ICx is a Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...

 project to procure up to 300 inter-city trains to replace its existing fleets used on long-distance passenger services in Germany. The first ICx electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

 trainsets will replace Intercity/Eurocity rolling stock, followed by ICE 1 and ICE 2 trains by 2025. The ICx trains will be used on inter-city routes where DB believes Intercity-Express trainsets specifically designed for high speed operation are not suitable.

Contract

On 25 January 2010 DB named Siemens Mobility preferred bidder for the ICx contact, beating Alstom

Alstom

Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...

. and on 9 May 2011 DB and Siemens signed a framework contract for up to 300 ICx trains to be supplied by 2030. Of these, 130 were to be ordered straight away, with 90 to follow taking the value to €6bn. DB also has an option to order another 80 sets.

Siemens has awarded Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

 a framework contract to support the project, worth €1·3bn for the initial 130 trains and €2·1bn for 220. This includes aerodynamics, Flexx Eco unpowered bogies, and supplying bodyshells from its Görlitz

Görlitz

Görlitz is a town in Germany. It is the easternmost town in the country, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Bundesland of Saxony. It is opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Historically, Görlitz was in the region of Upper Lusatia...

 plant with driving vehicle assembly at Hennigsdorf

Hennigsdorf

Hennigsdorf is a town in the district of Oberhavel, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated north-west of Berlin, just across the city border, which is formed mainly by the Havel river.-History:...

.

Construction will start in 2013, with two pre-production trains delivered in 2016 for 14 months of trial operation.

Formation

The ICx vehicles will be a mix of powered and trailer vehicles. DB plans up to 24 different train configurations.

The initial order covers two types of trainset K1n seven-car 230 km/h sets with three powered vehicles to replace locomotive-hauled IC trainsets, and K3s 10-car 249 km/h trains with five power cars to replace ICE1 and ICE2 trainsets. All will have a restaurant and bistro car, family area and bicycle spaces.

The top speed of 249 km/h avoids the need to comply with more demanding Technical Specifications for Interoperability requirements at 250 km/h.

External links

• Der ICx - die neue DB Plattform Siemens Mobility (in German)