FRTC Frankfurt (Fire and Rescue Training Centre, Feuerwehr- und Rettungstrainingscenter) is a firefighting training facility at Eckenheim in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is notable for having its own standard gauge rail system and mock- Frankfurt U-Bahn underground station. [1]
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Following two years of construction work, the centre opened in 2013 with an " open house" event for the public on 15 June 2013. [2] As of 2019 [update] the facility had been open for six years, and remained one of the most modern in Germany. [3]
The facility additionally offers direct three-year training as a fire fighter. [4]
The standard gauge rail system runs north‒south through the facility for 150 metres. The south end is laid as a tramway in a mock-residential area, [1] with a loading dock on the opposite side for industrial training.
In the middle section is a set of points between two S-bends. [6]
Straight on northwards from the set of points is an enclosed building containing the mock-underground station. [6] The U-Bahn station is equipped with real timetables. [1] The station platform signage permanently shows a line U10 departure to Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof, via Frankfurt Konstablerwache station and Römer .
To the west of the U-Bahn station building is an industrial siding setting and loading dock with overhead line electrification as used on main line rail transport in Germany. [6]
As of 2021 [update] two piece of rolling stock were permanently located on the railway system, and can be shunted around depending on the required training scenarios.
A fifth generation Frankfurt U-Bahn U5 train Frankfurt U-Bahn U5 train number 602 is based at the facility. The unit had been damaged during high-water flooding at the manufacturer and was cosmetically restored and stripped of useful parts before being sold to the Frankfurt fire-brigade.
The unit was delivered by VGF to the Messe (Exhibition) U-Bahn station for collection by the fire brigade. During a night-time rescue exercise the fire brigade towed train 602 along U-Bahn Line A to Eckenheim Depot . Road transport was used for the last metres to the training facility. [7]
The second piece of permanent railway stock is a four-wheel railway tank wagon provided by the Deutsche Bahn. The wagon was delivered (free-of-charge) by the Frankfurt harbour railway ( Frankfurt City Link Line) to the East Harbour for collection by the fire brigade. [8]
Sogar die Bahnschienen auf der Straße können befahren werden: Eine Stadtbahn der Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt kann wahlweise als Tram in die Halle oder als U-Bahn in eine Station gerollt werden, die auf dem Gelände ebenfalls neu errichtet wurde. Sie ist hübscher als so manch reale U-Bahn-Station im Stadtgebiet und wurde sogar mit einem aktuellen U-Bahn-Fahrplan bestückt.
durch das große Torin Richtung Norden und folgt dem in der Halle begin-nenden Gleis über die Freifläche des Geländes, kommt man an den Übungsbahnhof. Vor dem Bahn-hof teilt eine Weiche das Gleis. Nach links führt dann eine Gleisstrecke zu dem außen liegenden Übungs-gleis. Geradeaus führt das Gleis durch ein Tor direkt in die U-Bahnstation. …