@@CrazyDash9 8? I had the misfortune of being on a flight from Dubai to Auckland with a crying baby two rows away. No, it didn't sleep, no, it didn't stop, and no, the parents didn't care. 16 hours that was, and as I had been on a 7 hour flight to Dubai just before I had been awake for nearly 24 hours when I got on the plane. Now, I've never experienced torture before, but I'm pretty sure it's not far off.
Yay!! Home sweet home!! Beautiful station, isn't it? 😊 You noticed there are two identical huge entrance halls. In fact the entire building is perfeclty symmetric. Wanna know why? Of course you do! 😅 When it was designed it replaced several older stations that stood right next to each other where the main station is today (the line from Leipzig to Dresden was Germany's first long distance railway, opened in 1839). And since that was during old imperial times before a unified german national railway was founded, these stations were operated by state railways of german states, in this case the Kingdom of Saxony and the Kingdom of Prussia. These two also planned to build and operate the new station together. But because we're talking about two stubbornly proud railway companies here all they could agree to share in the end was the roof. Everything else was build twice, one for the Prussians and one for Saxony. Of the originally 26 tracks, 1-13 were to be used by the Prussian railway, tracks 14-26 by the Saxon. However this didn't last long since soon after WW1 the state railway companies were joined together to form the national german Reichsbahn.
I really like the lighting inside the train. I once had a winter evening journey and the lights went to a nice warm yellow/orange colour to make you relax. Very nice train!
Let's just hope that adjustable lighting doesn't break soon. Munich also built something like that into their refurbished S-Bahn trains, but it doesn't work in half the trains.
The train station was enormous and beautiful with its repetition of wide arches and light flooding in from the glass ceilings. Very impressive. The train looked clean and well lit as well. When you mentioned mixed views I was prepared for something bad, but it turned out to be a smooth, clean ride.
I think most people are just not happy with the max. speed being "only" 250 km/h when the ICE 3 can go 330/320 km/h max. (the maximum speed they reach inside Germany is 300 km/h). And many people don't like the seats and find them uncomfortable but DB has announced to swap them out with different seats.
It's the seats, that are widly criticised and the way, DB reacted - or did not react to the critques. The seats are much worse than their predessesors from ICE 1 to 3 - slimmer, with less seating space, hard plasics arm rests, less leg support, less possibilities of configuration - so they are only suitable for tiny or short legged passengers but no longer for tall passengers or passengers with long legs. I unsubscribed my Bahn Card 100 therefore.
I love German railway architecture, every large city seems to have a grand train station. Leipzig Hauptbahnhof must be the jewel in the crown though. What a fabulous looking station.
it certainly is... It is awesome to see such a old station has survived both wars (and in contrast to many other stations, that were either replaced or remodelled/mutilated following the 2nd world war) and yet was rebuilt in the way it was originally designed. I saw images of the old Prussian station Building in Cologne (that they purposefully replaced by that glas thing in the 1950 and 60s, to get rid of its Prussian showcase building). The giant hall over the platforms, was due for deconstruction and was only saved because the city lacked the funds... The station in Cologne on the other side of the Rhine (Cologne Deutz) had the fate the otherway arround... The hall was deconstructed but the old station building preserved... Today both the platform hall in Cologne central station and the arrival hall in Deutz are grade 1 listed, so deconstruction is unlikely
@@WINGSANDRAILS there are so many videos on Colognes Railway stations both the Deutz and Main Railway stations on how they looked before Deutsche Bundesbahn (the state railway of West Germany prior to the reunification and subsequent merger of Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and Deutsche Reichsbahn der DDR of East Germany to Deutsche Bahn and Splitting of the company between operations and track/infrastructure in 1995) to cut away with old Prussian Glory. Many old Railway Station that were built between 1835 (first steam railway on German territory) and the end of World War 2 where subsequently „modernized“ compare pictures of the old central Bahnhof the upgraded mainstation that was erected 1892-4. while the station building itself was only minorly damaged they actually leveled the complete building and rebuilt the new glass entry hall in the 1950s. If it hadn’t been for the city having no money the 1894 canopy over the platforms would have been destroyed too…
Firstly, Leipzig station is GORGEOUS. It is somewhat reminiscent of Grand Central Terminal in New York. Secondly, considering how fast the train is, and how clean it is, and what you paid, WHAT A BARGAIN. Wish we had that here in North America
Nice Video! At the begging of the ICE 4 service I was shocked about the train comparing with other ICE generations. But after a while I have got to use. Being unpunctual is the biggest issue of DB. The network is overloaded and they need to extend the tracks everywhere. Especially the knots (Frankfurt, Leipzig, Cologne etc.) are the biggest problems. But DB is starting spending a lot of money in order to improve the infrastructure. We will see if DB will manage it.
@@pega17pl that’s absolutely true. But they work on it. But be aware that the ICE train system has another purpose. Germany is full of bigger cities and we don’t have a capital which is the absolute centre of the country. So DB try to make sure to connect all cities and regions equally. Means you need a lot of tracks from East to west and north to south. More stops for more passengers. It’s easy you have only one big centre which has to be connected with the rest of the country. Additionally Germany topography is very difficult, full of hills, mountains, forests etc., that makes a new line extremely expensive.
It could well be that Germany's sometimes lacklustre rail infrastructure is a result of WW2. After having dug up plenty of railway lines in countries they occupied, the Allied powers returned the favour after the war, and as a result, there are still plenty of lines that are single track and/or non-electrified. In contrast, in the neighbouring Netherlands, all lines except those in the periphery of the country are at least double track and electrified, and busy routes even have four tracks. Obviously, the Netherlands are far smaller, and don't offer high speed except from Amsterdam to Brussels, but people will complain (something that we Dutch excel at) if a train runs more than two minutes late.
@@pega17pl No, they decided against that because Germany is a smaller country than France but has more than 20 million people less than Germany, with a lot of mid-sized cities spread all over the place. The decision that France made was logical for France, and the decision Germany made is logical for Germany.
@@SeverityOne No, that isn't the case. Germany has single tracked routes only in sparsely populated areas, like the Netherlands as well. The problem is that DB is a private company, that needs to make a profit, so they will remove every track that they think just costs too much money. The government still has the say about DB of course, as they own all shares as a company (That makes them a private company owned by the government), but as a private company they have their freedoms as well of course. Germany had "better" rail service extending to almost every town, but that changed when the government decide to make them private.
