Frankfurt (650,000 inhabitants) is known as the financial capital of Germany and the seat of the European Central Bank. It is the centre of a larger metropolitan area including cities like Offenbach, Hanau, Wiesbaden (Hessen's capital) and Mainz (capital of Rheinland-Pfalz). It also has one of the busiest airports in Europe. The biggest part of Southern Hessen is integrated into the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund.

The Frankfurt "U-Bahn" is not a real metro, but rather a typical German Stadtbahn (like that of Stuttgart, Dortmund or Hanover), i.e. some sections in the city centre were built to full metro standards, whereas others along outer sections have level crossings, in the case of line U5 even some on-street running. The present network has a total length of 62.5 km and comprises three trunk routes. Besides the Stadtbahn and the S-Bahn, Frankfurt boasts an extensive tramway network with a total length of 67.5 km.

The second trunk route was built as a tram tunnel between Konstablerwache and Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) and opened in 1974. In 1980 the line reached Seckbacher Landstraße and started to operate as a full U-Bahn, i.e. competely underground and entirely grade-separated. Construction of a 1.7 km long extension west to Bockenheimer Warte (2 stops) started in 1989 and after long delays it finally entered service on 10 Feb 2001. Eventually this line may be extended to connect to U1 at Ginnheim. Line U5 runs rather like a tram from Konstablerwache (underground station) to Preungesheim, and since January 1998 it has been sharing the U4 tracks between Konstablerwache and Hauptbahnhof. By 2016, the surface section between Musterschule and Preungesheim, had also been upgraded with high-level platforms.

On 15 June 2008, line U4 was extended from Seckbacher Landstraße to Schäfflestraße, using the tracks that link the depot from both line U4 and line U7. This extension was a trial service for 6 months, with about every second train continuing to Schäfflestraße. Since 14 Dec 2008, every other train on line U4 has been running through to Enkheim sharing route with line U7, now as a permanent service.

Like in many other German cities, the S-Bahn run by DB (Deutsche Bahn) is an important means of transport also within the city. Therefore a new S-Bahn tunnel was built in the 1980s/90s through the city centre sharing tunnel but not tracks with U6/U7 between Hauptwache and Konstablerwache.

 Books

Schwandl, Robert: FRANKFURT STADTBAHN ALBUM. The Frankfurt Light Rail Network. - Sept. 2008, Berlin, ISBN 978 3 936573 21 3

NAHVERKEHR IN FRANKFURT - (Public Transport in Frankfurt), actually a magazine with many photos, 114 pages ISBN: 3897240106

Papst, Martin: U- und S-Bahn-Fahrzeuge in Deutschland. München: GeraNova, 2000. ISBN 3932785185. German metro and suburban rail rolling stock, 160 pages

Dieter Höltge, Günter H. Köhler: Straßen- und Stadtbahnen in Deutschland 1. Hessen. - 1992, 358 p., EK Verlag, Freiburg, ISBN 3882553359

Line U4 was planned to be extended from Bockenheimer Warte to Ginnheim and connect to the present U1 branch, but this project was shelved in 2006, though new studies are currently underway. The northern section of this project which serves the Riedberg area was eventually built as a branch off the existing A-route, diverging from U1/U3 near Niederursel station.

Construction of a branch from Hauptbahnhof west to the new development area called Europaviertel is under construction (U5). [Project Website]

RMV (Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund) incl. on-line timetable

VGF - Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt/Main (Official - Subway Operator)

traffiQ - Lokale Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main mbH

U-Bahn Frankfurt at Wikipedia.de

Stephan Kyrieleis' Frankfurt TramPage

Collection of Frankfurt Network Maps by Michael König

Geschichte der Frankfurter Stadtbahn by Michael König

Wolfgang Heinze's Straßenbahn and Stadtbahn Page

UrbanRail.Net > Frankfurt Gallery

Historic images of the Frankfurt Stadtbahn

Frankfurt Track Map at gleisplanweb.de

Initiative "Ginnheimer Kurve"

Frankfurter Nahverkehrsforum