30 More ICE 3 High Speed Trains For DB

On 15 July 2020 DB and Siemens Mobility signed a contract worth around 1 billion EUR for 30 new ICE 3 Velaros based on the operator’s Class 407.

DB invited tenders for the new HSTs in late 2019 when the Federal government announced it would be reducing the value-added tax on mainline rail tickets as of the beginning of 2020. The trains will initially run on routes between Nordrhein-Westfalen and München via the Köln/Rhein-Main HSL. The new trains will increase DB’s daily passenger capacity on these lines by 13,000 seats.
Dr. Richard Lutz, DB CEO said: „DB is investing in new trains at a record level. Our fleet will be getting state-of-the-art additions with the new ICE trains, and our passengers will benefit from more seats, greater comfort and higher speeds from the end of 2022, when the first new Velaros will start regular service. The entire DB fleet will grow by 20 % over the coming years. Even though demand has sharply declined due to the corona pandemic, everything speaks in favor of climate-friendly rail transport for the longer term. That’s why we’re committed to growth!”
The most important requirement for the new order was to get the trains on the rails very quickly - therefore the Velaro D has been chosen. There is an option for 60 additional units. The new 320 km/h eight-car trains based on the DB Class 407 will have a power of 8,000 kW, a length of 200 m and 440 seats. By 2026, in total 421 ICEs with around 220,000 seats will be operating in Germany.