Thank you for another excellent review ! I agree with all that you say, and whilst I like the ICE4s, I prefer the ICE3s as they have more spacious seating in 1st Class, and make very melodic sounds ! Glad you were impressed with Leipzig HBF, one of my favourite stations ! It is wonderful to ride in any ICE train, and very sad that in the U.K we have nothing remotely as good as any of them.
Travelled in an ICE4 between Berlin and Leipzig for Christmas 2019 and agree entirely with your comments. I travelled 1st Class and there was a full at-seat service from the Bordrestaurant. It was a massive improvement over the elderly ICE1 I had to use to travel back to Berlin after my stay!!
Nice to see what some of that countryside looks like. The day I rode on that route (Stuttgart > Berlin), we had fog and rain for the entire 5.5 hour trip.
The ICE 4 was designed to run at 250kph as most of the German high speed rail network is limited to 250kph. It was intended to be a replacement for the ICE 1s first introduced in 1991. The ICE 3 handles most of the traffic on the 300 kph lines. By the time the network gets upgraded to handle faster speeds the ICE 4s will be at or nearing retirement
Wow, the Leipzig station is really stunning! And it has a very nice assortment of shops. I have yet to travel to Germany. Hopefully I can rectify that once the travel bans have been lifted. Thanks for the excellent video, as always, Dylan. Take care and see you next Friday!
I can assure you the ICE 3 are not going anywhere (because the 4 is not capable of the same speeds). And for the upcomming next gen bombardier and siemens build a train based on the ICE 3 (because DB required 300km/h which the ICE4 is not capable, without a major redesign that is, where as the ICE 3 is and could be built upon).
Here‘s something for all those who aren‘t native germans. You probably have noticed that at 3:07 the front of the ICE is red and that at 3:21 it‘s suddenly green. It’s a green power plug with the readings: „Deutschlands schnellster Klimaschützer“ which translates to: „Germany’s fastest climate activist“ This isn‘t some sort of special livery but will soon be applied to all ICEs as all ICs, ECs, ECEs and ICEs travel 100% emission free power (except those diesel Intercity trains which go to Westerland (Sylt) or to Oberstdorf in Bavaria).
@@jezbo7827 cos the greedy shareholders who collect most of the money keep wanting more money for themselves; I been considering moving to Germany for a while tbf
I’m really hoping that travel restrictions have been relaxed by mid October as I’m planning to visit friends in Frankfurt. I plan on using the train starting at my local station, Lochgelly, all the way to Frankfurt. I’ll need to change at Inverkeithing, London Kings Cross, connect to St Pancras for the Eurostar to Brussels and then onto Frankfurt. I can do this journey in around 10hrs. I could also fly from Edinburgh in under 2hrs but where’s the fun in that? Also being 6’6” tall the extra legroom looks like a bonus. 😎👍🏻
Tip: The last scene was I assume the façade of the Frankfurt station, beautiful, pity it was obscured by popups. Maybe if you had a "Dylans' travel reports" logo frame for the end and move such beautiful shots to before the logo frame, then we could see them unobscured.
Yes, externally Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is beautiful. The inside is a little ordinary, but Deutschbahn have just started a major renovation of this space.
Leipzig hbf is a palace. Beautiful architecture. Glad u covered it. ICE a class apart as expected. After all its by Siemens and German. What more can one except. Great video. Travel safe. Love from India
A very nice train- Leipzig station reminded me of Helsinki station which was nice to see. Would love to visit Germany in the future so seeing the different trains and what they offer is very helpful, thanks
Looks great! I've always wondered if you could review the Frankfurt U-Bahn or S-Bahn next time you're in Frankfurt! Just a suggestion keep up the good work!
Nice trip report. Have been on this line numerous times when I visit Germany. One thing I find especially great with DB is that if you buy your ticket on line, I have an account with them, once you get on the train, you can activate the wifi, go to their ap and send a message to the conductor that you are on the train and in your seat. No interaction with the conductor then happens. I don't belive this is set for Regional trains, I think just ICE and IC. Thanks for taking me along, hope to be back in Germany by years end.
What a great video as always. The train looked comfortable and the views was fantastic. On thing is the Europeans certainly know how to build a train station. We have a good few decent examples in Britain but they are not a patch on some of the European ones. Leipzig looked absolutely stunning as well as Frankfurt. Hopefully will be able to travel again soon and go visit a lot of these places you have been. Stay safe bud.
This video gave me de ja vu all over again being back at the Frankfurt Hbf. I like this train. I'm surprised the restaurant was open. Me, I would have bought a coffee and danish. The seats in 2nd class looked comfortable. However, the seats in 1st class looked far more better. The bathrooms looked clean and sanitary. I now know which train to take when I visit Germany again. Can't wait to travel again. I miss it. Nice video.✌
Always been interested into the trains in Europe and the ICE 4 trains looks and sounds amazing to ride on. Great review of the train :-)
2 ปีที่แล้ว
Love your video. My hometown is Eisenach, where the ICE 691 also stops. BTW: The multiple unit you used (9026 "Zürichsee") can now travel 265 km / h. It has received a software update for higher speeds.
Hey Dylan, I dont know if you already knew this but on the DB Website->offers you can search for the saver / super saver fare. There you often find cheap tickets for 20-30€, even for several hours of trip, the only downside is, you cant reservate seats nor can you cancel your ticket after purchase. I use these tickets all the time and you really can find cheap tickets, just make sure to book in time ;)
The fare surprised me as that price is close to a bargain. Twenty five minutes late is equal to early on Amtrak. I have ridden some of the trains you review and look forward to your opinions. Thank you
I travel on a weekly basis, from the south (Basel, Switzerland) to the north-east Berlin and I always love the ICE4s, super new, clean and silent... sometimes we get ICE 1s which are remarkably older and you can definitely feel the age.
