Hamburg-Köln-Express
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Route of HKX
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| Locale | Germany |
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| Dates of operation | 2012– |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 15 kV 16.7 Hz |
| Headquarters | Cologne |
| Website | https://www.hkx.de |
Hamburg-Köln-Express GmbH (HKX) is a Cologne-based open-access train operating company providing long-distance railway passenger services in Germany. It was founded in October 2009 as a joint venture by Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) Deutschland GmbH, an affiliate of USA-based Railroad Development Corp., Locomore rail GmbH & CO. KG, and British railway investor Michael Schabas.
Since 23 July 2012, HKX has operated regular services between Hamburg-Altona and Cologne. The journey takes about 4h 20min, similar to that of services operated by DB but with lower fares.
Services were initially planned to start in August 2010 but this was postponed as there were unresolved pathing conflicts between Keolis and HKX in the access application process with DB infrastructure affiliate DB Netz. After Keolis withdrew its applications in April 2010, a framework contract was signed in June 2010. The framework contract expires in December 2015.
As of March 2012 the proposed service had still not had its safety case approved by the Federal Railway Authority.
HKX began selling tickets on 4 July 2012 and started operation on 23 July 2012.
HKX operates at least one train each way each day, from Fridays to Mondays. Fares for the entire route range from €20 to €60.
The Hamburg-Köln-Express calls at most intermediate stations also served by DB long-distance trains, but leaves out Düsseldorf Airport and Bremen Hbf. HKX uses the freight line bypassing Bremen, reducing the journey time to Hamburg. Instead, an additional stop at nearby Sagehorn was planned, but this has not yet been achieved. The trains do only stop in Hamburg, Osnabrück, Münster, Gelsenkirchen, Essen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf and Köln.
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