High-speed rail in Scovern
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High-speed rail in Scovern is predominantly owned and operated by the state-owned railway company, Skovernsk Jernbane, as part of their SJB Intercity division. Euclostar services also operate within the country, primarily terminating at Rimso or at Lindby International to funnel into Scovern's domestic high-speed network. SJB operate a bihourly direct service between Rimso H and Westbrücken Hbf, calling at Lindby International and Elbdorf Hbf, which is the only international service the operator offers.
The first high-speed trains in Scovern were introduced in the 1990s on the Southern Main Line between Rimso and Kalstad, with the inaugural journey running on June 7, 1995. Initially, high-speed trains were an expensive but fast alternative to traditional heavy rail, but in the early 2000s, the country's high-speed network was greatly expanded and the SJB Intercity division was created, with dedicated platforms and services on high-speed lines. Traditional heavy rail services were kept as part of the SJB Regional and SJB National services, mainly to continue serving local communities that lay on new high-speed lines. New high-speed services were given the identifier of ICXX.
High-speed services in Scovern reach a maximum speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) on IC01, commonly known as "The Needle" (Mescon: Nåletog), between Rimso and Kalstad. This route runs every 15 minutes and is served exclusively by Bernbaum Atomik (SJB Class 188) trains. Most initial lines have since been upgraded to maximum speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph), but newer constructions in the east of the country have been limited to 230 km/h (143 mph) due to tighter corners for terrain navigation.