Frankfurt Airport Long-Distance Station: ICE Links Explained

Frankfurt Airport is not only an aviation hub but also a major railway hub — and this is precisely where many travellers get confused. Because FRA has two stations: the long-distance station (Fernbahnhof) for ICE and IC trains, and the regional station (Regionalbahnhof) for the S-Bahn and regional trains. Stand at the wrong one and you can quickly miss your train. Let me explain where the long-distance station is, what runs from it and how to make the transfer to the terminal smoothly.

Long-distance or regional station? The key difference

Don’t confuse the two — that’s the most common mistake:

• The regional station is directly beneath Terminal 1 and is served by the S-Bahn (S8/S9) and regional trains. This is where you board if you want to reach central Frankfurt or the surrounding region.
• The long-distance station is the station for long-distance services: ICE, IC and EC. From here you can travel right across Germany and to European destinations.

Both are at Terminal 1 but are not the same. If your rail ticket says “Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof”, you need the long-distance station — not the S-Bahn level below.

Where is the long-distance station?

The long-distance station sits beneath the striking building “The Squaire”, which spans the tracks like a long, curved bridge. The Squaire was built directly above the existing long-distance station and is connected to Terminal 1 by a link passage.

Good news for you: from the long-distance station you can reach Terminal 1 on foot in about 5 minutes via this passage. Simply follow the signs towards Terminal 1. The route is easily manageable with luggage and a wheeled case; there are escalators and lifts.

Which trains run from the long-distance station?

There’s plenty going on here. Deutsche Bahn serves the long-distance station with ICE, IC and EC trains, linking the airport directly with destinations across Germany and abroad in Europe. Around 210 long-distance trains stop here every day, of which about 185 are ICEs (as of 2026).

That makes Frankfurt Airport one of the country’s most important railway hubs. So you can board an ICE in many places across Germany and travel directly to the airport without a detour via a city-centre station — or, the other way round, transfer straight onto a long-distance train after landing. Cologne, Stuttgart, Mannheim, the Rhine-Main region and many other cities are conveniently connected this way.

AiRail check-in: drop your bags at the station

A handy feature is the AiRail check-in. It’s on the way from the long-distance station to Terminal 1, in The Squaire building, on level 3. Here — with participating airlines and fares — you can check your luggage for your flight at the station itself.

The idea behind it: certain ICE services are treated like a feeder connection to your flight under rail-and-fly deals. If you have such a combined ticket, you save yourself lugging your suitcase through the terminal. But check with your airline in advance whether your fare and route qualify — this doesn’t apply to every ticket.

How to plan the transfer properly

From experience, here are a few pointers to make the connection work:

• Enough buffer time: even though Terminal 1 is only 5 minutes away, allow generously for the walk, any security check and check-in. With tight connections, take an earlier train.
• Factor in delays: long-distance services aren’t always on time. If you have to catch a flight, don’t choose too tight a transfer window.
• Head for the right station: if you want central Frankfurt, you don’t need the long-distance station but the S-Bahn at the regional station beneath Terminal 1. The S8/S9 gets you into the centre in around 15 minutes, far cheaper than an ICE ticket.
• Terminals 2 and 3: if you’re departing from there, also allow for the way from the long-distance station or Terminal 1 — by Sky Line train or shuttle, for example.

Conclusion

The long-distance station turns Frankfurt Airport into a genuine gateway across Germany: with around 185 ICEs a day, you step from train to plane here with practically no detour. The only thing that matters is not confusing it with the regional station — one is for long-distance services, the other for the S-Bahn and the region. Keep that in mind, head for the right station and allow enough time for the short walk into the terminal, and you’ll travel here as conveniently as at almost any other German airport.