| Intercity-Express | |
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ICE 3 trainset near Ingolstadt |
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| Locale | Germany, Netherlands, Belgium , Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, and France |
| Predecessor | See ICE History |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Website | www.bahn.com |
The Intercity-Express (written as InterCityExpress in Austria, Denmark, Switzerland and, formerly, in Germany) or ICE (German pronunciation: [iːtseːˈʔeː]) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn. The brand name "ICE" is among the most well known in Germany, with a brand awareness close to 100%, according to DB.[1]
There are currently 259 trainsets in five different versions of the ICE vehicles in use, named ICE 1 (deployed in 1991), ICE 2 (1996), ICE T (1999), ICE 3 (1999) and ICE TD (2001–2003, back in service 2007). The ICE 3, including its variant models, is made by a consortium led by Bombardier and Siemens.
Apart from domestic use, the trains can also be seen in countries neighbouring Germany. There are, for example, ICE 1 lines to Basel and Zurich. ICE 3 trains also run to Liège and Brussels[2] and at lower speeds to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.[3] On 10 June 2007, a new line between Paris and Frankfurt/Stuttgart was opened, jointly operated by ICE and TGV trains. In addition, ICE Trains to London via the Channel Tunnel are planned for 2013.[4]
While ICE 3M run the Paris-to-Frankfurt branch (with exceptions to trains 9553/9552, which operates with TGV POS equipment and cross-crewed with both SNCF and DB staff), SNCF's TGV runs from Paris to Munich (via Stuttgart), with mixed crews on both trains.[5][6]
German and Austrian ICE T trains run to Vienna. On 9 December 2007, the ICE TD was introduced on the service from Berlin via Hamburg to the Danish cities of Århus and Copenhagen.
The Spanish railway operator RENFE also employs trains based on ICE 3 trains (Siemens Velaro).[7] Wider versions were ordered by China for the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail (CRH 3) and by Russia for the Moscow – Saint Petersburg and the Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod routes (Velaro RUS).[8]
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The Deutsche Bundesbahn started a series of trials in 1985 using the InterCityExperimental (also called ICE-V) test train. The IC Experimental was used as a showcase train and for high-speed trials, setting a new world speed record at 406.9 km/h (253 mph) on 1 May 1988.[9] The train was retired in 1996 and replaced with a new trial unit, called the ICE S.
After extensive discussion between the Bundesbahn and the Ministry of Transport regarding onboard equipment, length and width of the train and the number of trainsets required, a first batch of 41 units was ordered in 1988. The order was extended to 60 units in 1990, with German reunification in mind. However, not all trains could be delivered in time.
The ICE network was officially inaugurated on 29 May 1991 with several vehicles converging on the newly built station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe from different directions.[10]
The first ICE trains were the trainsets of ICE 1 (power cars: Class 401), which came into service in 1989. The first regularly scheduled ICE trains ran from 2 June 1991 from Hamburg-Altona via Hamburg Hbf – Hannover Hbf – Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe – Fulda – Frankfurt Hbf – Mannheim Hbf and Stuttgart Hbf toward München Hbf on the new ICE line 6. The Hanover-Würzburg line and the Mannheim-Stuttgart line, which had both opened the same year, were hence integrated into the ICE network from the very beginning.
Due to the lack of trainsets in 1991 and early 1992, the ICE line 4 (Bremen Hbf – Hannover Hbf – Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe – Fulda – Würzburg Hbf – Nürnberg Hbf – München Hbf) couldn't start operating until 1 June 1992. Prior to that date, ICE trainsets were used when available and were integrated in the Intercity network and with IC tariffs.
In 1993, the ICE line 6's terminus was moved from Hamburg to Berlin (later, in 1998, via the Hanover-Berlin line and the former IC line 3 from Hamburg-Altona via Hannover Hbf – Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe – Fulda – Frankfurt Hbf – Mannheim Hbf – Karlsruhe Hbf – Freiburg Hbf to Basel SBB was upgraded to ICE standards as a replacement).
From 1997, the successor, the ICE 2 trains pulled by Class 402 powerheads, was put into service. One of the goals of the ICE 2 was to improve load balancing by building smaller train units which could be coupled or detached as needed.
