Deutsche Bahn has problems with its new trains ICE 4 and Intercity 2. The models should improve punctuality and cause delays. "Too often, there are disruptions to the new vehicles, which have a sensitive impact on operations," it says in an internal message that is available to SPIEGEL. Especially at traffic junctions lead to any delay that delayed further trains.
More in the SPIEGEL
Issue 9/2019
L'Égoïste
Radical, free, unique: Karl LagerfeldDigital Edition | Printed Edition | Apps | SUBSCRIPTION
The railway explained on demand, isolated disturbances are not unusual with new vehicles. Analyze the causes together with the manufacturers Siemens and Bombardier.
Especially in long-distance traffic, the Deutsche Bahn has been fighting for months with poor punctuality. In 2018, only 74.9 percent of all long-distance trains reached their destination on time - according to the railway definition, with a delay of five minutes or less. Politics and Supervisory Board require improvements.
Since the shortcomings occur in the flagship trains inconvenient. The Intercity 2, according to internal message about 60 errors were found. The double-decker wagons are to replace the partly decades-old Intercity trains, affected by the problems is the second series. The on-board computer for the train protection, which crashes again and again, causes trouble. This error will probably be corrected until 2020, since numerous safety regulations must be adhered to.
German Railways
Intercity 2
The ICE 4 has problems with the doors and brakes. The "flagship of long-distance traffic", as the track calls him, should help a software update. In addition, an ICE 4 at the end of December in a catenary disruption was so badly damaged that it must be repaired until March. The latest ICE generation started in December 2017 in regular operation. Since then, Deutsche Bahn intends to commission a newly delivered ICE 4 per month on average.
The situation for new vehicles is made more difficult by the fact that there are bottlenecks in the rest of the train fleet as well. The ICE 3 is under heavy load because a fire and an accident damage trains. According to internal paper, there are only a small number of available IC cars on the old Intercity trains. If a train fails, but "usually" a replacement train is used, said the train on request.
The new bad news should also continue to put the passenger transport board Berthold Huber under pressure. The manager is currently responsible for long-distance and regional rail traffic. Now there are considerations to divide his duties on two board posts. Huber could then only be responsible for long-distance traffic. In local traffic, Deutsche Bahn lost a number of tenders against private competitors in recent years.
This topic comes from the new SPIEGEL magazine - available at the kiosk from Saturday morning and every Friday at SPIEGEL + and in the digital magazine edition.
What's in the new SPIEGEL, you will learn every Saturday in our free newsletter THE LOCATION, which appears six times a week - compact, analytical, opinionated, written by the editor-in-chief or the heads of our Berlin office.