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DEUTSCHE BAHN

ICE 3neo: Deutsche Bahn’s speediest train makes first trip in Germany

The high-speed train took off for the first time with paying passengers on the Frankfurt-Cologne route.

Published: 5 December 2022 17:03 CET
Updated: 6 December 2022 09:26 CET
New ICE train
The ICE 3Neo pictured in Frankfurt in December. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Boris Roessler

The new express trains can reach a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour – up from the previous 300 km/hour – and will mainly travel on special “speedways”, initially between Dortmund, Cologne, Stuttgart and Munich. 

Connections to Brussels and Amsterdam are set to follow in 2024. The trains will be featured on Deutsche Bahn’s new schedule set to come out on December 11th. 

READ ALSO: Everything that changes in Germany in December 2022

From the outside, the Siemens-built train looks nearly identical to the current ICE 3 model, but the main improvements can be seen from the inside, said DB in a statement. 

Above all, the new trains boast better lighting, mobile radio-transparent windows and space for eight bicycles. In addition, a fast lifting platform has been built to make it easier for wheelchair users or people with disabilities to get on board.     

Deutsche Bahn ordered a total of 73 ICE 3neo trains from manufacturer Siemens, four of which have already been delivered, it said. 

The last train is to be delivered in 2029 at the latest, with the new line-up to cost Deutsche Bahn around €2.5 billion.

Trying to get up to speed

The trains are urgently needed, said DB passenger transport board member Michael Peterson. “Reliability is not good at Deutsche Bahn at the moment,” and will “remain the case for a certain period of time”. 

READ ALSO: ‘A disaster’: How did train travel in Germany get so bad?

The reason for this, he said, is that Deutsche Bahn is working at full speed to modernise its rail system, which has led to several delays, rerouted services and in some cases cancellations.

In addition to the ICE 3neo, a total of almost 140 somewhat slower ICE 4s are set to join the fleet. 

According to Peterson, more than 450 ICE trains are set to join the network by the end of the decade – about 100 more than at present. 

Vocabulary

maximum speed – (die) Höchstgeschwindigkeit

wheelchair user – (der) Rohlstuhlfahrer

equipped – ausgestattet

reliability – (die) Verlässlichkeit

We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

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BERLIN

Berlin’s €29 travel pass given green light to start in July

The Berlin state government has announced that the city's €29 ticket for public transport will begin in July, with ticket sales beginning in a few days.

Published: 16 April 2024 16:58 CEST
Berlin's €29 travel pass given green light to start in July

The capital’s Senate had left people guessing to the last minute without an official confirmation, as concerns about the funding of the ticket remained. 

But the green light came on Tuesday.

“For affordable and sustainable mobility – the Senate has cleared the way for a #29EuroTicket today,” tweeted the office for the Berlin mayor. “The ticket will be valid in the Berlin city area from July 1st. Sales start on April 23rd.”

The mayor’s office called it an “important step to advance the transport transformation” to more climate-friendly options.

The offer is aimed at people who find the €49 monthly ‘Deutschland’ ticket too expensive and don’t have access to a discounted company ticket. 

“This makes Berlin a pioneer for affordable mobility in Germany and Europe,” said Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD), who is also head of the supervisory board of Berlin transport operator BVG on Tuesday.

The ticket will be available for the AB fare zone in Berlin on public transport like buses, trams and the U-Bahn as an annual subscription or ‘Abo’ – rather than a monthly pass. That means it has to be ordered with a minimum term of 12 months. After that, it is automatically renewed and can be cancelled on a monthly basis.

It can only be used by the holder registered on the card. Cardholders can travel with children under the age of six and a dog free of charge, but not a bike. 

It’s worth nothing that BER airport and popular Berlin commuter town Potsdam are not covered by the travel pass because they are outside the AB zones. 

The new offer will be expensive for the city. In addition to the subsidies for the nationwide Deutschlandticket which amounts to around €135 million for Berlin, the state will have to bear additional hefty costs. An annual sum of €300 million has been set aside in the state budget. 

READ ALSO: Is Berlin’s €29 ticket for public transport coming back?

During a visit to BVG on Tuesday, Finance Senator Stefan Evers (CDU) did not rule out the possibility of Berlin having to spend up to €350 million annually. “If the Deutschlandticket becomes more expensive as expected, more Berliners will switch to the Berlin travelcard,” he said, adding that the subsidy would then increase.

The return of the €29 ticket

Berlin brought in a temporary €29 option covering transport in the city’s AB zones after the success of the €9 ticket back in the summer of 2022. 

The €29 ticket was axed after the federal government brought in the Deutschlandticket – covering the whole of Germany’s public transport system – a year ago. 

However, the Social Democrats (SPD), which govern as a junior partner in a coalition with the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), campaigned heavily to keep the ticket during both the capital’s 2023 repeat election and resulting coalition negotiations.

The ticket is expected to stay in place until at least 2026.  

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