Thread by @jonworth

OK

So the final leg of my #BerlinBledBerlin is turning into a bit of a nightmare on DB ICEs

So here's my personal rating of all the types of ICE!

A 🧵 to cause controversy in the #BahnBubble!

RANK 1️⃣

ICE 2
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICE_2

vMax 280km/h (good)
The best quality ride, airy carriages, and these are the quietest ICEs (no motors whirring) and there's a proper Bordrestaurant

RANK 2️⃣

IC3 / Baureihe 403

vMax 300km/h (v good!)
One of these on the Köln-Frankfurt HSL is a joy, and the interior is good and being modernised. Ride is a bit bouncy. The best looking ICEs too

Rank 3️⃣

ICE 1

vMax 280km/h (good)
The oldest ICEs. Lack of air suspension means a bit of a bumpy ride. But the interior (some compartments!) and domed dining car are classic

Rank 4️⃣

ICE 4

vMax 250/265km/h (OK)
I'm torn about these. The interior feels quite cramped (esp. on the 7 carriage version), but the ride quality is excellent. They look ugly

Rank 5️⃣

ICE Velaro 407

vMax 320km/h (the best!)
Look like a seal inspired the design. Fast, and run to Paris. Ride is bumpy at speed, and the interior is pretty bland - uninterrupted open cabins

Rank 6️⃣

ICE 3M / Baureihe 406

vMax 300km/h (v good!)
The ICE3 variant that runs to Belgium and Netherlands. They break down *all the time*. The bain of my life. And unlike Baureihe are not yet renovated

Rank 7️⃣

ICE T

vMax 230km/h (poor)
The only ICE that can tilt. But that's about the only good thing about these. The ride quality is awful (no air suspension). All kinds of stuff breaks down - in need of renovation. Avoid if you can!

Rank 8️⃣

ICE TD

vMax 200km/h (rubbish)
The only diesel ICE ever made, these had a low top speed, awful reliability, and only made (sort of) sense on the Hamburg-København route - before being withdrawn after one STÖRUNG, STÖRUNG too many. Good riddance!

So what do you think?

Pics all from German Wikipedia about each type of ICE. Max speed in regular service shown.

And, yeah, thread written after a day of bad experience on ICE Ts!

/ends

And in reply to @simonschre's point... no I didn't include

ICE MET

vMax 220km/h (poor)
The most deluxe interior of any train in Germany *by miles*, but these aren't really ICEs - they're a locomotive hauled oddity. And there are only 2 of them...