Chemnitz has had at times national connections, in addition to its significance as a regional transport hub. A "Städteexpress" ("city express") ran to Berlin during the Communist period. After the fall, Interregio services ran via Berlin to Rostock (some ran to Magdeburg, Stralsund, Binz or Barth), to Oberstdorf (via Nuremberg and Munich), to Karlsruhe (via Stuttgart) and to Aachen (via Düsseldorf). An Intercity-Express service ran to Cologne using ICE TD diesel tilting trains. Most recently Intercity (IC) services ran on the Dresden–Chemnitz–Nuremberg route. Sections of off-peak IC trains ran to and from Cologne and Hamburg, continuing to Flensburg.