to green at 12:00 noon and declared high-speed traffic in the Federal Republic of Germany open. The train driver for the first scheduled ICE service (from Hamburg on 2 June at 5:33 AM), Harry Pfaffe, was symbolically handed the key for the train. Other opening speeches were given by Federal Transport Minister Günther Krause, Deutsche Bundesbahn executive board chairman Heinz Dürr and Hesse Prime Minister Hans Eichel. 2,500 invited guests from politics and industry celebrated in the station, from which the public had been excluded. The five special trains left the station after three hours. Since the station toilets were not initially operable, long lines formed in front of two toilets in the station car park. Operational usage All northbound and southbound InterCityExpress services call at the station, with the exception of ICE Sprinter'' trains. An ICE connection also exists on the line to Erfurt and Altenbeken / Dortmund. Regional services are offered to Frankfurt Hbf, Hagen, Erfurt, Bad Hersfeld, Korbach and Kassel Hauptbahnhof where regional trains depart for Göttingen and Halle among others. The station is also served by two lines of the RegioTram system, the light rail system of Kassel. These two lines terminate at Treysa or Melsungen respectively. Long distance * to Köln Messe/Deutz tracks 11/12; five minutes longer to Hauptbahnhof Local services The station is also served by trams and RegioTram Kassel. Notes References External links Railway stations in North Hesse Buildings and structures in Kassel Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway Railway stations in Germany opened in 1849 Railway stations in Germany opened in 1991