European Rail Travel - Frankfurt airport train station connection time

I'm trying to buy a ticket from Mannheim to Brussels via Frankfurt (ICE trains) and the best fare and schedule for me is one with only a 5 minute connection. It says the train arrives on platform 3 Fern 6 and the next train leaves from Fern 7. Is 5 minutes enough time? Where should I be on the arriving train so I can get off quickly? Thanks, and this is my first trip to Europe so I'm not that experienced with riding trains.. ;)

Tracks 6 and 7 share a platform, so you just exit one train and walk across the platform to board the other train. You'll have plenty of time; just be at the door with luggage in hand when the train enters the station. In fact, you'll probably have to wait for the connecting train to arrive, since it's only scheduled in the station for 3 minutes.

The lower left of the station plan (http://www.bahnhof.de/site/bahnhoefe/zubehoer__assets/de/bahnhofsplaene/bahnhofsplan__frankfurt__flughf__fernbf.pdf) shows the arrangement in cross section. Here's a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqHFQqCpEDs) that shows the platform with trains arriving and departing.

Tracks 6 and 7 share a platform, so you just exit one train and walk across the platform to board the other train. You'll have plenty of time; just be at the door with luggage in hand when the train enters the station. In fact, you'll probably have to wait for the connecting train to arrive, since it's only scheduled in the station for 3 minutes.

The lower left of the station plan (http://www.bahnhof.de/site/bahnhoefe/zubehoer__assets/de/bahnhofsplaene/bahnhofsplan__frankfurt__flughf__fernbf.pdf) shows the arrangement in cross section. Here's a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqHFQqCpEDs) that shows the platform with trains arriving and departing.

Oh great thank you this is very helpful. Looks like I should be ok provided the incoming train isn't delayed. Guess I will go ahead and book it.

Oh great thank you this is very helpful. Looks like I should be ok provided the incoming train isn't delayed. Guess I will go ahead and book it.

Frankfurt airport station is actually an important railway hub with lots of people changing from one train to the other here (as some ICE trains don't serve the downtown Hauptbahnhof). ICE trains also usually wait for connecting passengers from other ICE trains (not from lower class trains) as long as the delay is not longer than 5-10 minutes, so you have a bit of a time buffer here as well.