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(Jun 22, 2015) Mannheim - Saarbrücken - Trier [ドイツ鉄道旅行 2015]

I got up at five and checked out the hotel at 06:25 am. I walked to Mannheim Hbf and took ICE 9558. The train was operated between Frankfurt am Main to Paris Est, using set 715 of class 407, Velaro D. It was the modernist high-speed train in Germany. Though DB first planned to use the train for regular service from 2011, Velaro D started its service in December 2013 due to various technical problems. First it was used only domestic routes, but the French authority approved its service in France in May 2015, and Velaro D started its operation from Frankfurt to Paris. It was the second time for me to board the train.
I had reserved an aisle seat, but I found a vacant window seat and sat on it to enjoy the landscape from the window. ICE 9558 left Mainheim Hbf at 6:40 and crossed over the Rhein river. Thereafter, the train change its direction from west to southwest, passed Ludwigshafen station, and accelerated to reach 200 kph. It ran toward the southwest, then turned right and ran toward west until Neustadt.

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The interior design of Velaro D based on that of classes 403/406 ICE 3. Though it was still sophisticated, it seemed to be slightly cheaper compared to the classes 403/406.
As the operation of the Germany – France high speed trains was a joint venture of DB and SNCF, France National Railway Company, both train conductors of DB and SNCF were responsible for the train. They walked around the train to check the tickets of the passengers. Since I carried only German Rail Pass which was valid only within Germany, one of the conductors asked me where I would go. I told him that I would get off at Saarbrucken Hbf. In this train, breakfast was served for all of the 1st class passengers who went to France, except for the domestic passengers. As I had told the conductor, breakfast was not served for me.

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After passing Neustadt (Weinstr.) Hbf, the train reduced the speed and ran through a lot of curves and eleven tunnels in Pfälzerwald. It climbed up 119 m in the 33.5 km section between Neustadt and Kaiserslautern and arrived at Kaiserslautern Hbf at 7:24, 4 minutes behind the schedule.

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The number of passengers increased, and most seats were occupied. After leaving Kaiserslautern, the train straight to Homburg. In Homburg Hbf, the line divided a branch to Nenkirchen, but ICE 9558 passes the station. The train kept on running toward west at about 160 kph and reach at Saarbrücken Hbf at 8 o’clock, 2 minutes behind the schedule.

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I saw 212 393 diesel locomotive in a traditional Bundesbahn livery. I bought a piece of pizza and came back to platform 12. The train RE 4111 approached soon. RE 4111 was a train of Linie RE 1 of Süwex-net, connecting Mannheim – Saarbrücken – Trier – Koblentz, and the latest electric multiple unit, Stadler’s Flirt 3 (Class 429.1) was used for this route.

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The train left Saarbrücken at 8:19 and ran toward west on the right bank of the Saar. Völklingen station was located next to the magnificent Völklingen Ironworks, one of the UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Then the train turned right and changed its direction toward northwest and reached Ensdorf. I saw the huge fossil-fuel station, Kraftwerk Ensdorf, in the left side.

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Since the railway line followed a lot of loops of the Saar, there were many tight curves. I enjoyed the landscape of the Saar valley. Not a few passengers were boarded the train, and some of them carried bicycles. The interior of the train is simple, but functional and comfortable.

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After Konz, the route from Luxemburg joined, and the train stopped temporally at Karthaus to wait for the passage of RE 5111 from Luxemburg. Then the train arrived at Trier Hbf at 9:34, six minutes behind the schedule. I got off the train here, but it will connected with RE 5111 and left Trier for Koblenz.

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About an hour left until the departure of the next train. Despite the rainy weather, I made up my mind to visit the Porta Nigra, a large Roman city gate built between 186 and 200 AD. It was designated as part of the Roman Monuments of Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site. By ten-minute walk, I reached the Porta Nigra. There are few tourists, and the old gate left a strong impression.

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nice!(3)  コメント(2)  トラックバック(0) 

nice! 3

コメント 2

Akira

こんにちは、

トリアーに行かれたのですね。私も随分昔ですが、トリアーを訪れ、ポリタニグラにも登りました。ローマ時代の建築物ですが、やはりドイツの街にこのような遺跡があると、ちょっとした違和感..というと言葉が悪いですが、違う何かを感じました。同じ文化圏でも違いを感じた旅行でした。
by Akira (2016-02-02 10:55) 

HUH

こんにちは。
トリアーは以前から行きたかったのですが、今回ようやく行くことが出来ました。といっても、滞在時間は1時間のみで、他の遺跡には行けませんでした。いつかリベンジしたいですね。
ローマの文化は確かに違いもあるし、といって今のドイツの都市の一部はローマの駐屯地が発祥で、今に根付いている部分もあるでしょうし、興味深いですね。
by HUH (2016-02-03 07:35) 

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