Key takeaways
- The ICE S is a measuring train, not a passenger train: it checks the track, overhead line and vehicle behaviour at high speed.
- Class 410.1 denotes the power cars; measuring coaches run between them instead of passenger coaches.
- Identification route: ICE silhouette, but very short, with measuring fittings and DB Systemtechnik markings.
- No timetable: the train runs according to the measuring programme, often at night or during operational gaps – sightings are a matter of luck.
- Operational details change with measuring assignments and rebuilds; treat every figure as a snapshot.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Measuring train for high-speed lines |
|---|---|
| Formation | two Class 410.1 power cars with measuring coaches in between |
| Operator | DB Systemtechnik |
| Task | measuring, testing and acceptance runs on new and upgraded lines |
| Origin | from the testing of ICE development after the second generation |
| UIC type code | 93 (high-speed multiple unit) |
| Type of use | as needed and per the measuring programme, no scheduled service with passengers |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Two ICE-style power cars with only a few vehicles in between – an unusually short ICE
- DB Systemtechnik markings instead of the usual long-distance livery
- Measuring equipment visible: additional fittings, aerials or measuring pantographs on the roof
- No destination boards and no ICE train number in the passenger information system
- Vehicle number starts with 410 – a rare number in the ICE world
- Often travelling alone, frequently outside peak hours
Updated: August 2026 – An ICE that’s far too short, carries strange fittings on the roof, and doesn’t appear in any timetable information: that’s the ICE S with its Class 410.1 power cars. It doesn’t carry passengers – it measures. This page explains what the train does, how to recognise it, and why a sighting is worth considerably more than the umpteenth passenger ICE.
Rare sighting? Document it straight away.
Measuring trains run without a timetable – if you catch one, log the number, place and time right there.
What is Class 410.1 (ICE S)?
Class 410.1 denotes the power cars of the ICE S, a high-speed measuring train run by DB Systemtechnik. The train consists of two such power cars with measuring vehicles in between. Its job isn’t carrying passengers, but the measurement-based investigation of track, overhead line and vehicle behaviour at high speed.
That places it among a small group of vehicles that work in the background of high-speed operations. Before a newly built or fundamentally refurbished high-speed line of Deutsche Bahn AG is released for service, it has to be tested under real conditions. That requires a vehicle that can run fast itself while measuring at the same time – an ordinary measuring coach attached to a locomotive isn’t enough for that.
Like all high-speed multiple units, the ICE S also carries the UIC type code 93 in the first two digits of its twelve-digit vehicle number. The code says nothing about the intended use – it describes the build, not the assignment. How this number is structured is explained in the article on the UIC number and its check digit.
How to recognise the ICE S
Identifying it is unusually easy, because the train stands out from the norm in almost every respect.
Check the train length
An ICE with only a few vehicles between two power cars doesn't exist in passenger service. This one observation is usually enough on its own.
Scan the roof
Measuring equipment is rarely invisible: additional fittings, aerials or conspicuous pantograph structures are typical clues.
Read the markings
Instead of the usual long-distance livery, you'll find references to DB Systemtechnik. Destination boards are entirely absent.
Check the number
A 410 in the ICE world is a rarity. Where 401 to 408 usually stand, the 410 is a clear signal.
Exactly where these markings appear on the vehicle is explained by the guide Finding the train number. The general order for identifying vehicles is covered by the guide to identifying classes.
Shortness beats detail
You don't need to be able to identify a measuring aerial. An ICE that's obviously too short is the strongest clue there is – everything else is just confirmation.
Placing it: a service vehicle, not a passenger train
Operationally, the ICE S lives in a different world from the passenger ICEs. The table below makes the differences visible.
| Feature | ICE S (Class 410.1) | Passenger ICE (e.g. Classes 401, 403, 412) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | measuring and testing | carrying passengers |
| Timetable | per measuring programme, often at night | fixed timetable, published |
| Train length | very short | medium to very long |
| Markings | DB Systemtechnik | long-distance livery |
| Predictability for spotters | very low | high |
In practice that means: you can’t wait for an ICE S. Anyone wanting it in their log needs attention, luck and an eye on current community reports. One useful angle is periods when lines are being refurbished or newly accepted for service in your region – that’s when the likelihood of measuring runs rises.
