Is Germany’s New High Speed Train really that great?

Come ride the ICE 3neo with us. This is Germany’s newest high speed train. We are riding from Arnhem to Utrecht in the Netherlands. A short journey, but enough time to see if this train really is as great as everyone says.

The train features wheelchair lifts and bicycle spaces, new features for the ICE family.

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Chapters
0:00 How to ride the ICE for free
2:21 Trainspotting in Arnhem
3:44 ICE 3neo arrives
4:29 Interior tour
6:40 History of the ICE 3
8:09 ICE 3neo departs Utrecht
8:51 Exploring Utrecht

This is the IC3 Neo, Germany’s newest flagship high-speed train. And a quick search on YouTube shows that this train has a lot of fans. I wanted to see for myself what the hype was all about. So, given the opportunity, I went for a ride on the IC3 Neo to see how it stacked up against the other intercity express trains. Except one thing. I didn’t ride it in Germany. [Music] Hey everybody, welcome to a brand new Trains Are Awesome video. I’m Tom. I’m in the Netherlands, specifically in Arnim, the city with the only remaining trolley bus network in the Netherlands. Behind me is Arnim Central Station, the main railway station here. So, Arnim Central is a very cool station. In fact, the section right over here had to be built by a professional ship builder because of the complex shape. I’m about to head towards Utre. And there are domestic trains that run between Arnum and Utre like every 10 minutes. But why be boring and take a Dutch train when you can be cool and take a German train? And we’re about to be very cool because we are taking the ICA, the Intercity Express. See, there’s a route that runs from Frankfurt to Amsterdam. And in the Netherlands, you’re allowed to just ride it even if you’re not an international passenger. So that’s what we’re going to do. So, there are two ways to travel within the Netherlands domestically on the German IC. And remember that if you are planning to take the IC across the border, you’ll just have to buy a regular international ticket. The first option if you’re just traveling with a train ticket is to buy the IC supplement. I’ll show you how to do it here. You go to a ticket machine, then on the supplement line, you’ll hit the interity direct or IC button, pick the IC, and it’ll charge you €3 for a supplement. [Music] Then all you have to do is tap in with your train ticket and show the supplement if the conductor asks for it. The second option is to have any sort of NS subscription. You could have the NS Flex subscription like I do, a student pass, it doesn’t matter. If you have any sort of monthly subscription with NS, you can ride the IC completely for free. So, I’ve got about a 15inute wait before the IC will show up. It’s about 5 minutes late, but that’s okay. We can do some train spotting. Arnm is a very important station here in the Netherlands. You can hop on an NS intercity train to almost anywhere in the country, but it’s also an important regional terminal with diesel trains coming from unelectrified lines here in the east of the Netherlands and terminating at Arnim. And of course, Arnim Central is one of the most important international stations in the Netherlands because of how close it is to Germany. In fact, our IC train has just crossed the border, but it’s a little bit late because it’s stuck behind this NightJet, another international train. The Nightjet is the Austrian sleeper train that has a vast network across Europe. This specific train originated in Zurich and has two more stops in the Netherlands, Utre and Amsterdam, to go after Arnum. And our train should be right behind it. just a Swiss train in the Netherlands. You know, European things. Now, you might be wondering, do people actually take the Intercity Express within the Netherlands? Well, I think so. There’s a decent crowd that’s formed on this platform. This is IC 222 bound for Amsterdam which left Frankfurt this morning around 5:30. I will be riding until Utre Central, the next station. That is one advantage the IC has over the domestic inner city trains on this route. There are no intermediate stops. Let’s step aboard this BA 408, also known as the IC3 Neo. So, this is one of the first class cabins. You can see there are dark leather seats arranged in a 2×1 configuration. They look very comfortable. Maybe I should have splurged on first class. Nah, Dutch train tickets are already expensive enough. Walk a little bit farther and we find ourselves in the restaurant car. It features table seating on one side and a counter where you can order drinks, hot and cold food on the other side. I’ve never actually ordered food from a Deutschean train before. I should have maybe done that this time, but