Summary: Acronym of Inter City Express adopted for German high-speed trains. The original aim was to distinguish these high-speed trains from the hourly intercity trains that were the hallmark of Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services. On 2 June 1991, the ICE high-speed train went into service with 19 ICE1 trainsets between Hamburg and Munich. The only high-speed section was between Hanover and Würzburg, a 327-kilometre line with 63 tunnels and more than 34 bridges. The network then expanded rapidly, with 1,571km of lines now built for speeds of at least 250km/h, putting Germany in fifth place worldwide. Excluding the pandemic, around 100 million passengers a year travelled on ICEs, out of a total of 140 million long-distance passengers. Nearly 200 stations are served by an ICE service in Germany, as well as around fifty in neighbouring countries. 330 trainsets are needed for the daily service. The fleet is based on Siemens technology, and is now in its fourth generation. Internationally, the ICE is used on the Frankfurt-Brussels, Frankfurt-Amsterdam and Frankfurt-Paris routes, as well as in Zurich, Interlaken and Vienna.
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The ICE emerged from German high‑speed rail research funded from the early 1970s, with around 70 million DM devoted specifically to its development. After debates in the early 1980s, the first ICE generation was defined within the HGV project, aiming for 250 km/h operations. The official launch took place on 29 May 1991 with a ceremonial convergence on Kassel‑Wilhelmshöhe, followed by commercial service on 2 June 1991. A major marketing campaign positioned the ICE as the new flagship of German rail, attracting 2.5 million passengers in its first 100 days.
ICE is today the flagship brand of Deutsche Bahn (DB). It belongs to the DB Fernverkehr division and accounts for nearly 80% of Fernverkehr traffic, representing around 107 million passengers annually. ICE trains operate beyond Germany to the Netherlands, Belgium, France, as well as Switzerland and Austria, although they do not run at high speed on all of these international routes.
COMPANY TYPE
Name:
FlixTrain GmbH
Subsdiary/Branding from:
100% de Flix SE
Country of registration:
Germany
Year founded (under this name):
2018
Sector:
Passengers long distance
Investor(s) / Owner:
General Atlantic, Silver Lake, EQT, Kühne Holding, Porsche
Headquartered at:
Munich
Management of infrastructure:
no
Management of stations:
no
ACTIVITIES
Regional & local traffic:
no
Long distance traffic:
yes
Freight traffic:
no
Traction:
Partner
Urban transport:
no
Leasing:
no
Infrastructure works:
no
Rolling stock maintenance:
Partner
National rolling stock (past and present)
ICE 1 BR 401 Siemens/AEG/Krupp 1991 –
…
59 BR401 trainsets are the result of extensive testing carried out by Inter City Experimental since the early 1980s. An order for 41 trainsets was placed in 1987. These are trainsets with locomotives at each end, as was still customary at the time. They feature a dining car with a raised roof. Renovated but withdrawn from service over time.
ICE 2 BR 402 Siemens/ABB/AEG 1995 –
…
The ICE 2 appears to be similar to the ICE 1, but DB wanted to operate double-destination trains, which meant a 7-car trainset. The shortening of the trainsets meant that only one locomotive was needed, hence the introduction of the pilot car. The experience gained with the ICE 1 enabled the ICE 2 to benefit from a number of technical improvements.
Nothing in common with ICE 1 and ICE2. ICE 3 met the increased requirements for interoperability promoted by the European Union and was fitted with distributed motorisation. A BR 406 multi-current version was designed to operate in foreing countries. The last BR406 ran in April 2025 in Germany. Part of the fleet has been put up for sale.
ICE 3 Velaro D BR 407 Siemens 2013 –
…
The origins of the BR 407 can be traced back to 2007, when specifications were drawn up requiring new rolling stock that was fully compliant with European TSIs, capable of operating at 320 km/h and accepted in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Great Britain (Velaro UK). Only 17 trainsets have been built, making it the smallest ICE DB’s series.
To replace the ICE 1’s serie (scheduled to run until 2030), DB signed a framework agreement with Siemens in 2008 for 300 trainsets with 7, 12 or 13 cars. This is why there are 3 sub-series. The ICE 4 is not suitable for international traffic, as DB has opted instead for an ICE 3 neo, shown below. ICE 4s can nevertheless operate in Austria and Switzerland.
ICE 3 neo BR 408 Siemens 2022 –
…
Around 2019-2020, Siemens was busy with an ICE Novo project, but DB Fernverkehr launched a call for tenders for 90 trainsets, all compatible with the BR407 ICE. To move quickly and avoid too many study costs, Siemens reorganised its Velaro platform and presented the ICE 3 neo, a train suitable for international traffic in Germany’s neighbouring countries.