Don't miss unusual vehicles
For service vehicles, community sightings are often the only advance warning you get.
Spotting and photo tips
Because measuring runs frequently happen outside peak hours, conditions are often difficult: little light, high speed, no advance warning.
- Keep your camera ready. Anyone who only starts adjusting settings once they have visual contact has missed the train. Sensible base settings: fast shutter speed, burst mode, continuous autofocus.
- A record shot beats no shot. Even a technically middling photo where the vehicle number is legible documents the sighting.
- Note the formation. With measuring trains, the coach formation changes depending on the assignment. How many vehicles were coupled together? That’s information nobody else records.
- At night, only at lit, publicly accessible locations. Platforms are the limit – track areas and operational railway land are always off limits.
How to record observations like this cleanly and in a way you can analyse is shown in the guide on keeping a sightings log.
Suction effect during measuring runs
Measuring runs often take place at high speeds – sometimes on lines where trains otherwise run more slowly. A high-speed train passing through creates a pressure wave and, immediately afterwards, a strong suction towards the track, which can knock people off balance and pull away equipment. Stay firmly behind the safety line, secure your tripod and bags, and expect high speed especially on unannounced runs. The rules are in the guide on safe distance from the track.
What a measuring train actually measures
The term “measuring train” sounds vague. Concretely, it’s about quantities that can only be captured on a moving vehicle – standing still or with handheld instruments, they couldn’t be determined.
- Track geometry. How does the track sit under load and at high speed? Small deviations that seem irrelevant at a standstill become significant at 250 km/h and above.
- Overhead line. The pantograph has to maintain clean contact along the entire route. What’s measured is contact force, deflection and the dynamic behaviour of the contact wire – things that depend heavily on speed.
- Running dynamics. How does the vehicle behave in curves, at points and when trains pass each other? Among other things, this determines what speed a line can actually permit.
- Aerodynamics and pressure waves. Considerable pressure fluctuations occur in tunnels and at platforms. These aren’t just a comfort issue but a safety issue too – the same physics that produces the suction effect at the platform.
This list of tasks also explains the pattern of use. Measuring runs happen when a line is new, has been refurbished, or has drawn attention. They’re projects, not diagrams. That’s why it helps more to follow construction activity in your region than to look for a timetable that doesn’t exist.
Common mix-ups
It points to the ICE S if …
- an ICE consists of two power cars and only a few coaches
- measuring fittings are visible on the roof
- markings point to DB Systemtechnik
- the number starts with 410
Look more closely if …
- an ICE looks unusually short but carries destination boards – then it could be an empty-stock working
- the train was only visible as a silhouette in darkness
- you only saw one power car
It isn't an ICE S if …
- the train has a dining car with a raised roof – that's the ICE 1
- one end is a driving trailer with a folding nose flap – that's the ICE 2
- the train has continuous windows right to the front – then it's ICE 3, ICE 4 or ICE T
If the power-car shape looks familiar: it stands in the same line of development as the ICE 1 of Class 401 and the ICE 2 of Class 402. The multiple-unit concept without power cars only arrived with the ICE 3 of Class 403.
Conclusion
The ICE S is the rarest vehicle in the ICE family and, at the same time, the easiest to recognise: no passenger ICE is this short, none carries measuring equipment on the roof, none runs without a destination board. The difficulty isn’t identifying it, but encountering it. Anyone who catches it should document the moment thoroughly – the next opportunity can be a long time coming.
