Quote:
Originally Posted by swisstrains
You're right Trev. I think Lufthansa hired an ICE train because it was more economical for some journeys. I will have a search and see what details I can come up with.
John.
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Sorry about the delay in replying but this is what I came up with:-
The concept whereby the German national airline, Lufhansa and the German Railways, Deutsche Bahn (DB), co-operate is known as "AIRail". Originally a dedicated train in special livery was used but this was deemed too expensive so now normal service trains are used. "AIRail" operates between the main stations in Köln and Stuttgart and the airport station at Frankfurt. These services are operated by ICE high-speed trains and so the journey times by rail between these points is faster than using an equivalent air feeder service. The system enables airline passengers to actually check-in for their Worldwide flights at the railway stations in Köln and Stuttgart rather than wait until they get to Frankfurt Airport.
A similar system known as "Flyrail" operates between many railway stations in Switzerland and the airports at Zürich and Geneva but this does not offer a fast more enviromentally-friendly feeder service. It is simply a convenient way of checking-in at the railway station and then getting the railway company to carry your heavy luggage for you.