These trainsets were used on the ICE line 10 Berlin-Cologne/Bonn. However, since the driving van trailers of the trains were still awaiting approval, the DB joined two portions (with one powerhead each) to form a long train, similar to the ICE 1. Only from 24 May 1998 were the ICE 2 units fully equipped with driving van trailers and could be portioned on their run from Hamm via either Dortmund Hbf - Essen Hbf - Duisburg Hbf - Düsseldorf Hbf or Hagen Hbf - Wuppertal Hbf - Solingen-Ohligs.
In late 1998, the Hanover-Berlin high-speed rail line was opened as the third high-speed line in Germany, cutting travel time on line 10 (between Berlin and the Ruhr valley) by 2½ hours.
The ICE 1 and ICE 2 trains' loading gauge exceeds that recommended by the international railway organisation UIC. Even though the trains were originally to be used only domestically, some units are licensed to run in Switzerland and Austria. Some ICE 1 units have been equipped with an additional smaller pantograph to be able to run on the different Swiss overhead wire geometry. All ICE 1 and ICE 2 trains are single-voltage 15 kV AC, which restricts their radius of operation largely to the German-speaking countries of Europe.
To overcome the restrictions imposed on the ICE 1 and ICE 2, their successor, the ICE 3, was built to a smaller loading gauge to permit usability throughout Europe (except the UK non-highspeed network, Ireland, Finland, Russia and Ukraine) . Unlike their predecessors, the ICE 3 units are built not as locomotive-pulled trains (albeit aerodynamically optimised), but as electric multiple units with underfloor motors throughout. This also reduced the load per axle and enabled the ICE 3 to comply with the pertinent UIC standard.
Two different classes were developed: the Class 403 (domestic ICE 3) and the Class 406 (ICE 3M), the M standing for Mehrsystem (multi-system). The trains were labelled and marketed as the Velaro by their manufacturer, Siemens.
Just like the ICE 2, the ICE 3 and the ICE 3M were developed as half-length trains (when compared to an ICE 1) and are able to travel in portions, with individual units running on different lines, then being coupled to travel together. Since the ICE 3 trains are the only ones able to run on the Köln-Frankfurt high-speed line with its 4.0 % incline, they are used predominantly on services that utilise this line.
Deutsche Bahn has order another 16 units - worth € 495 million - for international traffic, especially to France.
The newest high-speed line in Germany, the Nuremberg-Ingolstadt high-speed rail line, which opened in May 2006, is the most recent addition to the ICE network. It is one of only two lines in Germany (the other being the Cologne to Frankfurt line) that are equipped for a line speed of 300 km/h. Since only 3rd generation ICE trains can travel at this speed, the ICE line 41, formerly running from Essen Hbf via Duisburg Hbf – Frankfurt Südbf to Nürnberg Hbf, was extended over the Nuremberg-Ingolstadt high-speed rail line and today the service run is Oberhausen Hbf – Duisburg Hbf – Frankfurt Hbf – Nürnberg Hbf – Ingolstadt Hbf – München Hbf.
The ICE 3 runs at speeds up to 320 km/h (198 mph) on the LGV Est railway Strasbourg – Paris in France.
Simultaneously with the ICE 3, Siemens developed trains with tilting technology, using much of the ICE 3 technical design. The class 411 (seven cars) and 415 (five cars) ICE T EMUs and class 605 ICE TD DMUs (four cars) were built with a similar interior and exterior design. They were specially designed for older railway lines not suitable for high speeds, for example the twisting lines in Thuringia. ICE-TD has diesel traction. ICE-T and ICE-TD can be operated jointly, but this is not done routinely.
A total of 60 class 411 and 11 class 415 have been built so far (units built after 2004 belong to the modified second generation ICE-T2 batch). Both classes work reliably. Austria's ÖBB purchased three units in 2007, operating them jointly with DB. It might be worth noting that even though DB assigned the name ICE-T to class 411/415, the T originally did not stand for tilting, but for Triebwagen (railcar), as DB's marketing department at first deemed the top speed too low for assignment of the InterCityExpress brand and therefore planned to refer to this class as IC-T (InterCity-Triebwagen).
