important link between the Ruhr and Hanover has been open for continuous electrical operations. Since 1973, Gütersloh Hbf has always served as a starting point for testing high-speed train operations by the Bundesbahn Central Offices (BZA) in Minden. In September 1973 an electric locomotive of class 103 reached a speed of 252.9 km/h on a test section between Gütersloh and Neubeckum. The 58.0 km-long section between Brackwede and Hamm became one of the first lines in Germany to be upgraded for scheduled services at 200 km/h in 1979 and, since then, the two platforms on the main tracks 2 and 3 runs are regularly passed at the 200 km/h maximum speed. On 26 November 1985, at 11:29, an InterCityExperimental train fully occupied with passengers on the line between Gutersloh and Hamm reached a speed of 317 km/h. This was a new German record for rail vehicles and a world record for rail vehicles using three-phase power. The display boards on the platforms had been defective since December 2005 and were repaired by Deutsche Bahn in October 2008. Since February 2010, extensive refurbishment has been carried out at the station. Deutsche Bahn was funded by about €3 million from an economic stimulus package. The work was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2011. All four platform edges of the two island platforms have been raised and adapted for the visually impaired. Comprehensive lighting and new equipment was also installed at the station. In addition, passenger lifts were put into operation on the platforms on 23 December 2011. The temporary lifts that were previously used have now been removed. The Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund OWL (Ostwestfalen-Lippe transport association) is seeking the resumption of passenger services on the Teutoburg Forest Railway (Teutoburger Wald-Eisenbahn) line to Harsewinkel and Verl in December 2016. If this is realized trains would run via a new rail connection to the TWE and stop on platform 1. Rail services In long-distance traffic, the station is served every two hours by an Intercity service on line IC 55 between Cologne and Leipzig. On Fridays and Sundays 2 pairs of additional intercity services run on the line IC 32 between Stuttgart or Karlsruhe and Berlin Südkreuz. During early or late hours some Intercity-Express services also stop in Gütersloh. There is a regional service at 30-minute intervals between Gütersloh and Hamm. There have been three services per hour to Bielefeld