Hamburg-Köln-Express
Route of HKX | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Cologne |
| Locale | Germany |
| Dates of operation | 2012–2018 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 15 kV 16.7 Hz |
| Other | |
| Website | https://www.hkx.de |
Hamburg-Köln-Express GmbH (HKX) was 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.
Starting on 23 July 2012, HKX operated regular services between Hamburg-Altona and Cologne. The journey took about 4h 20min, similar to that of services operated by DB but with lower fares. On 24 March 2018, Flixmobility, the parent company of Flixbus, took over HKX's operations and the route was rebranded as a Flixtrain route, complementing the former Locomore train service operated by Leo Express on behalf of Flixmobility since 2017.