Deutsche Bahn (DB) held a ceremony at Berlin Südkreuz station earlier today (December 4) to present its next generation of high-speed trains, ICE 4.
The first ICE 4 train set will enter passenger service in December 2017 and will gradually replace the ICE 1 and ICE 2 fleets.
The change of name from ICx to ICE 4 is largely symbolic, highlighting the new fleets role as the “backbone” of future long-distance rail travel in Germany. By 2030, the number of long-distance services will have increased by 25 per cent, says DB.
In May 2011, DB signed a framework agreement for up to 300 new trains. Two pre-series trains are already conducting test runs on the German national network.
A DB spokesman said that although the new ICE 4 trains have a lower maximum speed than both the ICE 1 and ICE 2 – 250 km/h compared to 280 km/h – the fleet will maintain current journey times, partly because the existing fleet currently only operates at a maximum of 250 km/h and partly because of the ICE 4’s better braking and acceleration.
