Siemens temporarily halts the delivery of ICE trains to Deutsche Bahn due to welding seam issues.

The exact costs of the delays were not commented on by the spokesperson. According to Siemens, trains that have already been delivered are not affected and can be used safely. So far, Deutsche Bahn has received 21 out of 90 ordered trains.

The "Bild" newspaper was the first to report on the delivery stop. According to the report, some completed trains must be reverted to the shell construction stage, which could lead to delays of several months. The defects are attributed to a specialized company from Bonn that was commissioned by Siemens last year to manufacture the side panels.

A Siemens spokesperson dismissed speculation that the defects could later increase maintenance requirements for the trains: "Siemens Mobility does not compromise on the quality and safety of its trains.

The German railway company, Deutsche Bahn, is familiar with such problems. In the past, the commissioning of an ICE fleet was delayed due to issues with the ICE 4 car bodies manufactured by Bombardier in Poland. At that time, Siemens had concerns about the quality of the Canadian manufacturer. Now, Siemens itself is affected.

This time, however, the railway is in a more comfortable situation. Unlike the problems with the ICE 4 trains in 2019, a large portion of the ICE 3neo trains are not yet part of the company's inventory.

We only accept flawless trains. Currently, the DB fleet includes 21 ICE 3neo trains. The ICE trains already in service with us are not affected by the defects identified by Siemens Mobility; they are operating without any problems," a railway spokesperson explained to SPIEGEL.

No impact on the schedule is expected. According to SPIEGEL sources within the company, any potential gap in the fleet can be easily filled. The company could simply continue operating the second-generation ICE trains or the tilting trains of the ICE-T model, which are planned to be taken out of service in the coming years.