Helvetia (train)
The Helvetia was an express train that, for most of its existence, linked Hamburg-Altona station in Hamburg, Germany, with Zürich HB in Zurich, Switzerland. Introduced in 1952, it was operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS). The train's name, Helvetia, is the Latin word for "Switzerland".
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Fernschnellzug (F) (1952–1957) Trans Europ Express (TEE) (1957–1979) Intercity (IC) (1979–1987) EuroCity (EC) (1987–1991) Intercity-Express (ICE) (1992–2002) | ||||
| Status | No longer a named train | ||||
| Locale | Germany Switzerland | ||||
| First service | 18 May 1952 | ||||
| Last service | 2002 | ||||
| Former operator(s) | Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB) SBB-CFF-FFS | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Hamburg-Altona Zürich HB | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||
| Electrification | 15 kV AC, 16.7 Hz | ||||
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Initially, the Helvetia was a Schnellzug (D), later a Fernschnellzug (F - although actually diesel multiple units were used on this service). In 1957, it became a first-class-only Trans Europ Express (TEE). On 27 May 1979, it was reclassified as a two-class Intercity (IC), and on 31 May 1987, it was included in the then-new EuroCity (EC) network. Following a brief hiatus in 1991–1992, it was reintroduced as an Intercity-Express (ICE). It ceased to be a named train at the end of 2002.
On 12 August 1965, the Helvetia was involved in a serious collision in Lampertheim, Hesse, in which the train formation (consist) was severely damaged, and four people died.