More open and brighter: renovation of Frankfurt central station

SFor years, thousands of people who pass through Frankfurt Central Station every day have been waiting for it to become attractive again to descend from the main lobby of the station building to continue the journey by S-Bahn or U-Bahn. Because that is no longer a pleasure: despite all the efforts of Deutsche Bahn, it stinks of urine at the exits and the actual level B below the station concourse, with its many nooks and crannies, is often used by smugglers and consumers. One or another outlet has already been closed in the past to improve the situation.

Now everything is supposed to improve on the lower level of Frankfurt Central Station, which is Germany’s largest train station with 500,000 commuters to Hamburg every day. In the days of the fair there were already 600,000 travelers, now in the days of Corona it is almost half those who pass each day by one of the largest terminal stations in Germany.
The great model for the renovation of Frankfurt is the Leipzig Main Station. It is also a term. But in addition to tourist traffic, the one with promenades and shops has long since become a kind of shopping center. This success, which Deutsche Bahn is also experiencing at Berlin Central Station, will now be built in Frankfurt.

A “completely new shopping and gastronomic area”

“The 500,000 travelers should feel comfortable here,” said Roland Pofalla, head of infrastructure at the Deutsche Bahn board, Monday morning in Frankfurt at the opening ceremony of a decade-long construction project. For this they will carry a total of 375 million euros in hand, “so that the station shines with a new splendor”. The goal is an open layout, inviting lighting and a “brand new shopping and restaurant area.” In the end, the railway awaits around eight years of construction, the visitor can already see the shopping arcade below in the reception hall of the station.

To do this, the floor must be opened in the middle and create the impression of an “atrium”. Deutsche Bahn assumes this will add a total of around 10,000 square meters of space for shops and restaurants. Above all, however, this “atrium” is intended to facilitate entry to level B and encourage everyone to use it if the traveler is heading towards the city center.

However, the opening of the reception hall is only at the end of all construction work: for the next four years, the first level B below the station forecourt, which was built in the late 1970s, it will be redesigned to be lighter and more user-friendly. In the future, five flights of stairs will be closed down to Level B to keep unwanted clientele out of the adjoining station district. Stores are being reorganized and there will be more space for them in the future – everything should be brighter, friendlier and more secure. There should also be additional direct entrances from the S-Bahn subway station to level B, so that no secluded corners and angles arise.