Article: Now the work can begin: DB's most modern ICE maintenance depot launched
Less than 20 months after the ground-breaking ceremony and thus at record speed, DB officially opened the new ICE maintenance depot in Cottbus on 11 January 2024. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Brandenburg's Minister President Dr Dietmar Woidke and Dr Richard Lutz, Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bahn, jointly opened the almost 450-metre-long factory hall, where the heavy maintenance of DB's ICE 4 fleet will take place.
There was great joy, relief and pride among all those involved yesterday when Richard Lutz, together with Olaf Scholz, Daniela Gerd Tom Markotten, DB Board Member for Digitalisation and Technology, and Dietmar Woidke, officially opened the new maintenance depot in Cottbus. Around 360 guests and media representatives had travelled to Lusatia to attend this important event for DB and especially for the structural change in the former coal-mining region.
"The "Neue Werk Cottbus" sets standards for major projects throughout Germany. Deutsche Bahn has erected a sophisticated building here in a very short space of time. That's what I mean when I talk about our new German pace. Deutsche Bahn has courageously embarked on something new, the "rail partnership model". The co-operation between Deutsche Bahn and LEAG for the "New Maintenance depot" is also a prime example of how it works: even if the jobs change, the good jobs stay here. Deutsche Bahn has also come to Cottbus because it can and wants to draw on the experience and qualifications of the people of Brandenburg," said Scholz.
Richard Lutz also emphasised the importance of the maintenance depot for the region. "The new Cottbus maintenance depot is a central building block for the further expansion of our services and is indispensable for Strong Rail and the transport turnaround. In Germany's most modern maintenance plant, highly qualified employees will ensure that the ICE 4 is back in service for our passengers more quickly. We are also creating attractive jobs in the region and thus contributing to a successful structural change. The Cottbus maintenance depot is already a beacon of progress and change in our country. And we are continuing this success story with the construction of the second hall."
The 374 metre long XXL ICE trains with 13 carriages and 918 seats fit into the almost 450 metre long factory hall. Two of the shorter, seven-car ICE trains, each around 200 metres long, can stand one behind the other on the two maintenance tracks. The trains no longer have to be divided for maintenance - as is the case in other factories. Employees can work on all carriages at the same time.
Another hall with a total of four tracks is already under construction on the factory site. It is scheduled to go into operation in 2026.
Go