Fleet development
Vehicle projects and procurements
The vehicle projects for the expansion of the ICE fleet were continued in 2025:
- The gradual acceptance of the ICE 3neo progressed further in 2025. Thirty-nine ICE 3neo trains were in operation as of the end of 2025, 15 thereof were delivered in 2025.
- Two vehicles from the new ICE L fleet were added in 2025. A further two vehicles were in the process of acceptance at the end of 2025.
- The ICE 1 modernization continued in 2025. This involved modernizing a further nine ICE 1 trains and optimizing the robustness of their drives.
- The ICE T customer program, under which 41 ICE T trains were modernized, came to an end in December 2025. As part of the program, seats were replaced and the vehicle interior was upgraded.
- Two further Intercity 2 trains were added in 2025, meaning that the fleet now consists of 68 trains.
- The conclusion of a sale and leaseback agreementµ for 25 ICE-3neo vehicles over a period of ten years was the first time such a financing model had been implemented in the high-speed segment.
- In addition, 21 locomotives from the 248 series were financed for eight years via a lease contract. In contrast to leasing for the ICE 3neo, a full service is included in this case. This means that beeing the keeper, servicing and maintenance are carried out by the lessor.
Vehicle availability
Thanks to the modernization of the existing fleet and the commissioning of new vehicles, the vehicle availability of the ICE fleet was improved in 2025. There has also been positive development in terms of functionality (e.g. drives, toilets and passenger information).
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 vehi-cles and the optimization of the existing fleet. In addition, processes based on artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance and condition-based maintenance further improve availability.