The ICE-S (S means "Schnellfahrt" = high speed) of the DB AG (Deutsche Bahn), a special train used for tests with high speeds (highest reached speed is 393 km/h or 244.2 miles per hour in 2001 already), with the two power cars 410 # 101 and # 102 and 7 intermediate cars, is returning from the Ticino to Germany, pulled by Re 420 # 197 of the SBB, seen in Rynächt near the north portal of the Gotthard Base tunnel. The train was rented for highspeed tests through the new 15 kilometer long Ceneri Base Tunnel (CBT) between Vigana (near Giubiasco) and Vezia (near Lugano), which will be inaugurated in september this year. This tunnel is built for 250 km/h maximum velocitiy, so the test had to go 10 % higher, which was reached on may first (=275 km/h). In Switzerland, there is no vehicle for such speeds. The ICE-S went back from Bellinzona San Paolo to Basel Badischer Bahnhof this day, pulled because he has no ATP system for Switzerland, but the ETCS L2 system used in the Ceneri Base Tunnel.
