Denmark, Germany: The necessary approvals for coaches have been granted by the Danish Rail Agency Trafikstyrelsen, Germany’s Federal Railway Authority, and the European Union Agency for Railways.
Approvals for operation in Austria, the Netherlands, and Switzerland are also expected imminently. Testing of the first trainset began in Germany in 2023. The duration of the certification process was partly attributed to axle load complexities related to the locomotives.
The first Talgo 230 trainsets are expected to commence passenger services at speeds up to 200 km/h, with a design speed of 230 km/h, by the end of the year. In Denmark, services will run between Copenhagen and Hamburg under the EuroCity brand, while in Germany the trains will operate on the Berlin – Cologne route branded as ICE L.
The Danish national operator DSB placed orders for 16 such trainsets in 2020 and 2023. These will comprise 9 to 15 low-floor coaches with a maximum capacity of 492 passengers, hauled by Siemens Mobility Vectron electric locomotives. In the near future, one of the end coaches will be replaced by a driving trailer, enabling push-pull operation.
The Talgo 230 high-speed train in the fleet of Deutsche Bahn. Source: Talgo
The German national operator Deutsche Bahn ordered 79 trainsets along with BR 105 series electric locomotives in 2019 and 2023. These will operate with 9 to 21 coaches and are compatible with various locomotive types. In a 17-coach configuration, seating capacity will be 562. Both DSB and Deutsche Bahn trainsets will feature first and second class accommodation.
In May, Talgo secured another major contract to supply up to 65 trainsets of this platform to private German operator FlixTrain. The firm order, valued at €1 bln, includes 30 locomotive-hauled trainsets alongside 15 years of maintenance.
