The dedicated high-speed line between Cologne (Köln) and Frankfurt a.M., Germany, has grades up to four per cent. Yes, FOUR per cent. And the electric-powere trains take these grades at speed without a second thought.

Trains reach top speeds of 186 miles per hour. The line runs through urbanized terrain and therefore has a large number of tunnels. The 110-mile addition to the existing German high-speed network opened in 2002 and cost $5.5 billion (U.S.).

While parts of this line have been compared to somewhat of a roller-coaster ride, there were few options for this particular alignment, so the new rail line mostly followed an existing super highway (Autobahn). So, an electric-powered high-speed train would do just fine on a route with 2-3 per cent grades. Low curvature is more important.

(The line has special operating rules for coupling up to a disabled train if it is stopped on one of these grades.)

Previous rail travel time for the 110 miles (on the old alignment) was 2 hours 14 minues; the current travel time for the 110 miles on the new route is one hour 12 minutes.


I have a fairly detailed description of this particular line somewhere -- as a PDF document in German -- but I can't locate it at the moment as I don't remember the file name. (The above figures are from a brief news piece I did for Trains in 2002 when the line opened.


If I recall correctly, this line was built in less then ten years following the formal decision to build the line.


You have to have traveled by high-speed train to really appreciate what it can offer. I've traveled on both the French TGV and German ICE trains -- and not just in the coaches, but also on the engines.

A few sample potos:

http://www.robl.w1.com/Pix-2/high-spd.htm

-- Ernest