@@DylansTravelReports good news for you, a good portion of them will receive a retrofit to make them similar to ICE 4s starting now, they already finished the retrofit on one or two trains and it looks brilliant
Excellent video Dylan. I did an overnight journey from Wittenberg to Basel Badischer back in 2014, which went over that route, so it's nice to see some of the scenery that I slept through. I know you put the date of travel in the descriptions, but it would be nice if you could put it in the actual video as well. Maybe either where you say what the ticket cost, or else at the beginning.
So Leipzig is supposedly equivalent to Sheffield in terms of size, yet its station blows many London termini outta the water, never mind Sheffield station which is tiny in comparison and doesn't even have electrification!
You never disappoint Dylan 👍🏻. These trip reports keep my spirits up during the pandemic. Like everyone else, I long for the pandemic to be over. I hope President Biden’s words come true ... when he was asked at his Town Hall meeting this past Tuesday night ... when do you think we’ll see some sort of normalcy? He replied: God willing, by Christmas. From his lips to Gods ears! 😉
I took an ICE4 from Frankfurt to Leipzig in 2019 as part of my Prague trip; as the train pulled into each station, the screens showed the connections, which struck me as a useful feature (I don't think I've seen it anywhere else). The lack of alignment between windows and seats is a bit awkward but fortunately, I was in a seat with a view. When I reached Leipzig, it was straight on to an Intercity to Dresden so I didn't get a chance to explore, but I caught a glimpse of the steam engine just as we were pulling out!
I gather the train station was built with two entrances for two different railway companies (like Victoria, only better done!), at least according to Tim Dunn's Architecture the Railways Built (currently streaming on UKTV Play). The only thing I remember about it from our 2013 trip was that we were completely stymied as the left luggage lockers were too small for my suitcase, and the staffed office was closed, so we had to spend our time between trains in the station and saw nothing of the city!
Looking at the menu, I must say the prices were reasonable. Given this was recorded during the world wide illness, I am surprised the Café was open. Rachel from Switzerland.
Those prices aren't reasonable at all. The food is just pre cooked vacuumed Food which is reheated in the Train and then Served. An employee can Buy the Food for less than half the price and the DB still makes a Profit. The Czech CD serves Freshly Cooked food for a very Reasonable Price. Better than the DB Interms of price and quality.
@@rmpll The Food is freshly cooked. In fact, it is prepared just like in a restaurant, the diffrence being it is delivered vacuumed like you already mentioned. That doesn‘t only mean it‘s very fresh, but more efficient since the limited space can be used for something else. The food being packaged does not make it any less valuable.
Many years ago I travelled through Leipzig but on a British military train enroute to West Berlin. Then it was very tired looking and the only place I have ever seen a cart attached to a man by leather straps. It certainly has come on since then . The German trains put the UK ones into perspective, ours are expensive , slow badly designed and now uncomfortable for long journeys due to weight savings in seat design. I personally prefer the early versions of the ICE trains due better seat configs
That’s right! They show Ulm as the destination in the app and the screen, because nobody does the hole journey. It’s just for example to go from Berlin to Stuttgart or Frankfurt to Munich. This is a popular concept used by DB, because it enables direct connections between many cities
I was going to say the same. If they could add the ICE 3 seating to ICE 4, I would be good. The family area is nice on ICE 4. With four children that is a big one for me.
@@cities_signs_and_deserts I believe it's the other way around, they're putting the ICE 4 seats on the ICE 3 for the latter's Redesign. (Though I did hear rumours that this decision was to be reversed due to the many complaints about the worse seats.)
You are right about the punctuallity - used to be that the trains ran not as good as the Swiss system but not far short. However today it is not so good BUT in their defence just look at how much track and trains are involved.
That 442 you went past at 6:50😍 I really like the 442s, would be nice to get out there and have a ride on one, and an ice3/4 also. On train sim world 2, we have this route, but not with any ice trains included, and we also have the older silver livery with green doors for the 442, but after xmas i did a custom livery of that same one you just passed, think abellio are the operators
la2 ème classe a l'air d'être bien éclairé et bien agréable d'un côté les train Allemands sont très confortables j'espère que tu fais attention on tient à toi et continue de nous faire voyager et de partager tes goûts pour les trains👍👍👍👍👍
DB's motto may as well be "We've incurred a delay". The ICE train sets are remarkable, possibly the best in Europe, but don't plan anything for the hour or so after your train is scheduled to arrive. Incredible DB can recommend
Great video! I like to travel on ICE trains! I am always surprised by the load factor in 1st class in Germany :-) In my country, 1st class in long-distance trains is usually empty. I like Leipzig Hbf, I liked the historic trains there, I remember seeing a steam locomotive and a diesel motor-coach :-)
It appears German long-distance trains running late has always been a problem. In the 1980s, DB had a slogan for their then-new IC services: "Jede Stunde, jede Klasse" (Every hour, each class). Our experience was more like "Jede Stunde zu spät" (Every hour too late) 😁
All ICE trains are really wonderful However I must say the interior in 1st class of the former series, especially ICE 1, were more gorgeous and comfortable than that one of ICE 4
ICE trains look amazing but when I see the ICE4 seats, I'm suddenly happy that we as a poorer German and Austrian neighbor always inherit the older stuff that is more comfortable. 😂 For example the current low-cost Regiojet ex TEE coaches or the Bmz coaches used by ČD. Super comfy, ok for 160-200 km/h tracks and easy to refurbish with new seat covers, displays & Wifi. Honestly ICE4s are good trains for their purpose, that is to increase the seat capacity and provide a more efficient but still good solution for passengers and DB is already working to improve the seats so why not! :)
Leipzig is not unique among German stations, most Hauptbahnhofe in large cities have equally shopping areas. When visiting Hamburg, Koeln, Frankfurt or Muenchen; my wife and I frequently grab a meal at one of the many restaurants found on these stations. They always offer value for money.
I just love the DB trains my first experience with them was in the mid 70s to early 80s and we used the ice trains to get from Düsseldorf to Munster then onto the regional trains, when I said to my wife that she would love a German holiday I got the look, all married men know the look but when she got to Germany she fell in love with it and especially the trains , I said she would love the ice so booked a few different routes for us and she absolutely loved the speed of travel the cleanliness of the trains, the service on the trains, you get the picture, first class post Dylan and it was nice to see frankfurt am main again
They're commonly used in Germany because of many too "short" railway stations in the province, mostly called S-Bahn. You have a decent view from upstairs, and it's very quiet downstairs. Nearly no travel noise, of course. In rush hour they had been filled to the last seat and beyond in pre CoViD-19 times.
