Deutsche Bahn operates a network of high-voltage transmission lines that can transport electricity over long distances. However, to power trains electrically, the electricity must first be converted – because the public grid operates at 50 hertz, while DB trains run at a frequency of 16.7 hertz.

This conversion is increasingly carried out in so-called converter stations. Unlike their predecessors, therotary frequency converter stations, modern converter stations no longer work mechanically but are equipped with power electronics. This means up to five percent less energy is lost in the conversion process. By 2030, DB Energie plans to build seven new converter stations, two of which are already in regular operation, one in trial operation, and one under construction.