Frankfurt (Main) Flughafen Fernbahnhof (Frankfurt (Main) / Francfort sur le Main)

When the high speed line was constructed between Koln and Frankfurt (Main) the opportunity was taken to build a station immediately adjacent to Germany's dominant international airport at the southern end of the new route.
Just to the east of station is the older rail route that express trains use to travel between Frankfurt (Main and Mannheim which made for a logical

Therefore all of the trains which which use this dedicated station are taking long-distance routes, hence the official name of the station being Frankfurt (Main) Flughafen Fernbahnhof; in German 'Fern Bahn' is a long-distance train.

https://www.bahnhof.de/frankfurt-am-main-flughafen-fernbahnhof

When the usual timetable is available trains arrive at depart from Frankfurt Flughafen Ferbahnhof on these routes; note that all of these trains are making a station call here during a journey:

• to/from Kassel - Hildesheim - Braunschweig - Berlin; 3 'trains per day
• to/from Berlin; 2 x 'Sprinter' trains per day
• to/from Hannover - Hamburg - ; 2 x 'Sprinter' trains per day
• to/from (Siegburg/Bonn) - Koln Hbf - Wuppertal - Hagen - Dortmund - Osnabruck - Bremen - Hamburg (hourly)
• to/from Koln Hbf - Aachen - Liege - Bruxelles (every other hour)
• to/from Siegburg/Bonn - Koln Hbf - Dusseldorf - Duisburg - Oberhausen - Arnhem - Utrecht - Amsterdam (every other hour)
• to/from Limburg Sud - Montabaur - Siegburg/Bonn - Koln Hbf (every other hour)
• to/from Mainz* - Koblenz* - Bonn Hbf - Koln Hbf - Dusselsdorf - Bochum - Dortmund (every other hour)
• to/from Koln Messe/Deutz - Dusseldorf - Essen (hourly)
• to/from Koln Messe/Deutz - Dusseldorf - Essen - Dortmund (every other hour)
• to/from Mainz* - Wiesbaden* (every other hour)
• to/from Frankfurt (Main)* - Erfurt - Leipzig - Dresden (every other hour)
• to/from Frankfurt (Main)* - Wurzburg - Nurnberg - (every other hour; 3 x trains per day continue to Regensburg - Passau - Wels - Linz - Wien/Vienna)
• to/from Frankfurt (Main)* - Wurzburg - Nurnberg - Munchen/Munich (hourly)
• to/from Mannheim - Stuttgart** - Ulm - Augsburg - Munchen/Munich (every other hour)
• to/from Mannheim - Stuttgart - Ulm - Augsburg - Munchen/Munich - Salzburg - Bad Gastein - Villach - Klagenfurt - Graz; 1 x train per day
• to/from Mannheim - Stuttgart - Ulm - Friedrichshafen - Lindau - Bregenz - St Anton - Landeck-Zams - Innsbruck; 1 x train per day
• to/from Mannheim - Karlsruhe - Baden Baden - Freiburg - Basel (every other hour; 1 x train per day continues to Bern - Thun - Brig; 2 x trains per day continue to Zurich - Landquart - Chur; 1 x train per day continues to Zurich
  *= also served by trains from and to the other station at the airport, used by Regional trains; See Below
  **= two departures every other hour, both in the even hours
  Not all station calls have been included in these summaries

Due to service duplication:

• Koln Hbf* = 2 to 4 x trains per hour
• Munchen/Munich = 1 to 3 x trains per hour
• Dusseldorf = 2 to 3 x trains per hour

As virtually all of the trains which call in the Fernbahnhof are ICE trains which can have up to 16 coaches / cars, the station's distinguishing feature is it's length.

There are two pairs of gleis (platforms / tracks); 4 and 5 are typically used by trains heading south and east, while 6 and 7 are mainly used by trains heading north.
Hence the Frankfurt (Main) Flughafen Fernbahnhof is an exceptionally convenient location in which to change trains.

The access to/from the main airport is by a mega bridge which goes to and from a large lobby area which provides the access with the gleis (platforms/tracks) which are on the level below.
Though most of the links between this concourse and the gleis are by escalators; there is only one lift/elevator on each pair of gleis.

The lobby area / bridge which connects the station to the airport is approximately in the middle of the gleis (platforms / tracks) so it is by zone D.
When arriving by train there are escalators on the gleis in zones C and E which lead up towards this exit by using the bridge.

Though there is only one elevator / lift on each pair of gleis

• On gleis 4 and 5 you'll find it by the zone E escalators, so it is closer to the front of trains arriving from the north
• On gleis 6 and 7 it is by the zone C escalators, so it is closer to the front of trains arriving from the south and east.

Checking in for flights at the station

Travellers who have booked Lufthansa Express tickets, can use flight check-in desks which are located on the bridge area between the station and the airport terminals.

