Power sockets in ICE, IC and regional trains – what you should know

If you have a long train journey ahead of you, it is useful to know where the power sockets are located in ICE, IC or EC trains. With the exception of the ICE, the most important thing is how old the carriages are and where they were manufactured.

Sockets in the different trains: In the ICE right at the front

Travelling by train, whether for business or pleasure, is very popular in Germany. To pass the time, many people surf on their mobile phones, watch films on their tablets or do something for school or work on their laptops. Of course, at some point you need electricity for this.

• In the ICE (InterCityExpress), there are power sockets at every seat in both first and second class. You can find them in the foot area or in the middle of the double seat.
• In the IC, the InterCity, it gets a bit more complicated. If part of the train consists of an Interregio carriage, whose production was discontinued in 2006, you will not find any sockets there. These carriages are marked with the abbreviation Bim in an overview of the carriage rows.
• Sockets are located at the tables in the first and second class open-plan compartments in the normal IC carriages. First class compartments also have power outlets.
• If it is a modernised IC train, there are power sockets at every double seat in 1st and 2nd class (under the centre armrest) and at every single seat in 1st class. You can recognise modernised coaches in the overview of the coach line-up by the addition IC mod.
• The EuroCity consists partly of foreign wagons, in principle the IC information applies to it. On carriages that originate from Austria, for example, there are two sockets per seating group.
• Whether regional trains have power sockets depends on the manufacturer. Some promise them for newer train models, like the mobility brand bwegt, which provides trains for the greater Stuttgart area. Older trains usually do not have sockets.