THE only railway line electrified at 25kV AC in Germany – the isolated Rübelandbahn in the Harz mountains – has been used by Alstom during 2021 to test new trains destined for the Netherlands.
The 99 ICNG (Intercity Nieuwe Generatie) EMUs being built for Dutch Railways (NS) are mostly dual voltage 1.5kV DC and 25kV AC enabling them to use the HSL-Zuid high speed line between Schiphol and Breda; 20 later trains will also have 3kV DC capability to allow operation in Belgium. Alstom is building the trains in Poland at its Katowice factory but undertaking testing in Germany.