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Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Siemens Mobility have managed to get an ICE test train to 405 km/h (251 mph) on the Erfurt-Leipzig/Halle high-speed line.
While China, with a maglev train hitting 650 km/h (404 mph) in just seven seconds, might regard the achievement as cute, it is a milestone for Germany, where exceeding 300 km/h (186 mph) on the rail network is rare.
The UK had its own attempt at going beyond traditional rail in the 1960s and the early 1970s with the Hovertrain, but the project was cancelled in 1973.
France pushed a steel-wheeled TGV to a record 574.8 km/h (357 mph) in 2007, yet the German achievement will inject a dose of pride into the country's beleaguered network, once an icon of efficiency.
According to a report in the UK's Financial Times, Deutsche Bahn delivers "one of the least reliable services in central Europe," even when compared to the UK's rail system, which is hardly a performance benchmark.
The test ran on a high-speed line that had been in continuous operation for ten years. According to Dr Philipp Nagl, CEO of DB InfraGO AG, no adjustments were needed.
"It is confirmation that infrastructure investments are the foundation for reliable, sustainable, and efficient mobility and logistics over generations," he said.
[...] Thomas Graetz, Vice President High Speed and Intercity Trains, Siemens Mobility, said: "Our goal was to gain in-depth insights into acoustics, aerodynamics, and driving behavior at extreme speeds." Mission accomplished – though what counts as "extreme speeds" seems to vary by country.
Trains on the UK's HS2 railway (whenever it finally opens) are expected to reach speeds of 360 km/h.
An insight into the technology behind Germany's rail network came last year, with an advertisement for an IT professional willing to endure Windows 3.11.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday July 03, @06:12PM (1 child)
I had quite the adventure getting from Nuremberg to Rotenberg ob der Tauber back in '89. I suspect that's still not a journey to make if you're in a hurry, or even on a schedule.
> I froze stiff at 4am during winter on the first leg on a train switch
Now you're reminding me of the all-nighter I spent in Berlin the following summer because the trains to Potsdam (where my room was) had stopped running - they were nice enough to keep the Metro running all night for the 300k + concert goers such as myself, but after all the bars shut down on Ku'damm it got kinda tedious roaming around the sleeping city, so I finally settled at the platform where my train would leave for Potsdam I think at 6:30am, but I got there more like 5. Anyway, I huddled on the little bench inside the plexiglass wind-screen box and shivered until the train arrived - it was remarkably chilly for a July morning.
> they've got to organize their schedule around that and then stick to it.
What happened to the old joke about Germany is where the trains run on time? Or was that Switzerland? Anyway, I suspect reunification didn't help their punctuality.
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Rich on Thursday July 03, @06:59PM
In Germany, it's a mess. According to the official report, for April and May 2025, 61.9/62.0% of all long-distance trains arrived within 6 minutes of schedule. Worst recent month was June 2024 with an amazing 52.4%. It's been going downhill since rail privatization and/or reunification. Before, in West Germany, it was pretty much clockwork precision, and I'd guess the East Germans were as good, though with rather vintage vibes.
So that must be Switzerland, their trains run slow but steady. Japan remains the reference. Although I just looked up some samples of information about China, and their rail seems to be very punctual, too, with the fastest high speed trains running at 350 km/h.