Rather ill-fated was the adoption of diesel services. In 2001, a total of 20 units were commissioned for use on the Dresden-Munich and Munich-Zurich lines, but these class 605 (ICE-TD) units experienced trouble from the start so the trains were mothballed. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, they were used for supplemental services. Their top speed is 200 km/h. They are expensive to use within Germany since full diesel tax must be paid. Starting at the end of 2007, the class 605 has been deployed on the Hamburg-Copenhagen route. This route, using the Fehmarn Belt train ferry needs diesel trains for both the railway and the ferry, as neither has an electric supply. Later the Hamburg-Aarhus started to use these trains. The Danish railway currently has a severe shortage of long-distance diesel trains since their new IC4, with features similar to the ICE-TD, has also been ill-fated and severely delayed in delivery. The ICE-TD can have lower operational cost for this traffic, since diesel for train usage has lower tax in Denmark, and the trains fill their tanks there.
For the EXPO 2000 in Hanover, Deutsche Bahn provided 120 additional train services. Some of these special services were operated by ICE trains and labelled "ExpoExpress" (EXE). These services also constituted the first widespread use of the then-new ICE 3 train sets, presenting them to the domestic and international general public.[11]
An outstanding characteristic of the ICE trains is their colour design, which has been registered by the DB as an aesthetic model and hence is protected as intellectual property.[12] The trains are painted in Pale Grey (RAL 7035) with a Traffic Red (RAL 3020) stripe on the lower part of the vehicle. The continuous black band of windows and their oval door windows differentiate the ICEs from any other DB train.
The ICE 1 and ICE 2 units originally had an Orient Red (RAL 3031) stripe, accompanied by a Pastel Violet stripe below (RAL 4009, 26 cm wide). These stripes were repainted with the current Traffic Red between 1998 and 2000, when all ICE units were being checked and repainted in anticipation of the EXPO 2000.
The "ICE" lettering uses the colour Agate Grey (RAL 7038), the frame is painted in Quartz Grey (RAL 7039). The plastic platings in the interior all utilise the Pale Grey (RAL 7035) colour tone. Originally, the ICE 1 interior was designed in pastel tones with an emphasis on mint, following the DB colour scheme of the day. The ICE 1 trains were refurbished in the mid-2000s, however, and now follow the same design as the ICE 3, which makes heavy usage of indirect lighting and wooden furnishings.
The distinctive ICE design was developed by a team of designers around Alexander Neumeister in the early 1980s and first used on the InterCityExperimental (ICE V). The team around Neumeister then designed the ICE 1, ICE 2, and ICE 3/T/TD. The interior of the trains was designed by Jens Peters working for BPR-Design in Stuttgart. Among others, he was responsible for the heightened roof in the restaurant car and the special lighting. The same team also developed the design for the now discontinued InterRegio trains in the mid-1980s.
| ICE (generally): | Pale grey livery with red stripe and convoluted rubber gaiters between carriages (distinctive from all other DB trains) Black window band with oval door windows (distinctive from Intercity / Metropolitan cars) Wheels-on-rails technology (distinctive from the Transrapid) |
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| ICE 1: | two power heads and intermediate cars; restaurant car with high roof; nose with DB logo that interrupts red stripe (unique to the ICE 1) |
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| ICE 2: | one power head and one driving van trailer accessible to passengers; BordRestaurant/Bistro car has same height as other cars; contrary to ICE 1: nose is vertically divisible, parts of the coupler protruding to the outside |
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| ICE 3: | no power heads, but an EMU: end cars with rounded windshield and passenger lounge, unpowered transformer car with pantograph; red stripe is interrupted at the end cars by ICE logo, then runs downwards and across the nose lid; window band becomes narrow and ends near the windshield. |
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| ICE T/TD: | similar to ICE 3, except: steeper front; pantograph (T)/ aerodynamic cover (TD) on end cars; no ICE logo on the end coaches; red stripe stays straight, red stripe ends near the lamps. |
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| ICE T2: | like ICE T series 1, except: painted sheet metal instead of glass between windows, front lamps with LEDs |
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| ICE V: | violet, wide stripe runs deeper than on newer stock and does not continue over the nose lid; Deutsche Bundesbahn logo and preliminary ICE logo; clad rubber gaiters; power heads larger than intermediate cars and with rounder front; front hedge ICE 2-like since 1995 |
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| ICE S: | old-style pastel violet/orient red stripe turns yellow/grey on intermediate coaches, designating a service vehicle; ICE logo with additional letter "S" in white; gray and yellow lines form a curve on intermediate car 2; high-voltage lines between carriages; maximum speed 330 km/h instead of 280 km/h |
While every car in an ICE train has its own unique registration number, the trains usually remain coupled as fixed trainsets for several years. For easier reference, each has been assigned a trainset number that is printed over each bogie of every car. These numbers usually correspond with the registration numbers of the powerheads or cab cars.