it’s not a very long ride to Utre. So, next, let’s check out the vestibule. These trains come equipped with a lift for wheelchair boarding. Multiple recycling bins are mounted into the wall, so you better pay attention to the labels. And on the right, there is a conductor’s room as well as a compartment for families to sit in. These trains also have eight bicycle spots. Now, second class. Seats are similar to those in first class, but fabric and in a 2x two configuration. I have to say, I really like the interior of German long-distance trains. There’s something really stylish about them. The wood mixed with the carpet and the dark colors. Back when I lived in the Netherlands, I would take a German train whenever I could, like if I was traveling from Utre to Amsterdam or something, because besides comfortable seats, I always appreciated the cozier atmosphere. A big contrast with the colorful and brightly lit interiors of most Dutch trains. I found a seat that was not reserved and have now sat down. Yeah, it’s very comfortable even in second class. The cushion for me is just right. The seat recines a little bit and underneath there is a power socket. Passengers also have access to a table as well as a coat hook and a phone holder. How modern. The train offers Wi-Fi as well. This is the older interior. Some of these trains have a redesigned inside that is even more stylish. Overall, I’m quite impressed. I don’t think my friends are exaggerating when they say it is an excellent high-speed train. The ride is so smooth, too. It makes sense given how the Intercity Express interior is already a great product once you add a few modern features, a few accessibility features, it’s easy to see why people would say this is the best one. The Intercity Express is Germany’s flagship train and has been since the early ’90s. The trains run on a mix of high-speed lines and regular rail lines. But besides running in Germany, they also run internationally as well. For example, these IC3 Neos run on two routes to the Netherlands. One from Amsterdam to Frankfurt and Munich. That’s the one we’re on, and one from Amsterdam to Berlin. Now, the name IC3 Neo implies that there have been other intercity express trains. And yes, there have been quite a few. The IC 1 2 3 and 4 and a few others. But it’s the three that I think is most interesting because while most IC trains only have one variant, there are actually four different kinds of IC3. Soon after the original IC3 launched in 2000, an international version known as the IC3M was also introduced. But these international trains had quite a few issues, especially the electrical work was giving them a lot of problems. So Deutschean decided to retire these in 2025 and replace them with the IC3 Neo that launched in 2022. So the interesting thing about the Neo is not only that it is an IC3 that’s newer than the IC4, but it’s also an IC3 that replaced an older IC3. Let’s take a quick look at the accessible toilet on board before we arrive in Utre, our final destination for today. This train will run all the way until Amsterdam, one more stop beyond Utre. But Utre is it for us today. I’m not going to lie though, while I do love the interior of these trains, and the exterior isn’t bad, I do think that I like the exterior of the older IC3s just a little bit more. That might just be nostalgia, though. [Applause] [Music] We’ve arrived at Utre Central, located pretty much in the middle of the Netherlands. This station has 16 tracks and sees 230,000 passengers a day, making it the largest and busiest station in the country. Besides trains, the station provides access to the city’s tram system, as well as a very large urban and regional bus network. Plus, it’s connected to a shopping center, and it’s just a short walk away from the city center. Utre is a beautiful historic city, one that I’ve noticed has become increasingly popular with tourists recently. Some of its claims to fame include having the world’s largest bicycle parking center and the world’s busiest bike path. But also, it was the home of the late Dick Bruna, author and illustrator of the beloved Miffy books. Miffy, or NA as we call her in Dutch, even has her own museum here. Seriously, if you find yourself visiting the Netherlands, do yourself a huge favor and don’t just see Amsterdam. Whether you go to Leiden, Harlem, the Hague, Delft, Rotterdam, or Utre, there are so many beautiful Dutch cities worth your time. You do yourself an absolute disservice by limiting yourself to just seeing Amsterdam. And taking the train is a great way to get around the country. Now, the best thing to do if you want to learn more about Dutch trains is to subscribe to Trains Are Awesome. Thank you so much for watching today. We’ll see you next time. [Music]