German railway company Deutsche Bahn said on Wednesday that, beginning in 2022, it will expand its mainline fleet with 30 new high-speed trains.
Deutsche Bahn has awarded the €1 billion ($1.1 billion) order to Siemens Mobility, following a tender process launched in late 2019.
The trains will initially run between the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and Munich via the high-speed Cologne-Rhine-Main line, according to Deutsche Bahn.
The new trains are expected to increase the company’s daily passenger capacity on these by 13,000 seats. By 2026, 421 ICE trains with 220,000 seats will be operating on Germany’s rail system. In addition to the 30 new ICE trains just ordered, Deutsche Bahn has an option to add 60 more trains.
“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 by the end of 2022,” said Richard Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn. “T