| ICE 1: | Tz 01 to 20 | traction motors use thyristor frequency converters |
| Tz 51 to 71 | traction motors use GTO frequency converters | |
| Tz 72 to 90 | GTO control, fitted for service into Switzerland | |
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| ICE 2: | Tz 201 to 244 | |
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| ICE 3: | Tz 301 to 337 | first series |
| Tz 351 to 367 | second series | |
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| ICE 3M: | Tz 4601 to 4613 | 7 trainsets, numbers intermittent |
| Tz 4651 to 4654 | owned by NS Hispeed | |
| ICE 3MF: | Tz 4680 to 4685 | refitted for service into France |
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| ICE T: | Tz 1101 to 1132 | first series |
| 7 cars | Tz 1151 to 1178 | second series |
| Tz 1180 to 1184 | refitted for service into Switzerland | |
| Tz 1190 to 1192 | sold to ÖBB | |
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| ICE T: | Tz 1501 to 1506 | |
| 5 cars | Tz 1520 to 1524 | originally fitted for service into Switzerland, cab cars switched with Tz 1180 to 1184 |
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| ICE TD: | Tz 5501 to 5520 | |
The ICE trains adhere to a high standard of technology: all cars are fully air-conditioned and nearly every seat features a headphone jack which enables the passenger to listen to several on-board music and voice programmes as well as several radio stations. Some seats in the 1st class section (in some trains also in 2nd class) are equipped with video displays showing movies and pre-recorded infotainment programmes. Each train is equipped with special cars that feature in-train repeaters for improved mobile phone reception as well as designated quiet zones where the use of mobile phones is discouraged. The newer ICE 3 trains also have larger digital displays in all coaches, displaying, among other things, Deutsche Bahn advertising, the predicted arrival time at the next destination and the current speed of the train.
The ICE 1 was originally equipped with a passenger information system based on BTX, however this system was eventually taped over and removed in the later refurbishment. The ICE 3 trains feature touch screen terminals in some carriages, enabling travellers to print train timetables. The system is also located in the restaurant car of the ICE 2.
The ICE 1 fleet saw a major overhaul between 2005 and 2008, supposed to extend the lifetime of the trains by another 15 to 20 years. Seats and the interior design were adapted to the ICE 3 design, electric sockets were added to every seat, the audio and video entertainment systems were removed and electronic seat reservation indicators were added above the seats. The ICE 2 trains have been undergoing the same procedure since 2010.
ICE 2 trains feature electric sockets at selected seats, ICE 3 and ICE T trains have sockets at nearly every seat.
The ICE 3 and ICE T are similar in their interior design, but the other ICE types differ in their original design. The ICE 1, the ICE 2 and seven-car ICE T (Class 411) are equipped with a full restaurant car. The five-car ICE T (Class 415) and ICE 3 however, have been designed without a restaurant, they feature a bistro coach instead. Since 1 October 2006, smoking is prohibited in the bistro coaches, similar to the restaurant cars, which have always been non-smoking.
All trains feature a disabled toilet and wheelchair spaces. The ICE 1 and ICE 2 have a special conference compartment whilst the ICE 3 features a compartment suitable for small children. The ICE 3 and ICE T omit the usual train manager's compartment and have an open counter named "ServicePoint" instead.
An electronic display above each seat indicates the locations between which the seat has been reserved. Passengers without reservations are permitted to take seats with a blank display or seats with no reservation on the current section.
