Fleet development

Vehicle projects and procurements

• The delivery of a total of 137 ICE 4 trains, which form the largest fleet of DB Long-Distance, was completed in 2024 with the arrival of the last two 7-car trains.
• Acceptance of the ICE 3neo with a new and particularly comfortable interior design continues to progress: a further eight ICE 3neo trains were accepted in 2024.
• In addition, five new Intercity 2 double-deck trains from Alstom were added in 2024, which will be supplemented by a further four vehicles by 2028.
• By the end of 2024, a total of 40 ICE 1 trains were modernized and the robustness of the drives optimized.
• The ICE T customer program includes the replacement of seats, partial refurbishment of WCs and upgrading the vehicle interior by the end of 2025.
• In addition, mobile radio permeable windows are aimed at improving connectivity for passengers.

Vehicle availability

Thanks to the modernization of the existing fleet and the commissioning of new vehicles, the vehicle availability of the ICE fleet was once again improved in 2024 compared to the previous year. Functionality in the passenger area (e.g. WiFi, air-conditioning systems and passenger information) is also developing positively.

Projects for the procurement and modernization of vehicles will continue to be implemented to provide passengers with a high-quality and reliable vehicle fleet in the future. This includes, among other things, the inflow of new vehicles and the optimization of the existing fleet. In addition, processes based on artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance and condition-based maintenance further improve availability.