out!
I woke up this morning in a hotel in Frankfurt and happened to have a look at the transit map of Frankfurt. I thought: interesting RMtransit should do a video on this. And then this pops up. Great stuff.
10:58 Descendant? Frankfurt's system is 10 years older than Edmonton's and 13 years older than Calgary's or San Diego's. The North American systems were inspired by Frankfurt, not the other way around.
Yes, Calgary/Edmonton U2 was later than Frankfurt.
yeah I think he meant to say "ancestor"
Just misspoke! Sorry!
One special thing the tram system has is the Ebbelwei Express. Its a tiny 2 wagon Tram running on the regular tram lines but its only for leisure where Apfelwein (a type of cider) and some food is served. Its like those tourist buses but as a tram and you get foods and drinks.
I don't think I've seen something like it outside of Frankfurt.
11:01 I would actually argue that the rise of LRV in America came after Frankfurt had started up. The U2 was ordered by San Diego specifically as a defivative of its original Frankfurt cousin, even with the class name, a result of the naming scheme in Frankfurt for tunnel stock, retained by Siemens and used in later American variants.
The German system came first, San Diego followed.
Nothing to argue there, it's simply a fact. I don't know how Reece managed to twist it the other way around.
Yes, Calgary/Edmonton came after the second generation of Frankfurt's U2.
@@bahnspotterEU Just misspoke, obviously the North American cities were the derivative ones.
Finally, my beloved Frankfurt! I might be biased, but I believe it to have one of the best transit systems in the world!
Arguably worsened by the state of DB services but the overall coverage of RMV network is incredibly impressive
I recently visited Frankfurt and I loved getting to explore the area on trams, S-bahns, and metros 24hrs a day. I also enjoyed getting to take DB HSR trains to Basel and Amsterdam. The only downside was the train delays due to snow (I went in January), but an extra 40 minutes on a train is infinitely more tolerable than sitting in an airport terminal for 3+ hours. Shame that most non-Europeans only visit Frankfurt to connect through its airport.
Of course, train travel is way more relaxing and much less stuffy! Frankfurt is a great visit!
Some S-Bahn routes like the S6 have half-hourly service to the end station, and, in example of the S6, have another half-hourly service to Groß-Karben, creating a 15 minute frequency on the line.
I’m from NY but moved to Darmstadt a few months ago. Darmstadt, Wiesbaden, Mainz and a ton of other smaller cities around Frankfurt all have wonderfully connected, easily accessible and diverse public transport options. It’s a breeze to get to/from/around all these cities.
It's a bit of a shame that you didn't mention that Frankfurt South is also a ICE station as well, to avoid the terminus station in Frankfurt Hbf.
Apart from that, great video!
the focus this time was the sbahn and ubahn part of the system 😅
tram, main line and long distance ones only received mentions (i was sad too 😢)
but i guess the video would have gotten too big for this otherwise
Finally a video about Frankfurt!
With time I get around to lots of places!
Pronounciation guide for "Wache": The way you pronounced it, but after the "ch" comes what to an English-speaker would read as "uh". So "Wach-uh".
Also the german w is pronounced as english v
I'm expecting to see Rewboss in the comments here. He has a lot of great videos on transport in Frankfurt and its surrounds. A lot of these places, like Hanau and Aschaffenburg I know of already because of his videos. Great video Reece!
Great video Reece! I grew up near Frankfurt, so this video hits home to me.
3:03 this footage almost has archival value! If you pay attentention, you can acutally see the Squaire being built in the lower right corner, with only the platform above the rail station being complete.
10:00 this section is really quite impressive, engineering wise. It was the first new "subway" being built in Germany after WW2 and with those 4 tracks they really didn't shy away from the effort. The whole thing is beneath Frankfurt' main shopping street and was built with cut-and-cover, there are some really cool pictures of this from the time it was being built.
10:28 just like most German Stadtbahn systems, originally the intention was to transform the whole thing into a full metro system over time but those plans were later abandoned. The U5 line being pictured here (and for example at 11:09) is the most Tram-like of the Stadtbahn lines, especially the section on Eckenheimer Landstraße, though they integrated the high-level platforms really well into that narrow street. (Edit, nvm, you mentioned it at 14:03) Otherwise the system is quite well seperated from car traffic.
