Deutsche Bahn (DB) has announced that its ICE 4 fleet is now complete with the delivery of the 137th train.
The 7-part ICE 4 train was delivered to Berlin on time and has been named ‘Spree’.
This marks the end of a 6 billion EUR project that has seen Siemens Mobility deliver 137 trains in three different variants since 2016. In total, over 1,500 cars with around 105,000 seats have been supplied, marking the largest procurement programme in DB’s history.
“The punctual delivery of the last ICE 4 is a great joint success for Deutsche Bahn and Siemens. Each train replaces 20,000 cars in its lifetime and saves up to 400,000 tons of CO2. Every ICE train on the route is good for the climate, mobility and Germany as a business location. My special thanks go to the teams at DB, Siemens and our partners for this great achievement.”
Specifically, DB’s ICE 4 fleet now consists of 37 7-car trains, 50 12-car trains and 50 13-car XXL ICE trains. The XXL versions each offer almost 1,000 seats, which is five times more than in a medium-haul aircraft,
The high-capacity trains run on lines with the greatest demand, such as from Hamburg via North Rhine-Westphalia and on the Cologne–Rhine/Main high-speed line to southern Germany.
Like the other 7-part trains, the ICE ‘Spree’ will mainly travel between Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as between Frankfurt/Main, Munich, Salzburg and Klagenfurt.
DB now has the largest and most modern ICE fleet in history. It will also continue to receive another ICE train every three weeks in 2024 as part of the Strong Rail strategy.
“Siemens and DB delivered on time. Expanding the fleet is a central lever for achieving the goals of our Strong Rail strategy: Our aim is to double the transport performance in long-distance rail passenger transport. Because anyone who travels by train protects the climate. We invested six billion euros in the 137 ICE 4 trains alone. In 2024, we will continue to put a new ICE on the rails for our passengers every three weeks.”
