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ICE 3 neo at Frankfurt Central Station: With speeds of up to 300 km/h, especially designed for high-speed lines
Photo: Boris Roessler / dpa
It is one of the largest procurement projects in the company's history: Deutsche Bahn buys 73 ICE trains from the manufacturers Siemens and Talgo. The investment volume amounts to two billion euros, the railway announced. The trains are to be delivered between 2026 and 2030.
On the basis of existing framework agreements, the Spanish manufacturer Talgo will supply 56 ICE L trains and its German competitor Siemens Mobility 17 sets of the ICE 3 neo. According to Siemens, the order volume of €600 million was booked in its second fiscal quarter.
Step-free entry planned
Deutsche Bahn has already announced the commissioning of the first trains of the ICE L for October 2024. A special feature is the stepless entry and exit at 76-centimeter-high standard platforms.
With a top speed of 230 kilometers per hour, this series will initially run between Berlin and Amsterdam. The additional trains that have now been ordered will then be used throughout Germany as well as on connections to Denmark and Austria.
The ICE 3 neo has already been running since December 2022. With a speed of 300 kilometers per hour, it is particularly designed for high-speed routes, for example between Cologne and Frankfurt or between Berlin and Munich. From 2024, it will also replace the fault-prone predecessor models on connections from Frankfurt to Amsterdam and Brussels.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing praised the investment in the new trains. "They not only create more urgently needed capacity, but also increase quality and comfort for passengers," the FDP politician said. The long-distance transport board member of Deutsche Bahn, Michael Peterson, spoke of a comprehensive renewal of the fleet: "Already this year, we will receive an average of three new ICE trains per month."
Deutsche Bahn plans to reduce the average age of ICE and Intercity trains from 2030 today to twelve by 18.
apr/Reuters