11:16 when those 100m LRT trains got introduced I got real rail-nerd excited. It shows that any high floor LRT system can eventually get brought up to metro-like standards, which might be really important for cities like LA in the long run.
11:36 one of my favorite tunnel sections is the U4 beneath Berger Straße. This was also built using cut and cover, but the street is too narrow to fit 2 track stations within it's cross sections. They solved this by stacking the two tracks on top of each other, giving each direction a single platform.
13:05 U9 is eventually supposed to be linked up to the terminus of U4 at Bockenheimer Warte, creating another north-south U-Bahn trunk across the city.
Regarding your second point: Frankfurts rapid transit system wasn't the first to be built after the war. Munich came first because of the Olympic games.
@@felixw19 the first section of Frankfurt's U-Bahn opened in 1968, of Munich's in 1971.
I mentioned for example the part with the berger straße and cut and cover during scripting, but there is only so much one can put into a video sadly.
there is also several construction projects i pointed to, and offered collecting footage of. but again, at some point it'd be too much.
same reason why the trams arent exactly spokena bout in this too
@@EmpressSock I wasn't trying to slight your or Reeces' knowledge of the system, if that was your impression.
@@MTobias not taken in that way, no worries!
Just felt it worthwhile to point the situation out though
I can't wait for the Rhein-Ruhr area. I'm no good at filming stuff, so I can't help you with footage. The region has a lot of interesting specialties: The Schwebebahn in Wuppertal, the Skytrain at the Düsseldorf Airport, the guided bus and the LRS in the middle of the A40 Autobahn, the double-gauge rails in Krefeld, etc.
nice vid RMTransit!
btw u got the U6 and U7 start destinations mixed up
the U6 starts at Hausen and the U7 starts at Praunheim Heerstraße
they got switched around a few years ago
Additionally, U5 got shortened and now ends at Konstablerwache as opposed to Hauptbahnhof (a shame in my opinion)
A key project of the transit in Frankfurt is the "Regionaltangene West" which is a tram-train-system under construction. It will serve as tangential connectein in the cities west and eventually will form a ring in the long term.
6:52 starting this December, only S6 will run South to Darmstadt (every 30 minutes) with additional services running to Langen (every 15 minutes)
S6, sure? Right now it's only going to Frankfurt Süd, From Friedberg. Maybe that news drowned in the expansion of the tracks?
@@askuri_ ja, ich bin mir sicher. Ab dem Fahrplanwechsel fährt die S6 nach Darmstadt und S3-5 enden am Südbahnhof
At 13:36 explaining U6, U7 you did color the lines correctly but the flipped the Westernmost Termini. U6 goes from Hausen to Ostbahnhof and U7 form Heerstraße to Enkheim.
It used to be, that U7 starts in Hausen and U6 at Heerstraße a couple of years ago, and I still haven’t adjusted my mental map entirely since then.
Watching this video while going from Offenbach to Frankfurt by an S-Bahn :)
Glad that you mentioned S7, as almost every person I’ve talked about have never heard of it.
Very well-described video, especially with all the planned upgrades. I guess that Metrobus and express bus are worth mentioning as they’re connecting parallel rail lines and other important bus lines.
WOO, finally a video about my hometown!!
Very nice explained, and a good system i use so often.
It would also be super interesting if you could also talk a lot about the Rhein-Main transit in general, with the mentioned tram Systems in Mainz and Darmstadt, or the failing and scaling down of the Wiesbaden bus network, and what caused it.
Thank you for the excellent representation of the Frankfurt transit system. The Sbahn-system is very great and I’m looking forward to the extension at the north of the river Main, towards Hanau. The Ubahn is ok as well, but in my opinion it should be converted to a real metro system. This might be unrealistic, but we need to be a little bit more courageous in expanding the rail infrastructure. One thing you missed, is the planned construction of an outer loop around the city, providing more transportation options for people living in the surrounding cities. One part of it, the Regionaltangente West has started construction in the last couple of weeks. I hope everything goes by plan and the rest of the loop will also receive funding. Wie auch immer, cooles Video dikka!
Regional Tangente West actually started construction last years summer already. Thats when they started in Neu Isenburg where they eventually go off the mainline into the city centre.
the problem with "real metro" (whatever that means exactly) is that it's so much more expensive to build and to run than trams or light rail that you should only build it when you really need to. And it doesn't seem to me that all of Frankfurt's network needs it since only the city centre is really densely populated
Awesome! I've been waiting for a video on Frankfurt.
