Blauer Enzian
 Prototype of Class E 03 locomotive | |||||
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Fern D-Zug (D) (1951–1965) Trans Europ Express (TEE) (1965–1979) InterCity (IC) (1979–1987) EuroCity (EC) (1987–2002) | ||||
| Status | No longer a named train | ||||
| Locale | Germany Austria | ||||
| First service | 1951 | ||||
| Last service | 2002 | ||||
| Former operator(s) | Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB) | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Hamburg Hbf Klagenfurt Zell am See | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||
| Electrification | 15 kV AC, 16.7 Hz (Germany, Austria) | ||||
| |||||
The Blauer Enzian was an express train that linked Hamburg in Germany, with Austria. Introduced in 1951, it was operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn. The train is named after the mountain flower Blue Gentian (species Gentiana verna; German: Frühlings-Enzian).
Fernzug
In 1951, the German Federal Railways announced the introduction of the Blauer Enzian as part of the then-new FD-network. It was originally planned that the train would begin service on 1 July 1951, as FT 55/56. However, the FernTriebwagen (Long-distance multiple unit) trainsets planned for the new service was not yet available by then, and the train instead entered service in autumn 1951 or later with normal carriages. The route of this express train was more or less the same as the first German high-speed railway, built later. Initially the train consisted of pre-war carriages and prototypes as UIC-X. From 1953 to 1959 the Henschel-Wegmann Train was used and after 1959 the train consisted of Schürzenwagen hauled by steam locomotives of class 01 and diesel locomotives of class V 200. The route was Hamburg – Munich.
Trans Europ Express
After the electrification of the railway lines around Hamburg in 1965, the Blauer Enzian was upgraded to a Trans Europ Express. The train began using TEE coaches hauled by the prototypes of the class E 03 high-speed locomotives. In 1968, the Blauer Enzian was the first German train with a scheduled operating speed of 200 km/h. In 1969, through coaches to Austria were re-introduced, with a final destination of Klagenfurt. In 1970, the route was extended to Austria and the train was split in Rosenheim, with one part going to Klagenfurt and the other to Zell am See. Although the Zell am See service had disappointing passenger numbers, it remained in the timetable to serve the expected tourists related to the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 1973, the Zell am See service was withdrawn, and on 27 May 1979 the train was downgraded to a two-class Intercity no longer serving Hamburg, but ending in Dortmund after travelling from Munich through the Main and Rhine Valleys. The TEE service between Hamburg and Munich was taken over by the TEE Diamant.
EuroCity
The Blauer Enzian was part of the EuroCity network introduced on 31 May 1987, with train number EC20 northbound and EC21 southbound. Until the opening of the first German high-speed railway on 2 June 1991 the route remained unchanged. On 2 June 1991, the route changed and the train was renumbered to EC114 northbound and EC115 southbound. The last day of service was 14 December 2002.
See also
- History of rail transport in Germany
- History of rail transport in Austria
- List of named passenger trains of Europe
References
Bibliography
- Malaspina, Jean-Pierre; Mertens, Maurice (2007). TEE: la légende des Trans-Europ-Express [TEE: The Legend of the Trans Europ Express]. Auray: LR Presse. ISBN 978-29-03651-45-9. (in French)
- Malaspina, Jean-Pierre; Mertens, Maurice (2008). TEE: la leggenda dei Trans-Europ-Express [TEE: The Legend of the Trans Europ Express]. Salò: ETR – Editrice Trasporti su Rotaie. ISBN 978-88-85068-31-5. (in Italian)
- Mertens, Maurice; Malaspina, Jean-Pierre; von Mitzlaff, Berndt (2009). TEE - Die Geschichte des Trans-Europ-Express [TEE - The History of the Trans Europ Express]. Düsseldorf: Alba Publikation. ISBN 978-3-87094-199-4. (in German)
