Limited installation height requires a custom solution for the renovation of the Limes train station

In inner-city areas, planners and contractors are increasingly faced with the challenge of renovating and adapting existing infrastructure under constrained site conditions. In the case of transportation facilities in particular, limited installation heights, existing substructures, or complex existing structures often mean that conventional construction methods reach their limits. Such conditions require alternative, technically reliable solutions like the curb bonding technique, which has established itself as a practical and efficient alternative to conventional installation in situations with limited installation depth. A recent example is the renovation of the bus terminal in Schwalbach am Taunus.

The Limesbahnhof is a transfer station (Type H1) that serves as a central transfer point from the S-Bahn to the bus lines and taxi stands in Schwalbach. Previously, the stop consisted of two islands ranging in width from 2.20 m to 3.30 m, which were accessed directly from the entrance to the parking deck coming from the direction of the Westring. Both platforms were equipped with raised curbs and a projection of up to 16 cm, and each featured a slope leading down toward the S-Bahn station.

Goal: Accessibility

As part of the project, the two platforms at Limes Station were to be equipped with a platform edge height of 22 cm and, at the same time, repositioned so that barrier-free access to and from both stops would be possible. Due to space constraints, the stops were designed with a 9-meter-long barrier-free platform area instead of the standard minimum length of 12 meters.

In addition, plans called for slightly shifting the current road edge toward the S-Bahn station to ensure the necessary turning radii for the buses. In accordance with current guidelines, the accessible wayfinding elements throughout the area in front of the S-Bahn station and from and to the planned bus stops were implemented with attention fields (90 cm x 90 cm) and guide strips (single row, ribbed slabs). The crossings were divided into two sections, each with a width of at least 2.00 m to 2.50 m and curb overhangs of 0 cm and 6 cm, respectively.

Low installation height due to the underground parking garage

There was one special consideration regarding the eastern bus stop. Christian Link of Ingenieurgesellschaft für Verkehr und Stadtplanung mbH in Hanau explained: “Due to the underground parking garage located beneath the bus terminal in this area and the resulting low clearance heights, parts of the curb system could not be installed conventionally but had to be constructed as adhesive curbs. This ensures that the existing waterproofing of the underground parking garage remains completely unaffected.” In the adhesive curb installation method, the curbs - which are factory-cut to an exact height - are bonded using a thin-bed adhesive process, in which the curbs are adhered with their cut side to the asphalt binder course.

Christian Link: “Compared to conventional curb installation, this also saves a significant amount of time. Furthermore, the bond holds very well on the smooth surfaces of the cut curbstones. Another reason for using this system was that the accessible crossings in the city had already been constructed using the accessible system from the Hermann Meudt concrete block plant in Wallmerod. Since this was also to be done at the Limesbahnhof, it made sense to stick with the same system here,” says Link.

Niflux Special Curb System

To ensure accessible access to the buses, the curb systems had to be raised to the appropriate height. The future boarding height was to be 22 cm with a maximum boarding gap width of 5 cm. The planners solved this using the Niflux special curb system, also from the Hermann Meudt concrete plant. This two-step low-floor bus curb features a recessed curb edge, allowing the tire to approach the bus bay even more gently. For the connection areas to the high curb system and to the edging stones near the crosswalk aids, corresponding transition curbs from the system manufacturer are available. The special curbs and transition curbs are made of frost- and de-icing salt-resistant concrete and are coated white for better visibility. In the area of the bus stop and the crosswalk aids, tactile guidance systems in the form of ribbed and studded precast concrete elements were installed to help people with visual impairments navigate.

“Meudt also supplies the special curbs for the bus stops and crossings in pre-cut form for adhesive installation,” adds Christan Link. The renovated area was officially opened at the end of March 2026. “This project was the first in which we planned to use adhesive curbs on a large scale. We are very satisfied with the system, not only because the experts at Meudt worked out the necessary adaptations for us as early as the project’s design phase, but also because we were able to obtain the entire curb system for this project from a single source,” Christian Link concludes.