Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to the city and onwards
The Regional Station under Terminal 1 has the S8 and S9 into Frankfurt; the Long-Distance Station, five minutes away, has the ICE trains to the rest of Germany. The airport is its own fare area, 5090, not part of the city.
- Two stations, two different buildings. The Regional Station is on the underground level of Terminal 1; the Long-Distance Station is a separate building about five minutes on foot.
- The Regional Station is the one for Frankfurt. S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 plus regional trains RB58, RE59, RE2 and RE3, on tracks 1 to 3.
- The Long-Distance Station is the one for everywhere else. ICE and IC services to the rest of Germany and beyond, from a station with its own AIRail terminal.
- Follow the signs for "Train stations S T" from any part of Terminal 1, areas A, B and C.
- Terminal 3 is not walkable from either. Allow 10 to 15 minutes on the SkyLine people mover, signed "Terminal 3 G, H, J".
- The airport is fare area 5090, separate from Frankfurt city, which is 5000. A ticket for the city does not automatically include the airport.
- The bus station is at Terminal 1, in front of the arrivals halls.
- The Deutschland-Ticket at 63 euros a month covers every regional train and S-Bahn in the country, airport included, and is worth the arithmetic on any stay over a few days.
The station problem
- Frankfurt Airport has two railway stations, and confusing them is the single most common mistake here.
- Regionalbahnhof, the Regional Station, sits on the underground level of Terminal 1, tracks 1 to 3. This is where the S-Bahn to Frankfurt leaves from, along with the regional trains to Mainz, Wiesbaden, Offenbach, Hanau, Aschaffenburg and Ruesselsheim.
- Fernbahnhof, the Long-Distance Station, is a separate building about five minutes' walk from Terminal 1, and it is where ICE and IC trains call. If your ticket says ICE, this is your station.
- The signage that gets you to either is "Train stations S T", reachable from areas A, B and C of Terminal 1.
Which train
- S8 and S9 run into Frankfurt and out the other side towards Mainz and Wiesbaden. They are the workhorse for a hotel in the city.
- RB58, RE59, RE2 and RE3 cover the wider Rhein-Main region on the same tracks.
- ICE and IC trains from the Long-Distance Station reach Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Paris directly, which is why so many journeys through Frankfurt never touch the city at all.
- Lufthansa Express Rail turns the train leg into part of the flight booking, with baggage dropped at the AiRail Terminal at the Long-Distance Station and one check-in for both.
Terminal 3
- Terminal 3 has no station of its own. From either railway station it is 10 to 15 minutes on the SkyLine people mover.
- Signed "Terminal 3 G, H, J". Build the transfer time into any tight connection.
Fares
- The airport is its own fare area, number 5090. Frankfurt city is 5000. RMV is explicit that a season ticket bought in the surrounding area is not automatically valid across the whole city including the airport, and that a ticket which does cover both is only sold at the higher price levels.
- So check that whatever you buy names the airport, not just Frankfurt.
- The Deutschland-Ticket is 63 euros a month and covers local and regional transport across the whole of Germany, which includes the S-Bahn from the airport. For anyone travelling for more than a few days it usually beats buying tickets one at a time. Residents of Hesse on certain benefits pay 44 euros with a Hessenpass mobil.
- One ticket covers the whole journey to your destination on RMV, however many changes it takes.
Accessibility
- Tracks 2 and 3 have step free routes to the lifts up to the departures level, with lifts near the DB Service Point and near McDonald's.
- Track 1 has a lift in Hall B to the DB Service Point, usable without booking ahead.
- DB's Mobility Service Centre arranges boarding assistance, ideally a working day ahead.
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