One interesting thing about Frankfurt's distinction between U-Bahn and Straßenbahn is that the city council originally intended to abolish the trams after finishing the third light rail trunk. This was the topic of a huge local political controversy in the 80s that led to the tram system being preserved just long enough for trams to become in vogue again. The tram system actually operates on reserved right of way for a significant percentage of its trackage and is has even been extended in the last few decades.
I'll have to correct you on one detail: Most of the Frankfurt tram and light rail system has never used meter gauge. The system was mostly built up three private companies: The Frankfurt Tramway Company that ran most of the urban routes, the Waldbahn that originally ran loco-hauled interurbans to the South (one route still runs straight through the forest), and the Frankfurt Lokalbahn that ran several interurbans to the North which were later converted into Line A of the U-Bahn. All three systems used standard gauge from the very beginning.
A fourth company, the Frankfurt-Offenbach Tranway Company, rain a meter-gauge interurban to Offenbach, part of which has survived as tram route 16 on Offenbacher Landstraße in Oberrad. This is the only part that has seen gauge conversion (in 1905, so a very long time ago).
I find it so strange that Frankfurt calls its Stadtbahn an U-Bahn when it just isn't. It has its own dedicated tunnels, but also sections where it shares its space with cars, so it's a perfect example of a Stadtbahn, as found in many other cities in Germany. My only guess is that it was done to reduce confusion between it and the trams, which are separate systems, but similar situations are found in Düsseldorf and Essen for example, they also have separate tram and Stadtbahn networks while actually calling the latter "Stadtbahn".
The tunnels cover most of the center of the city though, so unless you're going to the outskirts, you're usually underground.
Just one of many cities overselling their transit system. Think of Metro Valencia (actually a collection of S-Bahn and Stadtbahn lines) or Brisbane Metro (literally just busses).
it definetly feels more like a subway than the other stadtbahns
Frankfurt just brands their system as an U-Bahn (just like any other city in Germany uses the “U” logo for stadtbahn systems with tunnel sections). From an operational and bureaucratic standpoint it is infact considered a stadtbahn and also runs under the corresponding “Straßenbahn Bau- und Betriebsordnung” (BoStrab).
@@n.bastians8633
> Metro Valencia
I can give calling an S bahn a metro a pass as it's still rapid transit, but a Stadtbahn is a bit too much
3:47 Most importantly, the supermarket above the the platforms with much cheaper food than on the platforms or in the airport! And connecting easily to local bus Transit aswell
The vid: 10/10
The way he spoke the german words: ummmmm
It surprised me, that he still pronounces 'Bahnhof' as 'Bannhoff'. Did nobody send him an audio sample as a reference?
It's pretty good actually. Only the refusal to pronounce the E at the end of "-wache" is irritating.
I've heard worse.
It's so cool to see you covering the routes I travel daily with, especially the S-Bahn.
It was really nice to watch this video as a born Frankfurter who is a trainee SBahn driver now :) Keep it up!
Woke up today, took the S2 to work and the S7 as part of my work :D feels great to see you cover stuf I use on a daily basis.
Really interesting video! Since Im from the Rhein Main region, let me share some more info on that upgrade to 4 tracks/separation of S Bahn services:
6:43 The separation of the S Bahn tacks/upgrade to 4 tracks instead of the shared 2 will get build up to Friedberg. The first section up to Bad Vilbel was just finished (mostly) and opened like you mentioned. Construction on the 2nd section up to Friedberg is planned to start 2026. When this is done the S6 will get a 15min schedule to Friedberg. A 15min scheduled to Bad Vilbel is planned to get implemented with the next schedule change this december
There had been a 15min schedule to Bad Vilbel (and beyond, to Groß-Karben) for many years. In practice, it was a 12/18min schedule because of slot conflicts. They couldn't maintain it during construction, so it's really a re-implementation.
@@jlnstrk Oh, didnt know that! Thanks for the info. The 15min schedule should definitely be more stable now though
@@Guy-Zero it is more stable, just not really stable enough. The S6 is the reason I moved to a different part of Frankfurt. The extension from Bad Vilbel to Friedberg is still not approved by the REgierungspräsidium and is always supposed to start soon™... The upgrade has been delayed for decades, in part due to the incompetence of DB Netz AG.
