The RheinâÂÂMain was an express train that linked Frankfurt am Main with Dortmund in Germany and later with Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The train was named after the two rivers, the Rhine and the Main, that join west of Frankfurt. For most of its life, it was a Trans Europ Express (TEE).
The RheinâÂÂMain was launched in May 1953 as train number F 31 northbound and F 32 southbound. The service was operated by Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railways) with diesel multiple units.
On 2 June 1957, the RheinâÂÂMain was one of the initial TEE services. The rolling stock was given TEE signage on front but the use of VT 08 continued for a few months, because the German TEE trainsets planned for it were not available for the RheinâÂÂMain until 1 December 1957. With the start of the TEE network the northern terminus was changed from Dortmund to Amsterdam, and the Cologne â Dortmund portion of the RheinâÂÂMain became part of the TEE Saphir. During the summer of 1958 and the winter of 1958âÂÂ59 the RheinâÂÂMain and Saphir ran coupled between Frankfurt and Cologne after the Saphirs eastern terminus was changed from Dortmund to Frankfurt. After 31 May 1959, the Saphir, using the east bank of the Rhine, and the RheinâÂÂMain using the west bank of the Rhine calling at the West-German capital Bonn, ran as separate trains again.
On 28 May 1967, the OberhausenâÂÂArnhem railway electrification works were completed and RheinâÂÂMain's rolling stock was replaced by electric-locomotive-hauled trains. Because of poor loading figures on the evening service between Bonn and Frankfurt the southbound service was shortened to Bonn on 26 September 1971. The northbound route continued to start in Frankfurt. On 28 May 1972, the service was renamed TEE Van Beethoven.