DB is currently conducting a large project to address the criticisms of the seats on the ICE 4 (and refurbed ICE 3) by modifying the existing seat, so maybe you were on one of the "new" seats :) (Or maybe they weren't that bad in the first place haha) Not sure how you can tell if it's "new" or not though! Have a Google of "ICE 4 ICE 3 Sitze" and there's a page about it on DB's "Inside" website!
In terms of the actual rolling stock, the DB ICEs are definitely the best of the high speed trains I’ve traveled on around Europe. Fingers crossed Siemens get the contract for the HS2 rolling stock (and that the interior spec is comparable to those on the DB sets!). It’s a shame that the addition of the panorama section behind the drivers cab on the ICE 3s seems to have been phased out on the newer variants though!
Completely agree. There was a lot of criticism of the ICE4 about space and comfort, but I think this is more due to German tendency to complain about such things instead of feeling pride in an impressive piece of technology like that. You don't hear nearly as much complaints about modern TGV trains, the ETR1000 or AVE Talgo trains, but in terms of space they are really not better than the ICE4. In the TGV Duplex case much worse, in fact. And compare this with airline or bus seats lol. Anyways, I heard they are refurbishing all the interiors (especially the seats) as result of the complaints, so in the future this product will be even better than it already is
I thought the train was very nice and everything you said. One crazy thought that came to mind was the bigger pieces of luggage not being secure if something happened. Of course, that concern is for people too.
Erfurt is the Central Hub for long distance travel between the South an the East of Germany - like Mannheim ist the one between the South and the West and Dortmund is between the West and the North. Finally in Hannover you can change between the main lines to the South, East, West and North. In Germanys national railsystem these hubs are important for those, that do not travel between the metropolitain areas of Berlin, Hamburg, Colone, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich with their direct interlinks, but who start or end somewhwere inbetween.
8:45 do wheelchairs fit thru that hallway? Because the wheelchair area is weirdly placed, quite far from the doors. I never realized that (and I travel a lot on the ICE4).
I do not doubt, that there a even worse trains in the world, but this doesn't make the ICE 4 less disappointing to me. It's the seats, that are widly criticised and the way, DB reacted - or did not react to the critques. The seats are much worse than their predessesors from ICE 1 to 3 - more narrow, with less seating space, hard plasics arm rests, less leg support, less possibilities of configuration - so they are only suitable for tiny and short legged passengers but no longer for tall passengers or passengers with long legs. I unsubscribed my Bahn Card 100 therefore.
I’m glad that they have a separate screaming kid section.
🤣
Lol
Good one😁 i wish they had that one the airplanes aswell
@@stefanv9660 especially after watching that one kid scream on a plane for 8 hours straight
@@CrazyDash9
8? I had the misfortune of being on a flight from Dubai to Auckland with a crying baby two rows away. No, it didn't sleep, no, it didn't stop, and no, the parents didn't care. 16 hours that was, and as I had been on a 7 hour flight to Dubai just before I had been awake for nearly 24 hours when I got on the plane. Now, I've never experienced torture before, but I'm pretty sure it's not far off.
Yay!! Home sweet home!! Beautiful station, isn't it? 😊
You noticed there are two identical huge entrance halls. In fact the entire building is perfeclty symmetric. Wanna know why? Of course you do! 😅
When it was designed it replaced several older stations that stood right next to each other where the main station is today (the line from Leipzig to Dresden was Germany's first long distance railway, opened in 1839). And since that was during old imperial times before a unified german national railway was founded, these stations were operated by state railways of german states, in this case the Kingdom of Saxony and the Kingdom of Prussia. These two also planned to build and operate the new station together. But because we're talking about two stubbornly proud railway companies here all they could agree to share in the end was the roof. Everything else was build twice, one for the Prussians and one for Saxony. Of the originally 26 tracks, 1-13 were to be used by the Prussian railway, tracks 14-26 by the Saxon. However this didn't last long since soon after WW1 the state railway companies were joined together to form the national german Reichsbahn.
Wow, I never realised! Very interesting.
I really like the lighting inside the train. I once had a winter evening journey and the lights went to a nice warm yellow/orange colour to make you relax. Very nice train!
Is a problem in á lot of trains, to many light, not adjustable by yourself...
Let's just hope that adjustable lighting doesn't break soon. Munich also built something like that into their refurbished S-Bahn trains, but it doesn't work in half the trains.
I agree! More trains should have them.
Wieso
@@DylansTravelReports next monday im going to travel Freiburg Hbf to Frankfurt main
The train station was enormous and beautiful with its repetition of wide arches and light flooding in from the glass ceilings. Very impressive. The train looked clean and well lit as well. When you mentioned mixed views I was prepared for something bad, but it turned out to be a smooth, clean ride.
I think most people are just not happy with the max. speed being "only" 250 km/h when the ICE 3 can go 330/320 km/h max. (the maximum speed they reach inside Germany is 300 km/h). And many people don't like the seats and find them uncomfortable but DB has announced to swap them out with different seats.
@@kaku_96 Haven't they already swapped them?
@@leDespicable possibly they did. I might not be quite up date as I've hardly traveled last year and preferred my car due to the pandemic.
It's the seats, that are widly criticised and the way, DB reacted - or did not react to the critques. The seats are much worse than their predessesors from ICE 1 to 3 - slimmer, with less seating space, hard plasics arm rests, less leg support, less possibilities of configuration - so they are only suitable for tiny or short legged passengers but no longer for tall passengers or passengers with long legs. I unsubscribed my Bahn Card 100 therefore.
I love German railway architecture, every large city seems to have a grand train station. Leipzig Hauptbahnhof must be the jewel in the crown though. What a fabulous looking station.
google Uelzen hbf :D that's... well.. different
it certainly is... It is awesome to see such a old station has survived both wars (and in contrast to many other stations, that were either replaced or remodelled/mutilated following the 2nd world war) and yet was rebuilt in the way it was originally designed.
