The
Intercity-Express (written as
InterCityExpress in
Austria,
Denmark,
Switzerland and, formerly, in
Germany) or
ICE is a system of
high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and its surrounding countries. It is the highest service category offered by
DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of
Deutsche Bahn. The brand name "ICE" is among the best-known in Germany, with a brand awareness close to 100%, according to DB. There are currently 259 trainsets in five different versions of the ICE vehicles in use, named
ICE 1 (deployed in 1991),
ICE 2 (1996),
ICE T (1999),
ICE 3 (1999) and
ICE TD (2001–2003, back in service 2007). The ICE 3, including its variant models, is made by a consortium led by
Bombardier and
Siemens.