I will believe it when I see it. It could take another decade.
By the way, the local councils are paying quite some money to DB Regio for extending the 15min service beyond Bad Vilbel to Groß-Karben.
@@timowagner1329 Isnt the delay largely because of NIMBYism / protests from people because of "noise" and other stupid stuff? And btw the upgrade up to Friedberg isnt supposed to start "soon". Its supposed to start in 2026 (near the end of it if I remember correctly). 2 years (construction) break and after that the 2nd part will start
There's currently construction going on for the _Regional Tangente West_ . It's going to run to the west of Frankfurt, with one branch starting in Bad Homburg and the other on Bad Soden, making use of the already existing tracks of S-, U- *and* Straßenbahn, but then diverting further west, away from the Frankfurt city proper to serve Eschborn and other areas, before dipping back east to server the industrialised Höchst district of Frankfurt, continuing to serve the airport, and go a bit further down to Darmstadt.
It's indented to relieve the already at capacity City Tunnel, and to create a direct connection to the airport, without people comming from around Frankfurt having to switch trains within the city. The type of train they intend to run on it is likely going to be a regional tram/tram-trains.
Nice Video and not only because you mentioned my hometown Wiesbaden :D The Rhein-Main Gebiet will be interesting to watch transit wise as there are a lot of plans and expansions happening i.e. Wallauer Spange to connect Wiesbaden and Wallau directly to the airport+, Regionaltangente West which is currently under construction and will serve as a crescent/half ring to the areas outside of the FFM urban core (also there could even be a Regionaltangente Ost which would complete the ring) and other ambitious plans.
Sadly there seemingly wont be anything happening in Wiesbaden any time soon. The Citybahn would have been a perfect topic for a RM-Transit video😕
Grüße aus Mainz
Nice Video Reece! I am regularly in Frankfurt, so its cool to see a video about a System you are quite familiar with. 😊
One great thing about the S-Bahn network in Frankfurt is also that it got free and well-working WiFi. That is, throughout the whole ride, not just in stations (looking at you HK MTR) or not at all (Hi Singapore...). Very useful, especially for tourists with limited data plans
Great Video and
I would love a future video about Darmstadt !
Just wanted to mention that videos w/ a voiceover imo are much more interesting! The audio feels much higher quality and makes it satisfying to watch.
Thanks as always! 🙏
Can't wait for the Rhein-Ruhr episode!
But please do a separate Video for Cologne and Bonn, they have their own Dual-City Stadtbahn System and Cologne has it's own S-Bahn System :) (although it's connected to S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr with two lines)
I love it. I live in Frankfurt and I waited for this for ages... Thank you
Another detailed presentation.
Excellent! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
As a Frankfurt resident (and grateful subscriber of your wonderful content), thank you very much for featuring my hometown! I personally don't own a car, simply because I don't need one, public transport gets me anywhere in the region. The only - if you will - downside of our transit system is the central role the Hauptbahnhof (Central Railway Station) still holds: If you want to go from the Western parts of the network to the Northern, or from Eastern parts to the Southern, you must travel through Hauptbahnhof or Hauptwache. There's no "Ringbahn" circling the city like in Berlin. There have been discussions to install one going on for decades now. However, the RMV (Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund) has implemented an "Express Bus" from the Taunus Mountains town Hofheim (West of FRA) to Bad Homburg (North of FRA), that has helped reduce travel time significantly.
I've been waiting for this video for months! Thank you so much Reece!
Fantastic breakdown Reece! Glad I could help by providing some footage 😊
A correction on the airport transit: the line to Terminal 3 is not an extension, but an entirely new line that runs parallel to the old one between Terminal 2 and 1.
Finally a video about Frankfurt, very cool!
The Squaire is always a good "tip" when not being in the secure airside yet - there is a Rossmann and a REWE there with normal prices to get toiletries, drinks, and that kind of stuff. Also open late - in case your flight returns late and your fridge at home is empty.
