Does the ICE T make you motion sick?
Germany's tilting ICE spent years not tilting. After axle cracks were found in October 2008, Deutsche Bahn ran the ICE T with its tilting system switched off and rewrote the timetable around it, and curve-speed tilting came back only on selected routes after axle replacement. So the honest answer to 'will the ICE T make me sick' depends on the service: most rides are a conventional express profile, and the tilting-train mismatch applies only where the lean actually runs.
Germany · Tilt off 2008, later select routes only
Status, September 2026
Fleet status, September 2026: the Class 415 subfleet began a gradual retirement in June 2025, with the last commercial run reported on 21 February 2026. Class 411 units continue in service, with tilt route-limited since the post-2008 axle replacement program.
Key facts
- After the October 2008 axle crack findings, the ICE T fleet was permitted to run only with its tilting system switched off.
- Deutsche Bahn announced a gradual retirement of the Class 415 subfleet from June 2025; the final commercial run was on 21 February 2026.
- Axle replacement from autumn 2016 let DB plan the return of curve-speed tilting on selected routes such as the Frankfurt to Passau axis.
- Deutsche Bahn's official train type pages document the ICE T as part of the current ICE family.
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Why the ICE T feels the way it does
Tilt: Active, off from 2008, later restored on select routes
Fiat-derived active tilt. After axle crack findings in October 2008 the fleet was restricted to running with tilt switched off, and curve-speed tilting returned only on selected routes once new axles were fitted.
The ICE T carries the hardware of a tilting train, with a Fiat-derived active system in the same family as the Pendolino. Its story since 2008 is stop and start: the axle crack findings put the fleet on the rails with tilt switched off, and curve-speed running returned only on selected routes once new axles were fitted. Where tilt is off, the roll-without-a-view mismatch the tilting-train literature blames for nausea is off with it; where the lean runs, the same findings apply as on any active-tilt train. German rider forums still discuss Neigetechnik queasiness, much of it a memory of the full tilting years and of tilting classes on winding regional lines.
Where it runs
- Deutsche BahnClass 411 on routes such as Berlin to Munich and Frankfurt to Dresden
What the research says about tilting trains
Tilting-train motion sickness has a real, peer-reviewed literature: studies report more sickness on tilting than on comparable non-tilting trains, and point at carriage roll, the level of tilt compensation and the timing of each tilt against the curve as the variables that matter.
Riding the ICE T? Set it up first
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A winding line is a bad place to go looking for an app. Put it on your phone before you board: Dizzout is a drug-free app that plays precisely calibrated audio through any headphones you already own, wired or Bluetooth, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to try.
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What helps on board
- Ride it like a fast conventional train: eyes up for the curving stretches, screens for the straight running.
- If yours is a service where the tilt runs, treat it like a Pendolino: the outside view is the input that explains the lean.
- Cool air and a light meal before boarding raise your threshold either way.
- Pack the drug-free rescue: a sound therapy session through any headphones, with relief in about 90 seconds.
Where to sit is its own question, answered properly in where to sit on a train for motion sickness. And for why trains set people off at all, from sway to reading to tilting stock, see the train motion sickness guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ICE T still tilt?
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Only on some services. The 2008 axle crack findings put the whole fleet on the rails with tilt switched off, and DB brought curve-speed tilting back only on selected routes after replacing axles. On most ICE T runs you ride it as a conventional express.
Was the ICE T known for making people sick?
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During its tilting years it drew the same complaints as other active-tilt trains, and German forums from that era discuss Neigetechnik nausea. On services that run without tilt, the specific tilting-train mismatch is gone; where the lean still runs, the tilting-train findings apply.
Which German trains should sensitive riders think about instead?
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The tilting question in Germany now lives mostly on regional lines run by Class 612 RegioSwinger diesel units, which still tilt. Most mainline ICE services run without active tilt, and the ICE T leans only on the routes where it was restored.
Other trains and lines
Sources & further reading
Your next question, probably
Details on this page reflect published operator, heritage and engineering information as of September 2026; services, fleets and tilt settings change, so check with the operator before you travel. Train, route and operator names are trademarks of their respective owners; Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Motion sickness sensitivity varies from person to person; this page is informational and not medical advice.