Hey, Deutsche Bahn did also order 7-car ICE4 trainsets right? When will Siemens and Bombardier deliver these? Good questions, and DB did not make it easy to answer them.
During the past years, the ICE4 orders were changed several times, more trains, longer trains, fewer 7-car units, more 7-car units. Anyway, the latest numbers from September 2018:
- 37x 7-car EMU – short numbering starts at 9201
- 50x 12-car EMU – short numbering starts at 9001
- 50x 13-car EMU – short numbering will start at 9451 (edit)
The short ICE4 will be around 200 meter long and have three powercars with a 1.65MW power rating each. Its maximum speed is ‘only’ 230 km/h. It will have 456 Second class and 77 First class seats. The first units are, according to service, due to enter service at the end of 2020. The introduction of the shorter trains has been pushed back considerably – the first order was placed in 2011 – as a result of the modification of the contracts several times.
Nevertheless, a first short EMU is being tested right now by DB Systemtechnik. It was seen in Minden last week, and Matthias Kagerer was able to portray it in Gmunden am Main. Curious: one car of the ‘9201’ is missing.
Also interesting: Since October 2018, no new ICE4s were delivered by Siemens.