Types of Intercity-Express Trains
From:
Germany's ICE Trains
ABOVE: An ICE 1 train speeds past a field of
sunflowers.
ICE trainsets
To most passengers, all Intercity-Express trains look pretty
much the same: They're long, streamlined trainsets with pale grey (almost white)
paint and red stripes along the side, and all offer high standards of comfort.
Still, there are differences that are worth noting:
 ICE 1
trains were introduced in the early 1990s. The trainsets have power cars, or
locomotives, at each end and passenger cars (including a tall BordRestaurant dining car) in between.
ICE 2 trains are a bit more streamlined than their ICE 1
counterparts, with a BordBistro café/restaurant
that looks almost identical to the standard passenger cars.
 ICE
3 trains have bullet noses and no separate power cars: motors and other
electrical components are beneath the floors of the passenger cars, making it
possible to offer a "lounge seat" compartment directly behind the engineer's cockpit at each
end of the train. Passengers can watch the driver and the tracks ahead through a
floor-to-ceiling glass partition.
Lounge seats are also available on
ICE T trains, which are similar to ICE 3 trains but include a tilting
mechanism to allow faster speeds on curved track.
ICE train services
Intercity-Express trains also can be defined by their type of
service:
-
ICE or standard Intercity-Express trains offer first- and
second-class seating. Reservations are optional on most routes, though they're
recommended at busy times.
-
ICE Sprinter trains are special morning and evening
limited-stop expresses on crowded corridors such as Frankfurt-Berlin,
Duisberg-Hamburg, and Dortmund-Cologne-Stuttgart-Munich. You'll need reserved
seats on these trains, and while the reservation fees are higher than on
standard ICE trains, you'll get a newspaper in second class or a newspaper,
drink, and meal at your seat in first class.
Next page:
Traveling by Intercity-Express
Top photo copyright © Rail Europe.
2nd inset photo copyright © Eurail Group.
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