This was great to watch, it's nice to see a video about the network of the Metro area I live in. While I often have to deal with delays and other disruptions, your praising of the system humbled me a bit and made me more grateful for living in an area with such nice public transport connections compared to other citys (especially globally). Just a few small corrections/other interesting stuff:
-The Regionaltangente West is planned and already under construtcion in one segment and is meant to connect the S3/S4 branch south of the city via the Airport and several suburbs in the west to the S5 branch in the north. It will relieve the city centre and provide even better connections for the city and the region
-S5 and S6 usually run every 15 minutes to Bad Homburg and Groß Karben and only the longer route to Friedrichsdorf and Friedberg is served only every 30 minutes so you have even better connections on these lines
-The new tunnel planned under the city won't do much to relieve the S-Bahn as it will only have one station at the Hbf. It is meant to carry high-speed and maybe express regional trains to relieve their tracks around the Hbf which is also needed as the congestion on the lines with regional and long-distance trains is a headache
-The subway system was originally designed to replace the tram system and the tram line through the old town was meant to be demolished. It was part of a political showdown in the 1980s when the opening of a subway line was postponed because it should have meant abandoning the tram line but other parties and a good part of the general public wanted to keep both lines. This marked a shift towards less car-centric planing in Frankfurt and the whole of Germany really
But this is just meant to be an addition, the video is awesome especially considering that it's coming from someone living abroad!
I just spent the night in Frankfurt. There are trams everywhere. I am now on an inevitably late running ICE to Austria. DB have a lot of issues at the moment.
Right on time with this explainer. Just last week I was trying to understand this system. Can't wait for Ruhr explainer
Maybe it's worth to mention that even before "Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof" (with "The Squire" on top of it) opened in 1999, todays "Frankfurt Flughafen Regionalbahnhof" (opened in 1972 along with Terminal 1 of the Airport and then simply named "Frankfurt Flughafen") was served also by long distance trains and was integrated in the InterCity network from 1985 onward with connections every hour.
The "Lufthansa Airport Express" replaced short distance flights between Frankfurt Airport and Cologne/Düsseldorf as well as between Frankfurt Airport and Stuttgart from 1982 until 1993 - calling at todays "Frankfurt Flughafen Regionalbahnhof" and were introduced before the high-speed lines had been opened.
For this reason, two of the three tracks have 410 meter long platforms, able to accommodate even the longest passenger trains. The third track's platform is only 210 meter long - enough for S-Bahn and most regional services.
Until the end of the 1980s, todays regional station ran out of capacity, so there were different concepts to extend it or to complement it with a second station, resulting in todays "Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof".
Uhhh, I was hoping for this Video for so long!
Great video! :) interestingly, the U5 extension was already incorporated into the Hauptbahnhof station since the beginning, that means, the Hauptbahnhof has technically way to many u-bahn platforms because they build more and already build the switch within the tunnel. Furthermore, since you mentioned Darmstadt, it's worth mentioning Mainz tram as well. It's a "small" tram, with new trams and 70s trams in regular use as well. Also there is currently an extension for the tram network planned in Mainz as well. Also FYI Tram EU Championship in Frankfurt this year :)
Yeaaaah I was looking forward to thid video
Frankfurt is so easy to navigate with its transit system, love it.
Reece, genial resumen del tránsito de Frankfurt/M. Me encantaría verle informar sobre el sistema de tranvía en Darmstadt. Siga con el buen trabajo.
Ohhhh! That's my home region! I also have a really interesting detail about the Frankfurt U-Bahn! Most of the lines (with the exception of U5) runs on almost all separated tracks from the traffic with only some grade-level crossings, similar to Chicago L, Tyne and Wear Metro and even some Tokyo Metro lines. And you specified that you plan a video about Darmstadt my hometown, I will bring footage from this tram system in this very cute German tram system which can also operate as an interurban between Eberstadt and Alsbach. I promise to bring you some footage from there.
I video I was awaiting for quite a while.
Some corrections and additional notes:
- The final e is rarely devoiced in Germany so words like "Wache" are two syllables ("vach-uh")
- The S6 actually runs quarter-hourly up to Groß-Karben, only reducing to half-hour service when continuing to Friedberg and at sundays
- One indicator of the north-south lines and east-west lines is Hauptbahnhof where they get separate platforms before they merge into the tunnel
- There is the construction of Frankfurt-Ginnheim to fill in the gap of Niddapark
- Part of the S8/9's state is a dispute between Hesse and RLP. Basically, a ProBahn member told me that RLP has a contract where Mainz is essentially served for free but RLP doesn't want to pay any more money for full quarter-hour S8 service. Naturally, there are Hessians who don't like it and prefer the S9-only approach. Furthermore, there are plans to run an airport express from Wiesbaden and the S9 would terminate at Rüsselsheim (essentially eliminating it scaling the S8 to half-hour service from there onwards)
- One notable point is that the S8 crosses with the S6 of the Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn, though the latter is admittingly a regional line (it is a former regional line), with more focus on quantity (line length) than quality (dedicated tracks).
