Mainz Travel Forum

Do all the trains between Frankfurt-Mainz-Cologne follow the Rhine River? If not I would like to know the one(s) that does.

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No. Some ICE trains use the highspeed line parallel to the autobahn A3. If the travel time is just about 1 hour from Frankfurt to Cologne this train is NOT following the Rhine.

DB timetable
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e
From: Frankfurt
From: FRA Airport
To: Cologne
Via: Koblenz

If you use Koblenz as a via station you can be sure that the train is using the route along the Rhine.
All none-ICE trains (e.g. IC/EC trains) are using the Rhine route. Only ICE-3 trainsets can use the highspeed line. All other trains can't for technical reasons. But there are also a few ICEs using the route Frankfurt Airport - Mainz - Koblenz - Bonn - Cologne (i.e. along the Rhine).

You can force the Rhine valley route from the bahn.de schedule by entering Koblenz into the "via" field - trains that go through Koblenz all follow the Rhine valley, not the high speed line.

Just the information I was looking for. Thank you.
davlau

Just the answer I was looking for thank you.
davlau