The maintenance schedule of the trains is divided into seven steps:
Maintenance on the ICE trains is carried out in special ICE workshops located in Basel, Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig[13] and Munich. The train is worked upon at up to four levels at a time and fault reports are sent to the workshops in advance by the on-board computer system to keep maintenance time at a minimum.
The ICE system is a polycentric network. Connections are offered in either 30-minute, hourly or bi-hourly intervals. Furthermore, additional services run during peak times, and some services call at lesser stations during off-peak times.
Unlike the French TGV or the Japanese Shinkansen systems, the vehicles, tracks and operations were not designed as an integrated whole; rather, the ICE system has been integrated into Germany's pre-existing system of railway lines instead. One of the effects of this is that the ICE 3 trains can reach a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) only on some stretches of line and cannot currently reach their maximum allowed speed of 330 km/h on German railway lines (though a speed of 320 km/h is reached by ICE 3 in France).
The line most heavily utilised by ICE trains is the Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim due to the bundling of many ICE lines in that region. When considering all traffic (freight, local and long distance passenger), the busiest line carrying ICE traffic is the Munich–Augsburg line, carrying about 300 trains per day.
The network's main backbone consists of six north-south lines:
(Also applies to trains in the opposite directions, taken from 2007 network map)
Furthermore, the network has four main East-West thoroughfares:
(Also applies to trains in the opposite directions, taken from 2007 network map)
Some train lines extend past the core network and branch off to serve the following connections:
(Also applies to trains in the opposite directions)
Several lines on the ICE network are highly trafficked, among them:
(Also applies to trains in the opposite directions)
The so-called "ICE-Sprinter" trains are extra fast trains between Germany's major cities running in the morning and evening hours. They are tailored for business travellers or long-distance commuters and are marketed by DB as an alternative to domestic flights. Some of the Sprinter services continue as normal ICE services after reaching their destination. Sprinter trains usually depart around 06:00 for morning services and 18:00 for evening services.
A reservation is mandatory on the ICE-Sprinter (currently €11 in 2nd and €16 in 1st class). In addition to the usual 1st class service (on-seat service, free newspapers like Financial Times Deutschland or Handelsblatt), the 1st class in the Sprinter trains also offers free drinks, an on-seat breakfast or dinner and additional newspapers. In the 2nd class, newspapers are provided in the carriages at no extra cost.
The first Sprinter service was established between Munich and Frankfurt in 1992. Frankfurt-Hamburg followed in 1993 and Cologne-Hamburg in 1994. This service ran as a Metropolitan service between December 1996 and December 2004. In 1998, a Berlin-Frankfurt service was introduced and a service between Cologne and Stuttgart ran between December 2005 and October 2006. Until December 2006, a morning Sprinter service ran between Frankfurt and Munich (with an intermediate stop at Mannheim), taking 3:25 hours for the journey.
As of January 2010[update], the individual ICE Sprinter lines are:
| No. | Departure station | Intermediate stops | Destination | Travel time (hh:mm) | Time of day |
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| 1091 1093 |
Berlin Ostbf | Berlin Hbf, Berlin-Spandau | Frankfurt (Main) Hbf | 3:36 3:37 |
Morning Evening |
| 1092 1090 |
Frankfurt (Main) Hbf | Berlin-Spandau, Berlin Hbf | Berlin Ostbf | 3:37 3:35 |
Morning Evening |
| 1094 | Hamburg-Altona | Essen Hbf, Düsseldorf Hbf | Köln Hbf | 3:29 | Morning |
| 1095 | Köln Hbf | Düsseldorf Hbf, Duisburg Hbf, Essen Hbf, Hamburg Hbf | Hamburg-Altona | 3:29 | Morning |
| 1097 | Hamburg-Altona | Hamburg Hbf, Hannover Hbf | Frankfurt Hbf | 3:19 | Morning |
(Source: Deutsche Bahn AG[14])
Some ICE trains also run on services abroad - sometimes diverting from their original lines.
(Also applies to the opposite directions)
Since December 2006, Stuttgart Hbf and Zürich HB have been connected by a bi-hourly service.
