Siemens is set to deliver 43 additional trains of the new ICE 3neo type to German national railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) under a contract worth around €1.5bn.
The new order expands DB’s ICE 3neo fleet to 73. The company ordered for 30 trains of this type in July 2020.
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By the end of the decade, DB’s ICE fleet is expected to be increased to a total of around 450 trains. This will include the new ICE 3neo fleet.
The 73 additional trains are expected to help DB in expanding its daily capacity for long-distance transport by another 32,000 seats.
The new ICE 3neo trains, with top speed of 320km/h, are designed to provide enhanced comfort for passengers.
They feature special window glass to ensure stable mobile phone reception and redesigned luggage racks to offer more storage space.
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By GlobalDataAdditionally, eight bicycle spaces are available in every train.
Other innovations include lighting with changing colour tones, power sockets and tablet holders at all seats, including the 2nd class.
The trains will also feature additional doors for faster boarding and alighting at stations and a new power lift to provide easy access for wheelchair users.
German Digital Affairs and Transport Minister Volker Wissing said: “The 73 new trains with their additional 32,000 seats will make a major contribution to implementing the country’s synchronized timetable for nationwide service.
“This will bring us another step closer to our goal of doubling the number of rail passengers in the next eight years.”
With the first ICE 3neo train planned to start operation at this year end, the new trains will initially operate on the high-speed route between North Rhine-Westphalia and southern Germany, through Cologne and the Rhine/Main valley.
Siemens president and CEO Dr Roland Busch said: “With our new high-speed trains, we’re supporting Deutsche Bahn in realising its vision: transporting more people with maximum comfort, punctuality and better service, and doing so efficiently and with the greatest sustainability.”