- Frankfurter Berg used to be called Bonames as the neighbourhood didn't exist bakc then and Bonames was the closest settlement during the station's constructions (it also explains why the U-Bahn station is called "Bonames Mitte" because it's actually located in Bonames even though the mainline station takes priority in the name)
- The matrix screens on the U3 line (Oberursel only) also show that only three-car trains are possible, though I don't know if this is by platform length or not sufficiently protected crossings (tramway crossings need a saltire to not be considered "mixed traffic", among others).
- It should be noted that Frankfurt South (U) is built in such a way to allow a southwards extension if you manage to get a sneak peak into the depot
- The U8 and U9 are officially part of the D Line which is as of now more an extension of the A Line and await a connection between Ginnheim and Bockenheim. Furthermore, this connection will be used for a second north-south trunk (IIRC it'll also take over Schwanheimer Bahn which is a tramway) and Haupbahnhof also is prepared with a cross platform interchange
I do feel like the U-Bahn should get a greater focus on. It also is a political ping-pong: Some parties (e.g. the Greens) prefer a more tram-like approach, others (e.g. CDU) prefer a more metro-like approach which can be seen on some projects (e.g. the at-grade extension to Europaviertel and Regionaltangente West).
I don't expect it to be entirely grade separated, let alone tunnelled to a greater extend, but I do wish the section of Eschersheimer Landstraße is removed from the streets (either below but also above thanks to geometry) alongside some underpasses on the A Line and some flying junctions on the surface sections (most notably the wye at Heddernheimer Landstraße).
And while the D Line south of the Main is smart on its own, IMO it makes sense to build an east-west line (E Line) from Schwanheim over Sachsenhausen to Oberrad, maybe even all the way to Offenbach (though only if Offenback Ost gets redesigned) and the D Line instead travels Louisa where it meets with the railway with a cross platform interchange at Stresemannallee/Mörfelder Landstraße with the E Line.
And of couse, more of the S-Bahn should get more its own tracks as evident that the S8/9 suffers from it greatly with the many intercity trains, though I also like to see some other lines taken into the S-Bahn network. The RB75 (Wiesbaden-Darmstadt) is the best contender (especially since it runs in parallel to the S8 for a bit) but the Ländchesbahn (Wiesbaden Niedernhausen) also is possible, especially with the idea of electrification on that line. On a lesser note, the Dreieichbahn (Buchschlag Ober-Roden) also is a good contender to take into the S-Bahn network, though it too would have to be electrified first.
there's many crossings on the u3 in oberursel that already have saltires so that's probably not it. from personal experience living here, its definitely the platform lengths. i don't think any of the oberursel platforms are longer than 3 cars
These OSM visuals look very nice. I love the information density it provides compared to Google Maps or similar for this type of video.
I can easily rap my head around Frankfurt's rail system as I used to live there.
Concerning S8 and S9. S8 is the older line. S9 was introduced later to facilitate access to the airport for the southern neighbourhoods of Wiesbaden, since it allows direct access instead of using the bus between Mainz-Kastel (actually a Wiesbaden neighbourhood) and Mainz Hbf or having to detour either via Wiesbaden Hbf or Frankfurt/Main Hbf.
Going to Frankfurt next month, so this is timely and very useful for me! 🙂
Yay, the series of german cities continues, it's a very good video! :)
I'd be super happy if there is a video about Düsseldorf someday, because the network has some interesting features as well
I would love to see a video about the Darmstadt tram!
Another thing to note are the express bus links to the airport, allowing many of those living south of the city to avoid the city centre when catching long-distance trains!
Lol I am in Frankfurt right now!! I only used the tram though! Absolutely love the extensiveness of the tram network and impressed that almost every German town over 100,000 people has a decent tram and bus system
I can highly recommend the U-Bahn! When you are out of the tunnel, there a quite a few scenic views!
FFM is also known as Mainhattan because of all the banks. Apelwoi is the local drink for adults, an alcoholic apple wine/cider. Random fun fact: my great grand father was mayor of FFM from 1912 to 1924 and had a street named after him for saving the Goethe University during hyperinflation. If I could make videos I would send you some from Limburg NL and NRW Ruhrpott, but I have no clue about filming yet and have not yet started learning that yet.
