Blauer Enzian

Blauer Enzian

DB Class 103 on the Munich–Rosenheim railway
Overview
Service type	Fernschnellzug (F) (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 (1951)
Last service	2002 (2002)
Former operator(s)	Deutsche Bundesbahn / Deutsche Bahn (DB) ÖBB
Route
Start	Hamburg-Altona / Dortmund Hbf
End	München Hbf / Klagenfurt Hbf / 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)
Route map Routes of Blauer Enzian: TEE 1970 (red), IC 1979 (blue), EC 1991 (green)

Route map
Routes of Blauer Enzian: TEE 1970 (red), IC 1979 (blue), EC 1991 (green)

The Blauer Enzian was a named express train service introduced in 1951 that ran via the German North–South railway line between Hamburg and Munich. Labelled as an international Trans Europ Express (TEE) train, it also linked with Zell am See and Klagenfurt in Austria from 1969. Trains were operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) and its Deutsche Bahn successor, from 1970 also by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

The train's classification and formation (consist) varied over time. Since 1981, trains run from Dortmund to Klagenfurt, categorised as EuroCity service from 1987. It ceased to be a named train in 2002.

In 1953 the train was named after the mountain flower Blue Gentian (blau, German for blue, and Enzian, the German vernacular for Gentian, species Gentiana verna; German: Frühlings-Enzian). The name was the result of a prize competition initiated by Deutsche Bundesbahn among its passengers. Similar to the Edelweiss express train service introduced in 1928, it was associated with alpinism and the Alps.

Over the years, the Blauer Enzian's termini and route were altered so significantly that there is no section of line over which it always travelled. However, the train always either originated, terminated, or reversed direction, at München Hauptbahnhof.

In 1951, the West German Deutsche Bundesbahn announced the introduction of the Blauer Enzian as part of the then-new Fernzug network. It originally was planned that the North-South 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 were not yet available by then, and the train instead entered service in autumn 1951 or later with normal carriages.