To the air terminals

The bridge from the Fernbahnhof goes into Terminal 1, but in this first area of Terminal 1 there is now a station for the Skyline People Mover shuttle service to Terminal 3.
Though when the shuttle isn't available, the transfer to Terminal 3 is by shuttle bus which can add around 20 mins to the travel time.

When selecting an onward long-distance rail journey from the airport, for an easy transfer from Terminal 1 allow a minimum of 15 mins between exiting from airport Arrivals and being stood on the gleis (platform / track) in the right zone for easy access into your reserved* seat(s) on the train.

Though increase that time from leaving the Arrivals area to 40 mins if your flight will be arriving at Terminal 3; To allow contingency for the Skyline People Mover shuttle service transfer to be unavailable - having to get a replacement shuttle bus against the clock is a scenario best avoided.

Add on this station transfer time to your own contingency plans for flight and airport delays.

*= Reservations on ICE trains are always optional for national journeys, but adding them to a booking when taking a long-distance journey is recommended; Particularly at anytime on Fridays, during the day on Saturdays, on Sundays after midday and on Monday to Thursday afternoons and early evenings.

Prior to arriving at the airport, the ICE trains will have picked passengers in the likes of Frankfurt (Main) and Koln - some trains will have made more than 6 station calls on route to the airport.
So searching for a seat when your tired post-flight is best avoided, particularly if you have luggage.

There are two stations at the airport so follow the signs pointing the way to gleis 4 to 7, these are the platforms / tracks used by the long-distance trains.

On arrival into the lobby area, which is in effect the station concourse, above the gleis (platforms / tracks) you can check the departure details of your onward train.

There are escalators leading down to each pair of gleis, 4-5 and 6-7.

If you will be travelling with luggage etc there is an elevator leading down to each pair of gleis (platforms / tracks), so seek them out if you need an alternative to the more obvious escalators.

When you are on the gleis (platform / track) you can use the info screens to check in which zone you can wait for easy boarding into the coach in which a reserved will be located.

The cheapest type of tickets for the long-distance journeys by ICE trains are the discounted 'Super Sparpreis' and 'Sparpreis' tickets and when booking these tickets you have to select the specific train departure that you will travel by.

However, these tickets cannot be exchanged to a later train if the chosen departure is missed for any reason not connected to the train operator, DB.
So if the train the ticket is valid for is missed, due to a delayed flight arrival or a longer than typical queue for Passport Control, a new replacement ticket will have to be purchased at the station for the next departure.
This will be a non-discounted full price ticket.

Hence there are four options that can alleviate this pressure of having to be on time for a specific train:

1. Book a more expensive 'Flexible' ticket for the rail journey, as this type of ticket can be exchanged to a later departure if need be.
2. Book a ticket for the next departure when you get to the rail station, it will have the same or similar price to the Flexible ticket.
3. Opt for the Sparpreis types of ticket and allow for contingency in the event of a delay; And if you get to the airport on time, have a meal etc, before heading to the rail station for your booked train.
4. If you will be flying with Lufthansa you can book a Lufthansa Express ticket as these tickets can be exchanged to alternative rail departure if need be.

Before the high speed line used by the ICE trains opened, Frankfurt Airport already had a rail station.
Located closer to the airline terminals than the Fernbahnhof it was renamed the Regionalbahnhof as it now used by Regional (RE) trains and local S-Bahn trains - both of which connect the airport with Frankfurt (Main) city center.

As the airport is only 12 kilometers from central Frankfurt and the rail route between them is shared by all of the rail services, including the ICE trains, the quicker transfer is by using the trains to and from the Regionalbahnhof.

The local S-Bahn trains on lines S8 and S9 heading to Hanau or Offenbach, which typically depart every 15 mins, are the best option for a direct journey to the heart of the city, because they use a cross-city tunnel to travel beyond Frankfurt (Main) hbf.
So they also call at these stations:

• Taunusanlage - which is by the 'Mainhattan' business district.
• Hauptwache - the heart of the city
• Konstablerwache.

If you're heading to the area around Frankfurt (Main) Hbf, the city's main rail sation, there are typically Regio trains which depart hourly.
If one of these trains is due to depart they are a better option than the S-Bahn, as they arrive at the main concourse of the hauptbahnhof; the S-Bahn platforms are underground at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.

From the city centre

If the starting point of your journey is convenient to Taunusanlage station or

• Hauptwache station or
• Konstablerwache station, then taking a direct S-Bahn train is the logical option.

If the most convenient option is taking a train from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf check whether a Regio train will be shortly departing, if it isn't, head down into the S-Bahn station to catch the train.

Trains also link the Regionalbahnhof with:

• Mainz = 3 x trains per hour
• Koblenz* via Bingen and Boppard = 1 x train every other
• Saarbrucken = 1 x train every other
• **Wiesbaden = 2 x trains per hour.

Book tickets when you are at the station.

*= Koblenz is also served by ICE trains from and to the Fernbahnhof.