Not just because of the banks, but also because (obviously) it being on the river Main and having the only real german skyline.
Franz Adickes?
@@Tobi-ln9xr Franz Adickes was actually the mayor before my great grandfather, Adickes was mayor from 14 October 1890 to 1 October 1912. My great grandpa Georg Voigt was mayor from 1912 to 1924.
@@Teddini Well, yes: only the banks had the money to build that skyline ;-)
Frankfurt Airport station is in itself a national interchange for ICE services. Passengers from Köln to Dresden would, for example, change here.
Nice video! Finally about my home town. Two notes: 1. The S-Bahn is notoriously unreliable. Yes, pretty much every train is unreliable to some degree (especially in Germany), but the S-Bahn-System is run down by a daughter company of the German Federal Rail operator Deutsche Bahn, DB Regio. In my eyes (and in the eyes of many other residents/commuters or other dependants), they are getting consistently worse and worse. I think most viewers can imagine the reasons. I specifically moved to a different part of the city primarily because of the S6 rail service (sidenote: the expansion of the S6 line has been fucked up by a different daughter company of DB, DB Netz...
Now, I am on the second to last stop of a U-Bahn and its a blessing. The service (maintained by Frankfurts own public transit provider VGF) just runs without issues, is almost always on time and rarely has cancellations. It runs the whole day with generous 10min intervalls in the daytime, with 30 mins service into the night.
To be fair, they cut down the service from 7mins to 10min interval due to staff shortage. Sad, but the service improved thanks to it. The U5 (the one with pending expansion plans) currently runs on a shortened route from Preungesheim to Konstablerwache.
Frankfurt certainly has a few drawbacks (thanks for not drawing attention to the disctrict surrounding the central railway station :)) but overall its well-maintained and a lot of citizens are really happy with the cities administration (though there is a differnece between administration and politics...).
fantanstic video! i would love it if you coule cover cologne some day
U2 and S1 and 2, and then later U2 and S9, were my main commute for 5 years :>
8:40 something interesting to add and kinda important. S1+2 both serve Frankfurt Höchst. The Industrial Center of Frankfurt. (as in chemical and mechanical industry) And that specific region of Frankfurt has it´s own bus network actually.
Another thing is that in gerneral U-Bahn and Buses are very well connected. And often serve as alternatives but (in case of the buses) more localized routes to the main hubs.
Amazing video, just 2 little things:
- there are also amazing connections between the edges of the frankfurt S-bahn system, especially from hanau, like directly going to Friedberg, also don't forget the direct rail connections, as they can be quite a lot faster, especialyl between Hanau and Frankfurt-Süd, Darmstadt and Frankfurt) and others. this classic rail adds a lot to the local transit
- in german a final e is not silent like in french, so it would massively benefit correctness if you actually use the "e" in KonstablerwachE and such
The high floor rolling stock on the 17 line is currently due to a shortage, they are even running historical cars, so an issue to be fixed before expanding anywhere
Now you just need a video on the Rhein-Neckar Region and Freiburg to complete the Oberrheingraben collection.
Yes! A video on Darmstadt please! Just moved here 😊
Once, my ICE train to Brussels was planned to start at at Hbf was last-minute moved to the airport. In a hurry I went to the S-bahn platforms and took the first westbound train. I thought all westbound trains stopped at the airport, but I soon realised that wasn't the case. I hopped off and took the next S-bahn back, but it was too late, the last ICE service to Brussels was gone. Luckily I was able to take an ICE to Küln and then regional trains all the way back to Belgium that nigh. It was quite adventurous, even had the time to cross the Hohenzoller brucke in Köln to cross from Messe/Deutz to Hbf.
Nice video! Could you talk about Brussels's network in the future? It's really peculiar because it has so-called "pre-metros", where a lot of the infrastructure was made for a metro, but it's actually served by trams and has "temporary" lower platforms to accomodate the trams
Only a single tram/streetcar line in Frankfurt ever used to be meter gauge. Everything else was standard gauge from the beginning as horse drawn trams.