The ÖBB in Austria is also using two ICE T trainsets (classified as ÖBB Class 4011 between Wien Westbahnhof, Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof and Bregenz (without stops in Germany). They are, however, not using the tilting technology. Since December 2007 ÖBB and DB are offering a bi-hourly connection between Wien Westbf and Frankfurt Hbf.
Since June 2007, ICE 3M trains have been running between Frankfurt Hbf and Paris Est via Saarbrücken and Kaiserslautern. Together with the TGV-operated line between Paris Est, Stuttgart Hbf and München Hbf, this ICE line is part of the "LGV Est européenne", also called "Paris-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland" (or POS) for short, a pan-European high-speed line between France and Germany.
From late 2007 on, ICE TD trains links Berlin Hbf with Copenhagen and Aarhus via Hamburg Hbf.
In addition, ICE Trains to London via the Channel Tunnel are planned for 2013[15] Unique safety and security requirements for the tunnel (such as full-length trains with walk-between capacity within all the trains, and airport style checks at stations) have delayed these plans.[16][17]
To avoid empty runs or excess waits, several services exist that operate exclusively inside Switzerland:
These trains, despite being officially notated as ICEs, are more comparable to a Swiss InterRegio or RegioExpress train, calling at small stations like Möhlin or Sissach. As common in Switzerland, these trains can be used without paying extra for a supplement.
| DB Intercity-Express travel times between major stations1, 2 | |||||||||||||
| Amsterdam | Berlin | Brussels | Cologne | Cop'hagen | Düsseldorf | Frankfurt | Hamburg | London | Munich | Paris | Vienna | Zürich | |
| Amsterdam Centraal | N/A | 1h 54min4 | 2h 39min | N/A | 2h 12min | 3h 56min | N/A | 3h 50min4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Berlin Hbf 5 | N/A | N/A | 4h 20min | 6h 45min | 4h 15min | 3h 37min3 | 1h 36min | N/A | 5h 52min | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Brussels Midi/Zuid | 1h 54min4 | N/A | 1h 52min | N/A | N/A | 3h 06min | N/A | 1h 55min4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Cologne/Köln Hbf 5 | 2h 39min | 4h 20min | 1h 52min | N/A | 21min | 1h 02min | 3h 29min3 | 3h 40min4 | 4h 38min | 3h 15min | 9h 29min | N/A | |
| Copenhagen/København H | N/A | 6h 45min | N/A | N/A | N/A | 9h 13min | 4h 43min | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Düsseldorf Hbf | 2h 12min | 4h 15min | N/A | 21min | N/A | 1h 27min | 3h 35min | N/A | 4h 44min | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Frankfurt (Main) Hbf 5 | 3h 56min | 3h 37min3 | 3h 06min | 1h 02min | 9h 13min | 1h 27min | 3h 52min | 4h 40min4 | 3h 11min | 3h 48min | 7h 01min | 3h 55min | |
| Hamburg Hbf 5 | N/A | 1h 36min | N/A | 3h 29min3 | 4h 43min | 3h 35min | 3h 19min3 | N/A | 5h 46min | N/A | N/A | 7h 59min | |
| London St. Pancras | 3h 50min4 | N/A | 1h 55min4 | 3h 40min4 | N/A | N/A | 4h 40min4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| München Hbf | N/A | 5h 50min | N/A | 4h 38min | N/A | 4h 44min | 3h 11min | 5h 41min | N/A | N/A | 4h 13min | N/A | |
| Paris Gare du Nord | N/A | N/A | N/A | 3h 15min | N/A | N/A | 3h 48min | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Vienna/Wien Westbf | N/A | N/A | N/A | 9h 29min | N/A | N/A | 7h 01min | N/A | N/A | 4h 13min | N/A | N/A | |
| Zürich HB | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 3h 55min | 7h 48min | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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1 German category 1 stations and comparable international destinations of 250.000 passengers per day or more |
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There have been several accidents involving ICE trains. The Eschede disaster was the only accident with fatalities inside the train, but other accidents have resulted in major damage to the trainsets involved.
The ICE accident near Eschede that happened on 3 June 1998 was a severe railway accident and the worst ever to involve a high-speed train, as well as the worst railway accident since modern Germany's foundation in 1949. Trainset 51, travelling as ICE 884 "Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen" from Munich to Hamburg, derailed at 200 km/h (125 mph), killing 101 and injuring 88.
