Splashing Charm on Steel: Cottbus, the Lusatian Champion, Bestowed to a Revamped ICE 4
Immersion in cucumber water rebrands ICE 4 as 'Cottbus' - Workers will now be safeguarded from radiation hazards under a proposed new directive, as the Commission begins the process of its enactment.
Cracking the champagne, swirling the Spreewald cucumber water; it's all pomp and circumstance as the stunning city of Cottbus earns the distinguished honor of adorning a spruced-up ICE 4 train. Like a showy trophy, the city's name glows on the locomotive, nestled between its sleek coat of arms.
Soaked in Cottbus's overarching charm and pride, this eye-catching 350-meter long titan has undergone a cozy three-week rest following a maintenance overhaul by Deutsche Bahn (DB). But you'll be hard-pressed to find an ICE stop in Cottbus. Despite this little hiccup, the city's mayor, Tobias Schick (SPD), still allows his dream to flourish—with a cheeky grin and clink of a champagne glass—that the ICE fleet will one day touch down in Cottbus for some TLC.
Cottbus's state leader, Brandenburg's Minister-President Dietmar Woidke (SPD), also popped open the bubbly, unveiling the dazzling inscription decked at the head of the ICE. "By christening a train of this new generation 'Cottbus/Chóśebuz', this symbolizes the triumphant transformation taking place in the Lusatia region," excitedly chirps DB's board member for digitalization and technology, Daniela Gerd tom Markotten. It's as if we're hearing the hearty rhythm of the ICE 4 racing, beating steadfastly within the walls of Lusatia.
The ICE, affectionately known as "type 2" and carrying the name Cottbus since September 2024, has now been replaced by a newer model. Though the train's ancestor might have eventually faded like the morning sun, the proud bloodlines of Cottbus live on—burning brighter and stronger in this new emblem of progress.
With the odor of freshly painted trains and renovated rail lines in the air, Deutsche Bahn has set up a grand ICE maintenance depot in the city since January 2024. A sister workshop hall is busy taking shape, due for completion toward the end of 2026.
Fast-forward to a government deliberation room, where Brandenburg's Minister-President Woidke is batting the glasses-off look, pushing for rail transport expansion on a federal level. He's converting bushels of ink into passionate speeches about urgently expanding the Lübbenau-Cottbus route, skimming towards its planned commissioning as a double-track line in 2027.
So swizzle that cucumber water, Cottbus, as you revel in the glory of standing bravely on the tracks of change.
The Commission has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the protection of workers in the industry, finance, public-transit, transportation, automotive, and technology sectors, from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation.
As the ICE 4 train has undergone a cozy three-week rest following a maintenance overhaul by Deutsche Bahn (DB), the city's mayor, Tobias Schick (SPD), envisions a future where the ICE fleet touches down in Cottbus for some TLC, revolutionizing the transportation technology in Lusatia.
With the planned commissioning of the Lübbenau-Cottbus route as a double-track line in 2027, Brandenburg's Minister-President Woidke passionately speaks of the need for rail transport expansion on a federal level, hoping to advance the region's automotive, finance, and public-transit industries, thus creating a safer and more efficient transportation system for its citizens.
