A subway every 100 seconds

Hamburger Hochbahn is investing 200 million euros in the automation of the subway. Sections on the U2 and U4 lines are to be converted in such a way that fully automated journeys are possible and the time interval between individual journeys can be reduced from the current maximum of 2.5 minutes to 100 seconds, according to Hochbahn boss Henrik Falk and Hamburg's transport senator Anjes Tjarks (Greens ) announced on Thursday.

"As a digital model city in the mobility sector, Hamburg uses the advantages of digitization in a targeted manner to make mobility even more efficient and comfortable for people," said Tjarks. The "U-Bahn100" with the frequency increase between the city center and Horner Rennbahn is a good example of this: "A train every 100 seconds - for passengers from Billstedt and Horn this means hardly any waiting time, a faster connection to the city center and thus more comfort in the city public transport.”

Hochbahn boss Falk also expects more safety in underground traffic. "A 100-second cycle means that I no longer have to run after the subway." Observations from other European cities suggested that passengers would no longer run down the stairs or try to jump onto the subway when the door was closing . At the same time, according to Falk, the automated operation also improves the energy balance, because the journey is optimized to save energy. Another positive effect: where around 20,000 passengers per hour and direction could be transported today, with the new technology it should be up to 30,000 in the future.

The technology used is a nationwide premiere. Hochbahn boss Falk said that the project will raise the first existing route in Hamburg to a new level, "which comes very close to the fully automatic U5 in terms of frequency, range of services and comfort. That is the goal that we want to achieve in the long term for the entire subway network.” Incidentally, the new technology will not make drivers superfluous. They will continue to be responsible for the passenger exchange and can intervene if necessary.

As part of the "U-Bahn100" project, which will run until 2029, the U2 between Mümmelmannsberg and Christuskirche and the entire U4 are being prepared for computer-controlled operation. To do this, all six interlockings along the route must be upgraded. In addition, the DT5 subway vehicles will be converted to the new technology. The new trains, which will have the identifier DT6, would be tailored precisely to the requirements of the U-Bahn100.

In addition to the digitization of routes and rails, the project uses a completely new train protection technology from Siemens Mobility called CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control), in which the subways communicate with each other. "This means that subways can run more efficiently on the existing infrastructure," explained project manager Jan Frederik Bremen.