I saw images of the old Prussian station Building in Cologne (that they purposefully replaced by that glas thing in the 1950 and 60s, to get rid of its Prussian showcase building). The giant hall over the platforms, was due for deconstruction and was only saved because the city lacked the funds... The station in Cologne on the other side of the Rhine (Cologne Deutz) had the fate the otherway arround... The hall was deconstructed but the old station building preserved...
Today both the platform hall in Cologne central station and the arrival hall in Deutz are grade 1 listed, so deconstruction is unlikely
But some need renovation!! But get your point
@@WINGSANDRAILS there are so many videos on Colognes Railway stations both the Deutz and Main Railway stations on how they looked before Deutsche Bundesbahn (the state railway of West Germany prior to the reunification and subsequent merger of Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and Deutsche Reichsbahn der DDR of East Germany to Deutsche Bahn and Splitting of the company between operations and track/infrastructure in 1995) to cut away with old Prussian Glory.
Many old Railway Station that were built between 1835 (first steam railway on German territory) and the end of World War 2 where subsequently „modernized“ compare pictures of the old central Bahnhof the upgraded mainstation that was erected 1892-4. while the station building itself was only minorly damaged they actually leveled the complete building and rebuilt the new glass entry hall in the 1950s. If it hadn’t been for the city having no money the 1894 canopy over the platforms would have been destroyed too…
*Cries in Duisburg Hbf*
Firstly, Leipzig station is GORGEOUS. It is somewhat reminiscent of Grand Central Terminal in New York. Secondly, considering how fast the train is, and how clean it is, and what you paid, WHAT A BARGAIN. Wish we had that here in North America
It's my home town. Love the station! 😊
Indeed, I only wish all train stations could look as magnificent as Leipzig's. Washington DC's Union Station does come close, though.
Isn't there a thing called "Acela" driving around in North America, at least in the eastern states?
@@eltfell on the northeast corridor. It's based on french tgv but barely reaches speeds europe would consider high speed rail on most of it's line.
@@eltfell yes, not as fast, VERY EXPENSIVE. Not nearly as nice inside the passenger areas.
Nice Video! At the begging of the ICE 4 service I was shocked about the train comparing with other ICE generations. But after a while I have got to use.
Being unpunctual is the biggest issue of DB. The network is overloaded and they need to extend the tracks everywhere. Especially the knots (Frankfurt, Leipzig, Cologne etc.) are the biggest problems. But DB is starting spending a lot of money in order to improve the infrastructure.
We will see if DB will manage it.
The biiggest mistake was decison not to spent seperate tracks for the ICE lines like France did to its TGV.
@@pega17pl that’s absolutely true.
But they work on it. But be aware that the ICE train system has another purpose. Germany is full of bigger cities and we don’t have a capital which is the absolute centre of the country. So DB try to make sure to connect all cities and regions equally. Means you need a lot of tracks from
East to west and north to south. More stops for more passengers.
It’s easy you have only one big centre which has to be connected with the rest of the country.
Additionally Germany topography is very difficult, full of hills, mountains, forests etc., that makes a new line extremely expensive.
It could well be that Germany's sometimes lacklustre rail infrastructure is a result of WW2. After having dug up plenty of railway lines in countries they occupied, the Allied powers returned the favour after the war, and as a result, there are still plenty of lines that are single track and/or non-electrified. In contrast, in the neighbouring Netherlands, all lines except those in the periphery of the country are at least double track and electrified, and busy routes even have four tracks. Obviously, the Netherlands are far smaller, and don't offer high speed except from Amsterdam to Brussels, but people will complain (something that we Dutch excel at) if a train runs more than two minutes late.
@@pega17pl No, they decided against that because Germany is a smaller country than France but has more than 20 million people less than Germany, with a lot of mid-sized cities spread all over the place. The decision that France made was logical for France, and the decision Germany made is logical for Germany.
@@SeverityOne No, that isn't the case. Germany has single tracked routes only in sparsely populated areas, like the Netherlands as well. The problem is that DB is a private company, that needs to make a profit, so they will remove every track that they think just costs too much money. The government still has the say about DB of course, as they own all shares as a company (That makes them a private company owned by the government), but as a private company they have their freedoms as well of course. Germany had "better" rail service extending to almost every town, but that changed when the government decide to make them private.
Thank you for another excellent review ! I agree with all that you say, and whilst I like the ICE4s, I prefer the ICE3s as they have more spacious seating in 1st Class, and make very melodic sounds ! Glad you were impressed with Leipzig HBF, one of my favourite stations ! It is wonderful to ride in any ICE train, and very sad that in the U.K we have nothing remotely as good as any of them.
Another trip to add to my list Dylan! I must say that those German stations are beautifully designed and built.
Travelled in an ICE4 between Berlin and Leipzig for Christmas 2019 and agree entirely with your comments. I travelled 1st Class and there was a full at-seat service from the Bordrestaurant. It was a massive improvement over the elderly ICE1 I had to use to travel back to Berlin after my stay!!
Nice to see what some of that countryside looks like. The day I rode on that route (Stuttgart > Berlin), we had fog and rain for the entire 5.5 hour trip.
One thing I've noticed during the pandemic is the first class sections being often busier than 2nd
The ICE 4 was designed to run at 250kph as most of the German high speed rail network is limited to 250kph. It was intended to be a replacement for the ICE 1s first introduced in 1991. The ICE 3 handles most of the traffic on the 300 kph lines. By the time the network gets upgraded to handle faster speeds the ICE 4s will be at or nearing retirement
Wow, the Leipzig station is really stunning! And it has a very nice assortment of shops.
I have yet to travel to Germany. Hopefully I can rectify that once the travel bans have been lifted.
Thanks for the excellent video, as always, Dylan. Take care and see you next Friday!
Thanks! Leipzig is definately worth a visit if you make it to Germany 😁
Aw do miss them ICEs can't wait to go back to germany ice 4 looks rather good
Siemens sold the "Velaro" (ICE 3) to a few other places too.
I can assure you the ICE 3 are not going anywhere (because the 4 is not capable of the same speeds). And for the upcomming next gen bombardier and siemens build a train based on the ICE 3 (because DB required 300km/h which the ICE4 is not capable, without a major redesign that is, where as the ICE 3 is and could be built upon).
