Overview
- Deutsche Bahn formally ended IC1 passenger service after the last scheduled runs at the end of September 2026 and marked the withdrawal with farewell 'Sternfahrt' trains from Hamburg and Munich to Wiesbaden.
- The company says the move responds to standards and reliability needs, noting an ICE fleet of roughly 400 trains and a drop in ICE propulsion faults of more than half since 2019.
- IC1 sets have already been replaced on main routes by ICE models and double‑deck Intercity 2 trains, and they had been used mainly on tourist or non‑electrified lines because they could run with diesel locomotives.
- The withdrawal led to immediate service changes, including the end of the Köln–Gera IC1 connection in late September for construction reasons, and services will be reshaped as electrification and upgrades on the Mitte‑Deutschland‑Verbindung proceed through about 2032.
- The Intercity 1 pioneered hourly, fixed timetables, a center restaurant car and flexible coach formations that allowed splitting to serve multiple destinations, a legacy that shaped modern German long‑distance rail operations.