The only line which used to be meter gauge. It started at the South banks of the Main river at the “Alte Brücke” until Frankensteiner Platz. Here it Sturms south east to where now the S-Bahn station Mühlberg I located. Then it followed the “Offenbacher Landstraße into Offenbach (which itself used to have trams, but too, those where standard gauge). Most of the line still exists. Only the section between Alte Brücke and just north of Mühlberg is abandoned and removed without trace. The rest is now a standard gauge line.
More fun to how, we used to have Steam powered streetcars operating in conjunction with electric streetcars.
this was not just Frankfurt's network, this video showed the big area of Rhein-Main Gebiet (the rivers Rhine and Main Area), that includes the city Mainz that is even located in another federal state and its Capitol of the Federal State of Rheinlandpfalz, and has its own rules and regulations, then it includes Wiesbaden (which is actually only divided by the River Rhine from Mainz) but belongs to Federal State of Hessen and is the Capitol of Hessen.
Frankfurt belongs to Federal State of Hessen too. then there are several smaller towns, villages in the whole region that are connected via Sbahn, RB.
Offenbach city is located very close by and connects with Frankfurt. there is connection to the cities like Hanau, Darmstadt etc, the whole map shows a very big region, not just Frankfurt. the map is poorly to understand how grand the scale of the public transit system actually is. Wiesbaden as a city voted against building sbahn or tram lines going through their cities and suburbs many decades back when they had enough space for cars and people, but the region grows and they regret know their desicion not building underground system. so, busses in high frequency operate in wiesbaden, while Mainz has busses and tram operating, the sbahn of course connects both cities to Frankfurt and to other regions and cities.
the Regional Main-Taunus-Kreis (the region between Frankfurt and Wiesbaden) and also Frankfurts bus network is amazing as well, not just the tram, sbahn, ubahn, regionalbahn, they work together like a clockwork, unless there is an accident or protests and strikes, lol.
i think the whole region spends its tax money for the public transit well.
Make a video about Leipzig and the impressive Tram system there + S Bahn city tunnel
Awesome explainer! If you are planning on covering some of eastern germany I can help with footage and knowledge. I also take trips to the Rhine-Ruhr regions regularely. I'd be happy to help out.
Frankfurt local here. Sadly/stupidly the U5 now terminates at Konstablerwache. If you want to go to Hauptbahnhof you have to change to U4.
just wanted to add s8 and s9 travel beyond offenbach all the way to hanau multiple times a day too. also a video on mainz would be quite interesting as it is part of the frankfurt and the mannheim s bahn system.
My hometown, thank you
I have lived in Frankfurt and the Frankfurt region for almost ten years in total and commuted past Frankfurt Süd for three of them.
The u Bahn system is great but, I agree, very confusing when you’re not used to it. But it is far from perfect. Especially the Hauptbahnhof is quite badly connected and the tram station in front is crowded and very uncomfortable to be at at night.
That’s why I would always recommend to book a train to Frankfurt Süd, it’s better connected to the u Bahn and the station is more open.
I moved to Bremen a year ago and here the main station is the station where all trams meet, the square in front of the station is also very open. When I moved here people warned me of it, saying it was scary and uncomfortable, but if you are used to Frankfurt Bremen is actually very nice
! Nice video, LIKE !
You could also take a look on the tram(train) network in the Rhein-Neckar region (operated by the RNV GmbH). It is really interesting (along with its history) cause its currently the largest tram network in germany.
Thanks for the excellent video. I lived in Frankfurt for three years and used the network extensively.
PS: there are no silent e’s in German. Wache and Straße have one more syllable than you’re giving them. 😉
Its a cool network, and also nice video. Still i' d like to mention that u2 trains arn' t beeing used in FFM anymore, but you can still see them in San Diego (like mentioned in Video but diffrent train set shown in video) and also in Mendoza Argentina, which came from FFM to San Diego and then finaly arived in Mendoza.
Wow your video is just 100% accurate and exciting! Frankfurt is simply a super interesting city - the only German city with a real skyline. One of the most interesting transit systems, also the traffic in general with the biggest German airport and the busiest highway junction in Germany Frankfurter Kreuz. I can't wait for you to introduce my city Cologne. We also have a similar light rail system (city center tunnel, tram-like system outside the center) and also a few S-Bahn lines. Both networks are to be expanded a lot in the future. However, these projects are taking a very long time.🙌🏽
If you do end up making a video about the Darmstadt tram system it may be interesting to talk about the historic trams that can and sometimes do still operate on the system on special occasions