Station Building Prospects: A Forward-Looking View

Biedenkopf. What should actually become of the dilapidated train station building in Biedenkopf? This question concerns many citizens. The building has been empty for a long time, is quietly crumbling and is perceived by many Biedenkopf residents as an eyesore.

As early as 2022, citizens in the Biedenkopf “Inner City Future Alliance” had developed ideas for the renovation and future use of the house. But after that it became quiet again around the station building. A feasibility study commissioned by the city was never publicly presented.

A lot has happened around the train station

So what does the city plan to do with the property? Mayor Jochen Achenbach (CDU) is currently not giving an answer to this question. But what we can hear is that the city is in discussions about the station building.

A lot has happened around Biedenkopf train station in the past ten years. After much back and forth, the city was allowed to demolish the old goods shed and was finally able to build its new bus station including a park and ride facility. The railway itself has made the Biedenkopf train station partially barrier-free. And directly opposite the train station, the Sparkasse demolished its old building and built a representative new building.

Anyone who gets out in Biedenkopf sees a desolate building

All of this has significantly improved the station district. And yet, the first impression that travelers get when they arrive at Biedenkopf train station is anything but good. When you get off the train, you immediately see the dilapidated station reception building.

Even from a distance you can see that the upper floors are empty and that the restaurant on the ground floor has also been without a tenant for years. The waiting hall is locked. A note on the door says that the ticket office has been closed since 2023.

Minor repairs do not significantly improve the picture

The roof is covered in moss. The paint on the upper facade, window frames and doors is peeling. The walls are dirty gray and the windows are uncleaned. Access to the cellar is secured by a construction fence. And the cigarette and chewing gum machines at the front don’t make the house any nicer.

The broken windows on the upper floors of the building have been replaced in recent years and the ugly graffiti that defaced the outside walls of the building some time ago has been painted over. But this only slightly improves the overall impression that the house leaves on the viewer. In short: the sight of the train station is desolate.

Different ideas for the station building

The people of Biedenkopf have been talking for years about the fact that something urgently needs to change in the condition of the building. The city had already invited people to the “Inner City Future Alliance” in 2022. At that time, around 50 citizens came up with proposals to make the city center more attractive overall. Important topics were the market square, the former cinema site, the city park, the many vacant shops and also the train station building.

The working group that dealt with the train station developed four different ideas about how the house could be used again after renovation. Firstly, the citizens suggested converting the building into a multi-generational house with cultural offerings, club offerings and childcare offerings.

The second idea was to prepare the house so that a social institution – such as a day care center – could move in. A third suggestion was that age-appropriate living space could be created in the property. As a fourth option, the citizens suggested accommodating the Biedenkopf Tourist Information Office and guest rooms in the train station building.

Takeover of the building from the Frankfurt infrastructure and development company

However, in 2022, when citizens developed these ideas, the city’s hands were still tied. At that time, the station building belonged to the Frankfurt-based Aedificia Infrastructure and Development Company mbH. The company had repeatedly stated in previous years that it would invest in renovating the property as soon as an anchor tenant – such as a bakery or butcher – was found. But such a tenant was apparently never found.

At some point, those responsible in the Biedenkopf town hall gave up hope that Aedificia mbH would bring the building into shape in the foreseeable future. The city decided to buy the station building from Aedificia. After lengthy negotiations, the purchase contract was finally signed in 2023. As the new owner, the city wanted to ensure that the building was renovated and put to new use.

Feasibility study was never presented to the public

Nevertheless, things have been quiet around the station building since then. The last information from the city comes from 2023: At that time, a feasibility study for the station building was commissioned. Experts should check which of the four existing usage ideas for the station building could be implemented and what renovation and conversion would each cost.

However, the results of the commissioned planning office were never presented to the public. Mayor Achenbach is currently not providing any information as to why the city has withheld the results so far. He simply explains that the city is currently “still in discussions” about the station building. The mayor leaves it open in which direction these discussions are aimed and when the public can expect more precise information.

Inner city projects partially implemented

In contrast, the city has clearly pushed ahead with other important inner-city projects in the past two years. In 2023, the city also commissioned feasibility studies for the market square, the cinema site, the city park and the topic of vacancy management. And these four studies were actually presented and explained publicly after completion. A traffic concept for the city center, which the city had experts develop, was also presented to the public in 2024.

And: The city has already taken the first steps towards implementing some of these inner city ideas. The old cinema hall on the former cinema site has already been demolished. New, temporary inner-city parking spaces are currently being prepared on the site. And the city will borrow street furniture for the market square in early summer 2026, which will be set up on a trial basis.

Construction work in prospect

These market square and cinema site plans have received a lot of public attention in Biedenkopf. The station building, on the other hand, has practically not featured in public discussion for about a year and a half.

But that is likely to change in 2026. The background to this is that the city was included in a large federal urban development program. The program called “Social Cohesion” could bring the people of Biedenkopf millions in funding for their inner city projects over the next ten years. However, the prerequisite for these subsidies to flow is that the city develops an “urban development concept” (ISEK) together with its citizens.

Firm plans are to be drawn up next year

In practice, this means that the city will have to start another citizen participation project in 2026: In the ISEK, the people of Biedenkopf, together with politicians, will specifically determine which inner city projects they want to implement in the next ten years and in what order. The kick-off event for the citizen participation process is planned for January 2026, after which the substantive work will begin.

At that point at the latest, the city will have to talk to the citizens about what actually came out of the feasibility study for the station building and whether the property should be renovated as part of the urban development program – or whether the city now has other plans for the property.

OP