Frankfurt main station with passenger flow calculation and control.

Deutsche Bahn plans to massively expand its rail services over the next ten years. This plan includes a series of infrastructure projects that will mainly contribute to increasing line capacity. On the one hand, this goal is to be achieved with the improved ETCS/ERMTS safety system, and on the other hand, routes are to be expanded to four tracks and ageing rolling stock is to be replaced with modern, high-capacity, high-performance trains. As a result, Deutsche Bahn has to manage many more passengers and therefore a higher flow of people in its stations. Many stations are not designed for such a high load, making it necessary to rebuild them in order to increase performance.

In order to make station operations safe and functional during the renovation work, Frankfurt Central Station was equipped with the ASE PAS system. This registers the entire # passenger flow in the station in real time, warns security staff of impending overcrowding with a web application and provides a clear data basis for planning and dimensioning issues.

Renovations of high-frequency stations such as Frankfurt Hbf pose a particular challenge. On the one hand, the station must remain in operation during all construction phases, while on the other hand an efficient construction process and sufficient building space are essential to ensure that the work can be carried out safely and quickly. This means that during the planning & construction phase, a complicated process of using the available space within the station perimeter is in progress. The ASE PAS system supports the planning with models and simulations of possible passenger flows, so that congestion can be reduced and safety and customer satisfaction increased.