He meant Siemens made more ICE 3s
Here‘s something for all those who aren‘t native germans. You probably have noticed that at 3:07 the front of the ICE is red and that at 3:21 it‘s suddenly green. It’s a green power plug with the readings: „Deutschlands schnellster Klimaschützer“ which translates to: „Germany’s fastest climate activist“ This isn‘t some sort of special livery but will soon be applied to all ICEs as all ICs, ECs, ECEs and ICEs travel 100% emission free power (except those diesel Intercity trains which go to Westerland (Sylt) or to Oberstdorf in Bavaria).
I loved the video. It looks like you had a comfortable relaxing ride through the countryside. I can't wait to see the next one.
Glad you enjoyed 😁
I liked the review and would like to try their services ! Great job.
Thanks!
Comfortable seating, lots of luggage space and a buffet? Clearly this train was not specified by the DfT.... 🤣
Totally agree. UK modern trains are shocking and they still seem to think they can put the fares up!
@@jezbo7827 Private Train Companys...
DBAG is Bad, but the Private ones are the worst!
@@jezbo7827 cos the greedy shareholders who collect most of the money keep wanting more money for themselves; I been considering moving to Germany for a while tbf
The ICE4 fleet is now getting an update to be capable of speeds up to 265km/h.
10 km/h faster hardly worth the time and money
@@liamg5845 Well, it is wasn‘t worth the time and money DB wouldn‘t have done it.
@@liamg5845 it actually doesn't cost DB a lot because it's just a simple software update
I’m really hoping that travel restrictions have been relaxed by mid October as I’m planning to visit friends in Frankfurt. I plan on using the train starting at my local station, Lochgelly, all the way to Frankfurt. I’ll need to change at Inverkeithing, London Kings Cross, connect to St Pancras for the Eurostar to Brussels and then onto Frankfurt. I can do this journey in around 10hrs. I could also fly from Edinburgh in under 2hrs but where’s the fun in that? Also being 6’6” tall the extra legroom looks like a bonus. 😎👍🏻
I've been on all other generations. I need to check this one out!
Tip: The last scene was I assume the façade of the Frankfurt station, beautiful, pity it was obscured by popups. Maybe if you had a "Dylans' travel reports" logo frame for the end and move such beautiful shots to before the logo frame, then we could see them unobscured.
Yes, externally Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is beautiful. The inside is a little ordinary, but Deutschbahn have just started a major renovation of this space.
Very nice video! You have helped me decide to travel the Night Riviera and the Caledonian when we can again!
Leipzig hbf is a palace. Beautiful architecture. Glad u covered it. ICE a class apart as expected. After all its by Siemens and German. What more can one except. Great video. Travel safe. Love from India
Thanks!
A very nice train- Leipzig station reminded me of Helsinki station which was nice to see. Would love to visit Germany in the future so seeing the different trains and what they offer is very helpful, thanks
Looks great! I've always wondered if you could review the Frankfurt U-Bahn or S-Bahn next time you're in Frankfurt! Just a suggestion keep up the good work!
Nice trip report. Have been on this line numerous times when I visit Germany. One thing I find especially great with DB is that if you buy your ticket on line, I have an account with them, once you get on the train, you can activate the wifi, go to their ap and send a message to the conductor that you are on the train and in your seat. No interaction with the conductor then happens. I don't belive this is set for Regional trains, I think just ICE and IC. Thanks for taking me along, hope to be back in Germany by years end.
Thanks!
Mmmm, that was awesome! I always enjoy taking a trip with you, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed!
What a great video as always. The train looked comfortable and the views was fantastic. On thing is the Europeans certainly know how to build a train station. We have a good few decent examples in Britain but they are not a patch on some of the European ones. Leipzig looked absolutely stunning as well as Frankfurt. Hopefully will be able to travel again soon and go visit a lot of these places you have been. Stay safe bud.
You can brexit all you want, you guys ARE Europeans! 😉
Great video, as always. Thank you for bringing memories of cities I love.
This video gave me de ja vu all over again being back at the Frankfurt Hbf. I like this train. I'm surprised the restaurant was open. Me, I would have bought a coffee and danish. The seats in 2nd class looked comfortable. However, the seats in 1st class looked far more better. The bathrooms looked clean and sanitary. I now know which train to take when I visit Germany again. Can't wait to travel again. I miss it. Nice video.✌
This was a delight as usual.
Always been interested into the trains in Europe and the ICE 4 trains looks and sounds amazing to ride on. Great review of the train :-)
Love your video. My hometown is Eisenach, where the ICE 691 also stops. BTW: The multiple unit you used (9026 "Zürichsee") can now travel 265 km / h. It has received a software update for higher speeds.
Quite a nice video! I especially enjoyed the arrival at Frankfurt. And thanks for the link to the menu!
Nice to see the coverage well put together.
Thanks 😁
Hey Dylan, I dont know if you already knew this but on the DB Website->offers you can search for the saver / super saver fare. There you often find cheap tickets for 20-30€, even for several hours of trip, the only downside is, you cant reservate seats nor can you cancel your ticket after purchase. I use these tickets all the time and you really can find cheap tickets, just make sure to book in time ;)
aw, you missed the old locomotives on track 24
Yes that was a mistake they have historical importance
The fare surprised me as that price is close to a bargain. Twenty five minutes late is equal to early on Amtrak. I have ridden some of the trains you review and look forward to your opinions. Thank you
Can you do a decibel check on a few trips to show how the noise levels are? Great channel. Love the videos.
I travel on a weekly basis, from the south (Basel, Switzerland) to the north-east Berlin and I always love the ICE4s, super new, clean and silent... sometimes we get ICE 1s which are remarkably older and you can definitely feel the age.
Would love to try the 1s before they're retired.
@@DylansTravelReports good news for you, a good portion of them will receive a retrofit to make them similar to ICE 4s starting now, they already finished the retrofit on one or two trains and it looks brilliant
Wow,this station is very similar to Milan...good station,good video!!!🖐🇮🇹
Thanks!
Nice video Dylan, I went to Germany in 2005 but didn’t do any train journeys
Thanks 😁
A lovely ride with beautiful landscape. Thanks for sharing and hope one day to travel with it 😊
Excellent video Dylan. I did an overnight journey from Wittenberg to Basel Badischer back in 2014, which went over that route, so it's nice to see some of the scenery that I slept through.
