Today (26th of September 2021) Germany's original high-speed rail service, the InterCity, becomes 50 years old. In this post, we will take a look back into the ICs history, its locomotives and its future. The first years: In 1971 the InterCity began services on four lines throughout West Germany. The IC replaced the category F long-distance trains as the highest category trains in Germany and marketed as a luxury first-class only service. With the InterCity the Deutsche Bundesbahn introduced many revolutionary features, such as regular trains every two hours, speeds up to 200km/h (even though there was hardly any track certified for speeds above 160km/h until 1978), air conditioning, onboard telephones and the new safety system LZB. Trans-Europ-Express (predecessor of the EuroCity) services along the four IC lines were integrated into the IC timetable. Every hour, every class: In 1979, after declining passenger figures, DB launched the IC 79 program, which extended the IC to an hourly service, included a second class, removed any postage and baggage cars from IC trains and added signage to divide platforms into sections for a faster and easier passenger exchange. In 1985 the IC network was extended to five lines, to relieve congestions, and in 1987 a new revolutionary locomotive, the BR 120, entered service. It was the first mass-produced three-phase locomotive and made the way for the first generation of ICE trains, which were based on the BR 120s propulsion system. Reunification and ICE: With the German Reunification in 1990, the IC network expanded massively in the following years, connecting West and East Germany together. Also in 1991, the ICE started its service, creating an even faster service and replacing many IC services on their original lines in West Germany. With more and more high-speed rail lines being opened in the 90s and 2000s the IC lost more and more lines to the faster ICE. IC services, therefore, got more intermediate stops and often used slower routes than the parallel running ICEs, to add smaller cities to the high-speed network and connecting the country together. In 1996 a new locomotive was introduced to the IC family: The BR 101. The BR 101 replaced the ageing BR 103 and later also the BR 120. InterCity 2 and future: Since 2015 the original InterCity services (IC1) are slowly replaced by the slower InterCity 2. These consist of either 160km/h fast double-decker coaches with BR 146 and BR 147 or 200km/h fast double-decker EMUs. Whilst the IC2 is facing harsh criticism by travellers for their low speed, lack of luggage space and bad comfort, they are vital in replacing the ageing IC1 coaches, which are mostly 40 years old. The last IC1 services are expected to retire in two or three years. Currently, DB is working on a project called "ECx". This project will bring a new generation of high-speed locomotive-hauled trains on german rails. The new coaches will feature a level floor, special seating areas for families and a maximum speed of 230km/h. The ECx will be used on EuroCity services, especially to the Netherlands, and on touristic routes such as Karlsruhe-Westerland (Sylt). The ECx is expected to run its first service in 2023. With a new generation of IC coaches coming in the next years the InterCity will remain the backbone of the German high-speed rail network for years to come. What started in 1971 with a revolutionary speed of 200km/h became the standard today and speeds kept rising with the ICE to a maximum of 300km/h. With up to 50 years of age, the last original IC coaches are still running throughout the country and will do so for at least a few more years. Related threads: Happy Birthday ICE Doppelstockwagen Expansion Pack
