Prototype information

Silver Arrow on Rails Travel is not just travel. Anyone going by commuter train simply wants to get to his destination quickly. It is different on long-distance trips. Above all, when you are going as a business traveler. The railroads have always made offers to this affluent audience. The TEE concept was groundbreaking here. Yet eventually this proved no longer contemporary, because after the introduction of second-class cars, the utilization of the trains had increased. So the DB AG decided on a new product for a target group wanting comfort on trips between large cities. An independent undertaking, the "Metropolitan Express Train, Inc.", was founded for this purpose. The new train impressed people with its extremely luxurious ambiance, which had been designed for the most varied needs of the customers.

In the Quiet Area, the use of cell phones was strictly prohibited. Yet, there was also an Office car, in which radio waves were even enhanced. The cars were completely new developments and demonstrated very smooth running even at a travel speed of 200 km/h / 125 mph. Instead of plastic upholstery, tasteful wood dominated. Naturally, the high quality leather seating and the folding or permanently installed wooden tables were adjustable. In addition, each seat had a power socket available. The wall paneling consisted of Swiss pear wood.

The "Metropolitan" entered service on August 1, 1999 with such luxury. In keeping with the new spirit, the two locomotives for the train, road numbers 101 130 and 131, were of course painted and lettered accordingly. They also showed the new logo and the classy silver-colored paint scheme. Their maximum speed was raised for the "Metropolitan" to 220 km/h / 138 mph. The two trains ran between Hamburg and Cologne. They clearly stood out from the monotony of the German Railroad, Inc. In every respect. Tickets for the train could be booked online right from the start. Despite persistent efforts and several discount promotions, the railroad did not succeed in bringing the utilization into a profit zone, which resulted in the train being withdrawn as early as December of 2004.

Initially, the cars were to be put into storage, but fortunately a better decision was taken and they were used in IC service, certainly not in the decorative silver anymore. In December of 2021, the cars were then taken out of service. A remarkable chapter in the German travel culture thus came to an end.