Ricardo supports Siemens Mobility on new ICE trains for Deutsche Bahn

Siemens Mobility has nominated Ricardo Certification in the role of Notified Body for its project to supply 30 new high speed intercity express (ICE) trains for German national railway operator Deutsche Bahn.

The new trainsets, based on the Velaro MS design and due to be delivered into service starting in 2022, are part of a one billion Euro investment by Deutsche Bahn (DB) to expand its mainline fleet. Ricardo Certification is accredited by the EU Agency for Railways as a Notified Body (NoBo). In this role, the company is accredited to provide conformity assessments of trains and subsystems against the relevant requirements of the European Interoperability Directives 2008/57/EC and 2016/797/EC.

Specifically, Ricardo Certification will verify the new ICE trains in terms of compliance with the current European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) regulations, including the quality management system of the production process.

Preparing DB for the future
The new ICE trains will initially run on routes between the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and Munich via the high-speed Cologne-Rhine-Main line, increasing DB’s daily passenger capacity on these mainline routes by 13,000 seats.

DB is investing in a strong future proof rail system and plans to expand its fleet by over 20 percent in the coming years. Despite the temporary fall in demand as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate-friendly nature of inter-city rail transport is expected to boost passenger miles in the longer term. 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, there is an option for an additional 60 units.

The new ICE trains will be manufactured at Siemens locations in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Austria. Technically, the train is based on the proven platform of the VELARO type ICE 3, with each offering a total of 440 seats and a top speed of 320 km/h.

“We’re pleased to deliver 30 highspeed trains to Deutsche Bahn, adding 13,000 seats and improved passenger experience to their fleet. The most important requirement for the ICE order was to get the new trains on the rails as soon as possible. We can do exactly that by relying on our proven Velaro platform and our existing network of suppliers to which Ricardo belongs, says Albrecht Neumann CEO Rolling Stock of Siemens Mobility.

“Ricardo is honoured to have been nominated for this important role by Siemens Mobility,” added Richard Gibney, director of Ricardo Certification. “From projects involving tram and metro systems to those involved in the delivery of high speed mainline rail, Ricardo Certification is increasingly valued globally as an objective and independent partner for the assurance of compliance, benefiting as it does from extensive in-depth rail industry knowledge. We look forward to working with Siemens Mobility and DB in this strategic investment in new high speed rollingstock for Germany’s mainline railway network.”

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