In brief
Two ICE power cars, a few coaches in between, measuring equipment on the roof and no timetable: that's the ICE S of Class 410.1. Recognising it is easy, encountering it is a matter of luck – and on measuring runs, keeping a safe distance matters especially strictly.
Rare vehicles in your own archive
Log the number, formation and time – for service vehicles, that's exactly the information that matters later.
Summary
- Class 410.1 is the ICE S, a high-speed measuring train run by DB Systemtechnik.
- It differs from a passenger ICE through its short length, measuring fittings and the operator's markings.
- Because it runs to a measuring programme rather than a timetable, sightings are rare and hard to plan for.
- Anyone who catches it should document the number, date and formation – the train formation changes depending on the assignment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ICE S?
The ICE S is a measuring train for high-speed lines, operated by DB Systemtechnik. It consists of two Class 410.1 power cars with measuring coaches in between. Its job is to measure the track, overhead line and running behaviour at high speed – not to carry passengers.
Why doesn't the ICE S appear in any timetable information?
Because it isn't a passenger service train. It runs according to the measuring programme, often during operational gaps or at night, and is scheduled as a service train. That's why it doesn't appear in passenger information. Sightings happen almost always by chance or through tips from the community.
How do I recognise the ICE S?
By the combination of ICE power cars and an unusually short train length. Add to that measuring fittings on the roof, DB Systemtechnik markings and missing destination boards. An ICE consisting of just two power cars and one or two coaches is highly likely to be a measuring train.
Why does the railway need its own high-speed measuring train?
New and refurbished high-speed lines have to be tested under real conditions before they're released for service: track geometry, overhead-line behaviour, the interaction of vehicle and track. That requires a vehicle that can run at high speed itself while measuring. That's exactly the role the ICE S fills.
What does the class number 410 mean?
410 belongs to the number group for electric high-speed multiple units, which also includes 401 to 408. The .1 suffix marks the sub-variant. Since vehicles numbered 410 are otherwise barely found in the ICE world, the number itself is already a strong clue.
Can you travel on the ICE S?
No. The train is a service vehicle and isn't intended for carrying passengers. Measuring staff work on board. For spotters, the train therefore remains purely something to observe – from the platform or from publicly accessible locations.
What are the chances of seeing the ICE S?
Considerably worse than for any passenger ICE. There are only very few such vehicles, they run as needed and often at times with little traffic. A sighting is realistic when lines in your region are currently being tested or accepted for service – and if you watch community reports.
Is the ICE S the same as the ICE V?
No, these are two different vehicles. The ICE V was the early test train that set the 1988 record speed of 406.9 km/h. The ICE S is the later train in measuring service, of Class 410.1. Both belong to the ICE's testing history, but they aren't identical.
Log your sighting of the DB Class 410.1 (ICE S)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
Class 401 (ICE 1)
The ICE 1 is the first ICE generation: two Class 401 power cars, up to twelve intermediate cars in between, and a restaurant car with a raised roof. Here's how to spot it.
High-speedClass 402 (ICE 2)
The ICE 2 is the half-train among the ICE family: a Class 402 power car at the front, a driving trailer with a nose flap at the rear. Two half-trains can be coupled and split en route.
High-speedDB Class 403 (ICE 3)
The ICE 3 of Class 403 is the first ICE without power cars: eight coaches, distributed underfloor traction, 330 km/h and the lounge with a view ahead. Here's how to recognise it.
High-speedDB Class 407 (ICE 3)
Class 407 is the Siemens Velaro D: a multi-system ICE 3 of the second design generation – without the lounge behind the driver's cab and with its own nose shape.
High-speedDB Class 408 (ICE 3)
Class 408 is the ICE 3neo, the newest build of the ICE 3 family: eight coaches, multi-system, no lounge – and clearly distinguished from 403 and 407 by modern details.
High-speedDB Class 411 (ICE T)
The Class 411 is the seven-car ICE T with active tilting technology: a narrower body tapered at the bottom, 230 km/h, and the train built for winding lines.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
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