Intercity Deutsche Bahn

Intercity is a long-distance train line with routes throughout Germany, operated by the DB Fernverkehr sector of Deutsche Bahn, a railway company owned by the Federal Republic of Germany.

Intercity services were introduced to the Deutche Bundesbahn rail network in September 1971. Four lines made up the original network, which consisted of only first-class cars operating every two hours and connecting the largest cities of West Germany.

Typically 7 to 11 coaches long, depending on the route, Intercity trains typically employ just one or two first class coaches today. Additionally, most trains feature a bistro cafe and space in the driving trailer for bicycle storage.

The Intercity coaches originally displayed a blue and beige colour scheme, with first class coaches painted dark red and beige. The Deutsche Bundesbahn underwent a rebranding in the mid-1980s, which brought a new colour scheme to the service: orient red and light grey with a pastel pink stripe in between. When DB adopted traffic red as its corporate colour in the the mid-1990s, this replaced the orient red, and the signature pink stripe was removed. A new livery was again introduced in the 2000s, featuring an all-white paint with a single red stripe that remains on the trains today.