I know you put the date of travel in the descriptions, but it would be nice if you could put it in the actual video as well. Maybe either where you say what the ticket cost, or else at the beginning.
Thanks! The date is always on screen at the begining.
Hi Dylan I,d stay in this train because it has a cafe train!!!
I agree with your views on this train but I must say I am astounded by the length! The trains seem to stretch out forever!
So Leipzig is supposedly equivalent to Sheffield in terms of size, yet its station blows many London termini outta the water, never mind Sheffield station which is tiny in comparison and doesn't even have electrification!
Thanks for the views of Leipzig Hbf. It looks fantastic! Hope I get there one day. As always, an very informative video. Thanks!
Thanks 😁
Thank you Dylan!!! Really enjoyed this trip!!! :-)
Glad you enjoyed 😁
You never disappoint Dylan 👍🏻. These trip reports keep my spirits up during the pandemic. Like everyone else, I long for the pandemic to be over. I hope President Biden’s words come true ... when he was asked at his Town Hall meeting this past Tuesday night ... when do you think we’ll see some sort of normalcy? He replied: God willing, by Christmas. From his lips to Gods ears! 😉
Thank you for a nice video thru my homeland
My mother lived in Fulda, i wanted to get off there, it was so familiar.
I took an ICE4 from Frankfurt to Leipzig in 2019 as part of my Prague trip; as the train pulled into each station, the screens showed the connections, which struck me as a useful feature (I don't think I've seen it anywhere else). The lack of alignment between windows and seats is a bit awkward but fortunately, I was in a seat with a view. When I reached Leipzig, it was straight on to an Intercity to Dresden so I didn't get a chance to explore, but I caught a glimpse of the steam engine just as we were pulling out!
I gather the train station was built with two entrances for two different railway companies (like Victoria, only better done!), at least according to Tim Dunn's Architecture the Railways Built (currently streaming on UKTV Play). The only thing I remember about it from our 2013 trip was that we were completely stymied as the left luggage lockers were too small for my suitcase, and the staffed office was closed, so we had to spend our time between trains in the station and saw nothing of the city!
Looking at the menu, I must say the prices were reasonable. Given this was recorded during the world wide illness, I am surprised the Café was open.
Rachel from Switzerland.
Those prices aren't reasonable at all. The food is just pre cooked vacuumed Food which is reheated in the Train and then Served. An employee can Buy the Food for less than half the price and the DB still makes a Profit. The Czech CD serves Freshly Cooked food for a very Reasonable Price. Better than the DB Interms of price and quality.
@@rmpll The Food is freshly cooked. In fact, it is prepared just like in a restaurant, the diffrence being it is delivered vacuumed like you already mentioned. That doesn‘t only mean it‘s very fresh, but more efficient since the limited space can be used for something else. The food being packaged does not make it any less valuable.
Many years ago I travelled through Leipzig but on a British military train enroute to West Berlin. Then it was very tired looking and the only place I have ever seen a cart attached to a man by leather straps. It certainly has come on since then . The German trains put the UK ones into perspective, ours are expensive , slow badly designed and now uncomfortable for long journeys due to weight savings in seat design. I personally prefer the early versions of the ICE trains due better seat configs
You had a good deal for that ticket. Greetings from Satu Mare Romania
Great video, Dylan! Thank you
Thanks 😁
As usual excellent and thoughtful report. This train is one I would enjoy. Good for IC travel. Thanks for this review review? Dyla. .
Thanks 😁
Interesting route, Berlin -> Muenchen via Frankfurt. That's quite a detour if you take the train for the whole route!
That’s right! They show Ulm as the destination in the app and the screen, because nobody does the hole journey. It’s just for example to go from Berlin to Stuttgart or Frankfurt to Munich. This is a popular concept used by DB, because it enables direct connections between many cities
The ICE 4 is quite good, but I personally prefer the ICE 3/T in terms of comfort
I was going to say the same. If they could add the ICE 3 seating to ICE 4, I would be good. The family area is nice on ICE 4. With four children that is a big one for me.
@@cities_signs_and_deserts I believe it's the other way around, they're putting the ICE 4 seats on the ICE 3 for the latter's Redesign. (Though I did hear rumours that this decision was to be reversed due to the many complaints about the worse seats.)
Yes!! Ice 3
In flight entertainment on a train? Included in the ticket price? That's a nice little detail for longer trips especially.
If... it works... Internet (or the entertainment stuff) and german trains in particular just do not fit.
You are right about the punctuallity - used to be that the trains ran not as good as the Swiss system but not far short. However today it is not so good BUT in their defence just look at how much track and trains are involved.
That 442 you went past at 6:50😍
I really like the 442s, would be nice to get out there and have a ride on one, and an ice3/4 also.
On train sim world 2, we have this route, but not with any ice trains included, and we also have the older silver livery with green doors for the 442, but after xmas i did a custom livery of that same one you just passed, think abellio are the operators
I think you found the seats comfortable because you're used to travelling on British trains......
on another note Leipzig station looks awesome.
Always a pleasure
I think a family compartment is a great idea!
The ICE's used to have normal compartments too
Agreed, because it'll keep the screaming children away from the civilised passengers
@@btuckervideos4705 What do you mean, you screamed as a toddler too, why are they „not civilized“ ?
So great looking Leipzig station ! 👀
If possible, I like full-service dinning car as like as ICE1. 🙄
But, probably I think increase ICE4 style. 😭
I love the ICE1 and ICE2 the most just bc they have more space inside
The ICE4 is very nice though, I went home from Berlin with it once
Why am I not surprised that a German tray table is "sturdy"? 😂
Maybe like steel by Krupp? :D - Heinz
German Engineering is the best
la2 ème classe a l'air d'être bien éclairé et bien agréable d'un côté les train Allemands sont très confortables j'espère que tu fais attention on tient à toi et continue de nous faire voyager et de partager tes goûts pour les trains👍👍👍👍👍
I love riding the DB ICE trains. Wish we had high speed rail in the USA.
