_24.2.2009.JPG)
2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. ICE S Geisbergtunnel: Sebastian Terfloth User:Sese_Ingolstadt· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Mannheimer Hauptbahnhof- auf Bahnsteig zu Gleis 10- Richtung Heidelberg (ICE S) 24.2.2009: Wikimedia Commons· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
ICE S is Deutsche Bahn's train for high-speed tests. The letter "S" abbreviates the German expression Schnellfahrt, which translates into high speed run. The train replaced the InterCityExperimental (ICE V).
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 30 years ago, in 1996.
- Top speed is 2.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 7 minutes.
- 4.8 MW is about 56 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 54 African elephants (~6 t each).
high-speed train: Built for 200–350 km/h on dedicated lines, like the TGV, ICE or Shinkansen.
spec sheet
- built
- 1996
- in service from
- 1996
- number built
- —
- kind
- electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- builders
- Siemens, AEG, Adtranz
- operators
- Deutsche Bahn
- top speed
- 330 km/h
- power
- 4.8 MW
- weight
- 325 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q540083, Wikipedia: ICE S (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.