Talgo 230 Trains Approved by European and German Railway Safety Agencies

The European Railway Agency (ERA) and Germany’s Federal Railway Authority (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt; EBA) have authorised the Talgo 230 train for service with Deutsche Bahn (DB) under the commercial name “ICE L”.

This approval is also a step towards operation in Denmark with Danske Statsbaner (DSB) as “EuroCity” (EC).

The double authorisation concludes a process that began in 2019, when DB ordered 23 trains under a framework contract for up to 100 units. In 2020, DSB ordered eight trains, which was later increased to 16.

Talgo 230 Design

The Talgo 230 platform incorporates lightweight construction and rolling assembly technology developed by Talgo. It is designed for a maximum commercial speed of 230 km/h and features acceleration and braking systems suited to networks with frequent stops and diverse routes.

The ICE L and EC versions share a modular design, allowing formation lengths from 9 to 21 cars. The trains can operate with different types of locomotives and are built for interoperability across multiple networks.

All units have been developed and built in Spain by Talgo.

International Operations

The trains are intended for cross-border services. In addition to Germany and Denmark, certification is planned for Austria and the Netherlands, with partial authorisation in Switzerland for Basel station. Approval from the Austrian, Dutch and Swiss authorities is expected in due course.

Deployment in Germany will begin with the use of third-party locomotives. Later, ICE L trains will be coupled to Talgo-built Br 105 locomotives, which are undergoing separate authorisation.

Certification Process

Talgo worked with TÜV SÜD Rail from 2021 on the authorisation process, covering the different subsystems that make up the train. TÜV SÜD acted as a notified body (NoBo), designated body (DeBo) and assessment body (AsBo) under EU railway safety and interoperability directives.

Testing began with static trials in Spain, followed by dynamic testing over nearly two years in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands. These included braking, aerodynamic and electromagnetic compatibility assessments. Certificates confirming compliance with operational and safety requirements were issued earlier this year.

Infrastructure managers involved in the process included DB Infra Go (Germany), ÖBB Infra (Austria), ProRail (Netherlands) and SBB (Switzerland).

Future Production

In May 2025, Talgo also signed a contract with Munich-based Flix for up to 65 high-speed trains based on the Talgo 230 platform, valued at approximately 2.4 billion EUR.

The firm order covers 30 units, worth about 1.06 billion EUR. These will be configured for service in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, with cross-border interoperability.