Frankfurt/London with DB’S ICE (via Lille)

Updated on 30th of October 2010

On the Deutsche Bahn’s website, an announcement made on 20th October states that :

Regular ICE services are planned for the new timetable beginning in 2013. This will incorporate three return train journeys (outward and return) between Frankfurt and London via Cologne, Brussels and Lille. This will include connections from Amsterdam via Rotterdam to London.

Click here to read the whole text on DB’s website.

So it seems there is no doubt any more that the ICE will make a stop at Lille Europe station since it is confirmed by Deutsche Bahn itself. This is a very good news and it confirms the strategic position of Lille at the heart of the European high speed rail network.

Deutsche Bahn expects to launch regular services from London to Frankfurt and Amsterdam, DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube confirmed on October 19th (Cf. www.railwaygazette.com)

This confirms that our German neighbours are interested into setting a regular High Speed (Inter City Express) rail service between Germany and Great Britain : the recent high speed sections that link Frankfurt to Cologne and Aachen to Brussels put London at a theoritical time distance of 5:20 from Frankfurt. Best current travel times :

- London Brussels : 1:55

- Brussels Frankfurt : 3:15

People from North of France will of course be very pleased to admire the futuristic German High Speed trains that will cross their region on the way to England. But the question is : will these trains mark a stop in Lille Europe ?

There is no doubt that the cities (Lille, Brussels, Liège, Aachen, Cologne) that will be crossed by that new high speed connection are interested into beeing connected to both financial capitals of Europe. Will Lille belong to the elected cities ?