The cause of the accident was a wheel rim which broke and damaged the train six kilometres south of the accident site. The wheel rim penetrated the carriage floor and lifted the check rail of a set of points close to Eschede station. The broken-off check rail then forced the point blades of the following set of points to change direction, and the rear cars of the trainset were diverted to a different track. They hit the pillars of a street overpass, which then collapsed onto the tracks. Only three cars and the front powerhead passed under the bridge, the rest of the 14-car train jackknifed into the collapsed bridge.
On 27 September 2001, trainset 5509 fell off a work platform at the Hof maintenance facility and was written off.
On 22 November 2001, powerhead 401 020 caught fire. The train was stopped at the station in Offenbach am Main near Frankfurt a.M. No passengers were harmed, but the powerhead had to be written off.
On 6 January 2004, trainset 1106 caught on fire while it was parked at Leipzig. Two cars were written off, and the others are now used as spares.
On 1 April 2004, trainset 321 collided with a tractor that had fallen onto the track at a tunnel entrance near Istein and derailed. No one was injured. Trainset 321 was temporarily taken apart, its cars being switched with cars from other ICE 3 trainsets.
Powerhead 401 553 suffered major damage in a collision with a car on the Riedbahn in April 2006.
On 28 April 2006, trainset 73 collided head-on with two BLS Re 465 locomotives at Thun in Switzerland. The driver of the Swiss locomotives was unfamiliar with the new layout of the station, which had been recently changed. He did not see a shunting signal ordering him to stop. The locomotives automatically engaged the emergency brakes when he passed the signal, but came to a stop on the same track as the approaching ICE. The ICE was travelling at a speed of 74 km/h. The emergency brake slowed the train to 56 km/h at the point of collision. 30 passengers and the driver of the ICE suffered minor injuries, the driver of the Swiss locomotives having jumped to safety. Both trains suffered major damage. The powerhead 401 573 had to be rebuilt using components from three damaged powerheads (401 573, 401 020 and 401 551).
On 1 March 2008, trainset 1192, travelling as ICE 23, collided with a tree which had fallen onto the track near Brühl after being blown down by cyclone Emma. The driver suffered severe injuries. The trainset is back in service, its cabcar having been replaced with that from trainset 1106.
On 26 April 2008, trainset 11, travelling as ICE 885, collided with a herd of sheep on the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line near Fulda. Both powerheads and ten of the 12 cars derailed. The train came to a stop 1300 meters into the Landrückentunnel. 19 of the 130 passengers suffered mostly minor injuries, four of them needing hospital treatment.[18]
A cracked axle was blamed for a low-speed derailment of a third-generation ICE in Cologne in July 2008. The accident, in which no-one was hurt, caused the German rail operator Deutsche Bahn to recall its newest ICEs as a safety measure.[19] In October 2008, the company recalled its ICE-T trains after a further crack was found.[20]
On 17 August 2010, the ICE from Frankfurt to Paris hit a truck that had slid from a higher embankment unto the rail near Lambrecht. The first two carriages derailed and ten people were injured, one seriously.[21]
On 11 January 2011, trainset 4654 partly derailed during a side-on collision with a freight train near Zevenaar in the Netherlands.[22] There were no injuries.
ICE trains are the highest category (Class A) trains in the fare system of the Deutsche Bahn. Their fares are not calculated on a fixed per-kilometre table as with other trains, but instead have fixed prices for station-to-station connections, depending on a multitude of factors including the railway line category and the general demand on the line. Even on lines where the ICE is not faster than an ordinary IC or EC train (for example Hamburg to Dortmund), an additional surcharge will be levied on the ground that the ICE trains have a higher comfort level than IC/EC trains.
In the Netherlands, a comparably low € 2 surcharge has to be paid for each trip on the "ICE International". Monthly and annual passes include this surcharge. When travelling on a student travel card the surcharge also has to be paid.
On the intra-Austrian lines (Vienna-Innsbruck-Bregenz, Vienna-Salzburg(-Munich), Vienna-Passau(-Hamburg) and Innsbruck-Kufstein(-Berlin)) no additional fees are charged.
