Next Stop: Terminal 3
The Sky Line People Mover

The Stations for the Sky Line People Mover...

Additional stations are needed for the new system. Travelers coming from the regional or long-distance train station will be able to conveniently change at a new stop right at Terminal 1. At Terminal 2, passengers can switch between the “new” and “old” people movers via an extension to the existing station. After a brief stop, the new Sky Line then continues its journey from Terminal 2 alongside the A5 motorway straight to Terminal 3. A new station is being built there for all travelers that don’t get there by car or bus.(Details on the passenger flows of the Sky Line)

...and the Work on the Stations and Tracks is Progressing at Different Rates

The construction work at the various Sky Line stations and on the line is progressing at different rates: whereas so far only the carcass of the new station at T3 has been finished, work to enlarge the T2 station has made faster progress: the track housing with automatic sliding doors has already been installed there. To coordinate all this, a central logistics unit was created. It organizes all of the core construction activities, which include providing containers and the central systems.

From Train to Train

The new station at Terminal 1 is the starting point for conveniently getting to Terminal 3 in eight minutes or less. Those arriving at the regional or long-distance train station alongside Terminal 1 only have a short walk to the new people mover station. It is being built in the area between Terminal 1 and the Marriott & Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel. The first required above-ground work was to remove the prominent pedestrian bridge linking them. Special lifting gear with suction cups was used first to remove the glazed surfaces, which were directly loaded onto waiting trucks. Parallel to the bridge’s demolition, work began to build the metal structural elements and external walls in order to close the gap as quickly as possible. The new Sky Line station will be linked both to Terminal 1 and to the Marriott & Sheraton Hotel. A total of 22 steel supports for the station and three large ones for the new connecting structure between Terminal 1 and the station will ensure that it is firmly anchored in the ground. There is enough room between the supports for a large number of bays in the bus station down below.

The station at Terminal 3 for the new Sky Line people mover is divided into two sections, one for Schengen travelers and the other for non-Schengen passengers. Glass partitions divide the platforms into two parts to ensure that passengers quickly and easily get to the right piers for departure.

Removal of the pedestrian bridge between Terminal 1 and the Sheraton Hotel in August 2020.

At Terminal 2, the new Sky Line will run parallel to the existing people mover line, as suggested by the supports shown here.

The existing station beneath the roof of Terminal 2 has enough room for two more tracks for use by the new Sky Line.

Good progress is already being made on the carcass of the station at Terminal 3.

The people mover station at Terminal 3 is 150 meters long and 30 meters wide.

Passengers can get from the people mover station straight into the main terminal building via three connecting bridges.

Two New Tracks

It isn’t necessary to build all of the stations from scratch. When building the first Sky Line people mover, which began operating in 1994, the planners took future developments into account. At Terminal 2, the station was therefore designed to facilitate the later addition of two more tracks.

A Clever Configuration

The people mover station in front of Terminal 3, measuring 150 meters long by 30 meters wide, is the new system’s most important stop for everybody who doesn’t get there by car, taxi, or bus. Visitors and both non-Schengen and Schengen travelers can use it. A clever solution had to be found to enable this. Unlike at Terminals 1 and 2, the planners opted for two outer platforms, each of which is 80 meters long and nine meters wide. They are subdivided so that both Schengen and non-Schengen passengers can get directly to the terminal without mingling. Both tracks pass between the platforms, so that one train can arrive while another is departing.

Tests to ensure safety

All 12 vehicles of the new Sky Line people mover for Terminal 3 have arrived at Frankfurt Airport (click here to watch a video of them being delivered). But before they can actually carry passengers, they have to be thoroughly tested on the route and in the stations. In technical jargon this is called commissioning; it involves countless test trips under a wide range of conditions. All conceivable emergency scenarios, for example if a fire breaks out or there is a power failure, are simulated.

Focus on the vehicles of the new Sky Line people mover

Twelve new, fully automated people mover vehicles will link Terminal 3 with the north of the airport. After it begins operating, they will carry up to 4,000 passengers in each direction among the three terminals. The trip between Terminals 1 and 3 will take just under eight minutes while reaching a top speed of 80 km/h. The vehicles of the new Sky Line are being custom-made for Fraport by Siemens.

Each of the vehicles of the new Sky Line consists of two cars and has a length of 22.4 meters, a width of 2.8 meters, a height of 3.7 meters, and an empty weight of 32 tonnes.

As each vehicle is delivered, it is hoisted up onto the 17-meter-high elevated route and inserted into the track.

There it is prepared to travel to the new maintenance facility.

In the maintenance facility, the two cars of each vehicle are connected and subjected to various tests.

Each vehicle is equipped for 10 seated and 123 standing passengers.

Large doors (with a width of 1.95 meters) allow passengers to quickly detrain and board at the stations.

The vehicles’ modern design includes large, brightly lit compartments with high windows.

Before the vehicles of the new Sky Line people mover start operating on a regular basis, they are being tested inside special climate-wind canals.

Among other things, each vehicle is blasted with very cold, high-speed jets of air. The purpose of this is to see whether passengers riding in it will continue enjoying a pleasant indoor climate.