A Thalys High-Speed Train Beneath Köln Hauptbahnhof’s Glass Roof

Thalys trains have linked Cologne to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam since the service launched in 1996, running on the PBKA route named for its four endpoint cities. The trains in Cologne's fleet use the PBA/PBKA variant of the TGV-derived trainset, capable of speeds up to 300 km/h on high-speed lines in France and Belgium. Köln Hauptbahnhof, the station serving these trains, opened in its current form in 1894 and sits adjacent to Cologne Cathedral in the city center. The station's steel-and-glass train shed, supported by its distinctive arched trusses, was designed by Georg Frentzen and remains one of the largest surviving 19th-century railway roofs in Germany. Thalys merged into the Eurostar brand in 2023, though trains bearing the original livery continued to operate on existing routes during the transition.

Taken September 2017