Likewise, the trains running to and from Zurich, Interlaken and Chur, as well as those on the intra-Swiss ICE trains (see above) can be used without any surcharge.
In Switzerland and Austria, a ride on the ICE takes nearly as long as on a domestic train. This is because of the comparably short length of travel and the low speeds in these countries (often no more than 160 km/h, sometimes 200 km/h) when compared to Germany.
The ICE trains Hamburg - Copenhagen cost the same as the EuroCity trains, there being no other trains. The ICE trains Hamburg - Aarhus have a surcharge of €9 as against other trains (for which two changes are needed). Inside Denmark the ICE trains have the same fare as regional trains.
The ICE prototype has been produced by both Märklin and Fleischmann, although is not a current catalogue item. Models of the ICE 1 & ICE 2 have been made by Fleischmann,[23] Roco[24] Märklin and Trix. The ICE 3 has been produced by Märklin, Trix, Mehano and Piko.[25] Lima[26] and Fleischmann both produce ICE T models in H0. Roco make a model of the ICE TD.[27]
Fleischmann have the ICE 1, ICE 2 and ICE T in their N scale range.[28] Minitrix produces models of the ICE 3.
Tillig produce ICE 1 models in TT[29] and Piko produce the ICE 3[30]
Märklin have made models of the ICE V and ICE 3 in their 1:220 scale Mini Club range.
Piko produce in H0 the "Piko City Express" which looks like ICE 1,[31] LGB sell two different kinds of LCE trains ( LGB LCE 1 and LCE 3.. Both mimicking the license version of ICE 1 and ICE 3.
In January 2010, the European railway network was opened to a liberalisation intended to allow greater competition.[32] Both Air France-KLM and Deutsche Bahn have indicated their desire to take advantage of the new laws to run new services via the Channel Tunnel and the High Speed 1 route that terminates at London St Pancras.[33][34][35] Before this in December 2009, Deutsche Bahn received permission to run Intercity-Express (ICE 3M) trains through the Channel Tunnel after a safety requirement to have splittable passenger trains was lifted. Deutsche Bahn had previously expressed a desire to run through trains between London and Germany.[36][37][38] Although speculation continues of direct rail services between London St Pancras and Köln (Cologne) Central station before the 2012 London Olympics,[39] and that Deutsche Bahn could start high-speed train services from St. Pancras International to Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof by December 2012,[40][41] Deutsche Bahn's own publicity in October 2010 gave an expected date of 2013, with services splitting to serve Rotterdam and Amsterdam as well as the German cities.[41][42]
On 28 July 2010, Deutsche Bahn announced plans to run an ICE 3 train through the Channel Tunnel during autumn 2010, in preparation for possible future operations.[43] This took place on 19 October 2010.[41]
Passenger carrying ICE trains will have to meet safety requirements in order to transit the Channel Tunnel. As mentioned above, the requirement for splittable trains has been lifted, but concerns remain over the length of ICE trainsets, [note 1][41] fire safety[note 2][43] and the ICE's distributed power arrangements. There have been suggestions that French interests have advocated stringent enforcement to delay a competitor on the route.[44] Eurostar also recently chose Siemens Velaro-based rolling stock; there were concerns that the Alstom (the builders of the passenger trains that already use the Tunnel) and the French Government would take the matter to court.[41] In October 2010, the French transport minister suggested that the European Railway Agency (which is based in France) should arbitrate.[45] After safety rule changes which might permit the use of Siemens Velaro rolling stock, the French government dismissed their delegate to the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority, and brought in a replacement.[46][47]
In March 2011, the European Rail Agency Report, allowed trains with distributed traction for use in the Channel Tunnel. This means that the ICE class 407 trains which DB intends to use for its London services will be able to run through the tunnel to the United Kingdom.[48]
At the end of 2011 daily trains should run on the LGV Rhin-Rhône, which is currently under construction. The trains will start in Frankfurt and run to Lyon and Marseille via Dijon.
From its inception in July 1991 to 2006, ICE has transported some 550 million passengers, including 67 million in 2005.[49] In 2009 ICE trains transported more than 77.2 million people.
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