EuroCity Express, or short ECE, is a category of

Eurocity EuroCity, abbreviated as EC, is a cross-border train category within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains allocated to the lower-level "IC" (InterCity) category, EC trains are international services that meet 20 criteri ...

train marketed by

Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...

that runs on two routes as of 2021. It was created to classify a newly introduced international high speed train service in a higher category - equivalent to the

Intercity-Express The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...

- than the existing Eurocity, which is equivalent to the "second tier" domestic

Intercity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

History

The train category was newly created with the timetable change on December 10, 2017, because the Frankfurt-Milan connection, operated with an

ETR 610 ETR may refer to: * East Turkestan Republic (disambiguation); first and second movements * Express Toll Route, in Canada; Ontario Highway 407 * Entergy Corporation; NYSE stock symbol * Edolo language; ISO language code * Etravirine, a drug used to s ...

of the

Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...

, offers

ICE Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...

-like travel times and comfort, according to Deutsche Bahn. Because the train would have been classified as an EC only in the second highest train category, the new EuroCity-Express category was created in line with the ICE, which is equivalent to the ICE in terms of fares. With the change of timetable on December 13, 2020, ECE trains operated by ETR 610 "Astoro" began service on the partially new electrified line between Munich and Zurich. In the medium term, the German Federal Minister of Transport, Andreas Scheuer, is aiming to integrate these connections into his concept of a " Trans-Europ-Express 2.0".

Services

Frankfurt–Milano

The first ECE line, introduced in 2017, runs from Frankfurt Central Station via Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Freiburg and Basel to Milano Centrale station. The train is only operated as ECE in Germany (Frankfurt (Main) Hbf to Basel Bad Bf); in Switzerland and Italy, the train type is

EuroCity EuroCity, abbreviated as EC, is a cross-border train category within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains allocated to the lower-level "IC" (InterCity) category, EC trains are international services that meet 20 criteri ...

. In terms of the timetable, this is an extension of the EC Milano Centrale-Basel SBB to the north.

Munich–Zurich

The service between Munich and Zurich was launched with the timetable change in December 2020. In cooperation with SBB and ÖBB, six pairs of ECE trains are offered daily. The line's launch was made possible by the electrification of the Geltendorf-Lindau section of the

Buchloe–Lindau railway The Buchloe–Lindau railway is a double-track, largely non-electrified main line in the German state of Bavaria. It runs through the Allgäu from Buchloe to Lindau in Lake Constance via Kaufbeuren and Kempten. Together with the connecting Munich� ...

. Previously, four EuroCity train pairs ran daily on the connection, three of them via Memmingen, as is the case now with the ECE, and one via Kempten. The latter route was eliminated with the changeover, as the line via Kempten has not been electrified. The section to Basel SBB is discontinued as well. While the former ECs went to the terminus station on the island of Lindau, the ECEs serve the long-distance through-station Lindau-Reutin solely.

Equipment

SBB's Alstom ETR 610 ("Astoro") are used: SBB RABe 503 022 was given a trinational design for the inauguration of the first ECE connection and was given the name

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

at Basel SBB station on November 17, 2017. SBB's Alstom ETR 610 trains with

tilting technology A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train (or other vehicle) rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide abo ...

are also in operation on the route between Munich and Zurich.

Rate system

In Germany, the train is priced at the ICE fare. In Italy, on the other hand, it is sold as a regular EuroCity. In Switzerland, there is in general no differentiation in fares according to train category. In cross-border traffic to Italy, a global fare also applies, with a seat reservation included in the fare.

References

{{reflist Deutsche Bahn Rail transport in Europe Rail transport brands High-speed trains of Germany High-speed rail in Germany High-speed rail in Switzerland High-speed trains of Austria EuroCity Transport and the European Union