Construction begins on the North Main S-Bahn: Frankfurt and Hanau in the Express!

Construction begins on the North Main S-Bahn: Frankfurt and Hanau in the Express!

What is currently happening in the east of Frankfurt? The official start of construction on the North Main S-Bahn between Frankfurt and Hanau was announced on Monday. This long-awaited project will help improve the connection of the eastern city center of Frankfurt, Maintal and the western districts of Hanau to the Rhine-Main S-Bahn network. A total of 1.7 billion euros are needed for the first planning phases, with the state of Hesse covering 550 million euros and the federal government covering the rest of the costs. The construction of a tunnel portal for the connection to the Konstablerwache has already begun on Ostparkstrasse in Frankfurt, which impressively underlines the progress.

But that's not all: there is already a lot of construction going on in many places along the route from the east of Frankfurt to Hanau. For example, a new overpass was built on Frankfurter Landstrasse in Hanau and the old railway overpass over the Salisbach was successfully replaced. The green ray of hope for commuters is particularly important: the S-Bahn will offer people from Maintal, Hanau, Bruchköbel and Langenselbold a faster connection to the center of Frankfurt - a full ten minutes faster and without having to change trains.

A big step for the region

The North Main S-Bahn is part of a broader rail expansion project in the greater Frankfurt area, which is strategically divided into three sections: Frankfurt, Maintal and Hanau. The most important construction measures include the construction of two additional tracks between Frankfurt (Main) East and Hanau Hauptbahnhof as well as the construction of a new tunnel with two single-track tubes between Konstablerwache and Frankfurt (Main) East. This will allow local and long-distance traffic to flow on their own tracks, which promises better reliability and punctuality.

Those responsible are “having a good hand” when it comes to expanding the infrastructure, as five level crossings will also be removed and replaced with underpasses, which will make both car traffic and pedestrians much safer. In Hanau, the Hanau-Wilhelmsbad station is also being rebuilt, while existing stations such as Maintal-West and Maintal-Ost are being expanded to be barrier-free. All of these measures contribute to the urgently needed increase in capacity for commuters.

Construction and schedule

But what does the timetable look like? The railway plans to announce the completion date shortly. Currently plans extend to 2031 and this has already sparked conversations about the future of transport links in the region. The Pro Bahn passenger association has stated that the regional trains should continue to stop in Hanau-West, but this will not be possible due to the new route.

The discussion about the North Main connection dates back to the 1960s, and although the project struggled with funding hurdles for a long time, there is now light at the end of the tunnel. The course for the future has already been set with other projects, such as the ongoing expansion of the rail infrastructure in Hesse. For commuters from the region, traveling will soon be easier and more comfortable than ever, so the new S-Bahn connection will not only improve mobility, but also provide a boost to the economic development of the entire region.

For anyone who wants to keep an eye on traffic in the region, the North Main S-Bahn is a central issue. The construction project promises to sustainably improve the quality of life in the east of Frankfurt and Hanau and to significantly expand the population's connection to the transport network.

For more information on the details and progress please contact FAZ and directly at North Main S-Bahn as well as fr.de.