DB's motto may as well be "We've incurred a delay". The ICE train sets are remarkable, possibly the best in Europe, but don't plan anything for the hour or so after your train is scheduled to arrive. Incredible DB can recommend
Great video! I like to travel on ICE trains! I am always surprised by the load factor in 1st class in Germany :-) In my country, 1st class in long-distance trains is usually empty. I like Leipzig Hbf, I liked the historic trains there, I remember seeing a steam locomotive and a diesel motor-coach :-)
Thanks! German trains are often quite busy so I guess a lot of people are willing to pay extra for a bit extra space.
It appears German long-distance trains running late has always been a problem. In the 1980s, DB had a slogan for their then-new IC services: "Jede Stunde, jede Klasse" (Every hour, each class). Our experience was more like "Jede Stunde zu spät" (Every hour too late) 😁
😅
Now that os a nice train.
Great report ❤️👏
Thanks 😁
Friday afternoon, a couple of beers a Dylan Travel report how good is that ? Can`t wait to get out there and do some travelling too......
Hope you enjoyed 😁🍺
All ICE trains are really wonderful
However I must say the interior in 1st class of the former series, especially ICE 1, were more gorgeous and comfortable than that one of ICE 4
Great video !!
ICE trains look amazing but when I see the ICE4 seats, I'm suddenly happy that we as a poorer German and Austrian neighbor always inherit the older stuff that is more comfortable. 😂 For example the current low-cost Regiojet ex TEE coaches or the Bmz coaches used by ČD. Super comfy, ok for 160-200 km/h tracks and easy to refurbish with new seat covers, displays & Wifi.
Honestly ICE4s are good trains for their purpose, that is to increase the seat capacity and provide a more efficient but still good solution for passengers and DB is already working to improve the seats so why not! :)
Leipzig is not unique among German stations, most Hauptbahnhofe in large cities have equally shopping areas. When visiting Hamburg, Koeln, Frankfurt or Muenchen; my wife and I frequently grab a meal at one of the many restaurants found on these stations. They always offer value for money.
Also Stuttgart
Munich Hauptbahnhof is getting a complete rebuild, should be nice when it's finished.
I just love the DB trains my first experience with them was in the mid 70s to early 80s and we used the ice trains to get from Düsseldorf to Munster then onto the regional trains, when I said to my wife that she would love a German holiday I got the look, all married men know the look but when she got to Germany she fell in love with it and especially the trains , I said she would love the ice so booked a few different routes for us and she absolutely loved the speed of travel the cleanliness of the trains, the service on the trains, you get the picture, first class post Dylan and it was nice to see frankfurt am main again
Thanks Dylan 👍😊
Good to find on-board catering up and running. No Covid excuses?
I also noticed very few masks in the Leipzig station.
At then end those red double Deckers trains were striking 🤩😍 could help my eyes off.
They're commonly used in Germany because of many too "short" railway stations in the province, mostly called S-Bahn.
You have a decent view from upstairs, and it's very quiet downstairs.
Nearly no travel noise, of course.
In rush hour they had been filled to the last seat and beyond in pre CoViD-19 times.
@@frankthetank5708 thnk u man!! Sounds great.
Felicidades por el video. Magnifica la visita a la estación de Leipzig.
Amazing video dylan
Thanks!
Nice video! We need to be able to travel virtually while still stuck in lockdown. Thanks.
DB is currently conducting a large project to address the criticisms of the seats on the ICE 4 (and refurbed ICE 3) by modifying the existing seat, so maybe you were on one of the "new" seats :) (Or maybe they weren't that bad in the first place haha) Not sure how you can tell if it's "new" or not though! Have a Google of "ICE 4 ICE 3 Sitze" and there's a page about it on DB's "Inside" website!
Nice one.Keep it up.
The dams of Dambusters fame were in the Fulda region iirc
great video thank you.
In terms of the actual rolling stock, the DB ICEs are definitely the best of the high speed trains I’ve traveled on around Europe. Fingers crossed Siemens get the contract for the HS2 rolling stock (and that the interior spec is comparable to those on the DB sets!). It’s a shame that the addition of the panorama section behind the drivers cab on the ICE 3s seems to have been phased out on the newer variants though!
Completely agree. There was a lot of criticism of the ICE4 about space and comfort, but I think this is more due to German tendency to complain about such things instead of feeling pride in an impressive piece of technology like that. You don't hear nearly as much complaints about modern TGV trains, the ETR1000 or AVE Talgo trains, but in terms of space they are really not better than the ICE4. In the TGV Duplex case much worse, in fact. And compare this with airline or bus seats lol. Anyways, I heard they are refurbishing all the interiors (especially the seats) as result of the complaints, so in the future this product will be even better than it already is
I thought the train was very nice and everything you said. One crazy thought that came to mind was the bigger pieces of luggage not being secure if something happened. Of course, that concern is for people too.
Well, what could happen in a train? There has only been one major incidence in the 30 year history of the german ICE.
@@derriegel5705 and if something like this happens, flying luggage isn't the main problem
Erfurt is the Central Hub for long distance travel between the South an the East of Germany - like Mannheim ist the one between the South and the West and Dortmund is between the West and the North. Finally in Hannover you can change between the main lines to the South, East, West and North. In Germanys national railsystem these hubs are important for those, that do not travel between the metropolitain areas of Berlin, Hamburg, Colone, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich with their direct interlinks, but who start or end somewhwere inbetween.
8:45 do wheelchairs fit thru that hallway? Because the wheelchair area is weirdly placed, quite far from the doors. I never realized that (and I travel a lot on the ICE4).
Do you also have a video lined up of your connecting train to Brussels?
No, I had to cancel last minute.
What a nice train - anyone who gives this a less than favourable review should travel on the IETs/Azumas and see how they compare.
I do not doubt, that there a even worse trains in the world, but this doesn't make the ICE 4 less disappointing to me. It's the seats, that are widly criticised and the way, DB reacted - or did not react to the critques. The seats are much worse than their predessesors from ICE 1 to 3 - more narrow, with less seating space, hard plasics arm rests, less leg support, less possibilities of configuration - so they are only suitable for tiny and short legged passengers but no longer for tall passengers or passengers with long legs. I unsubscribed my Bahn Card 100 therefore.