The ''Benjamin Britten'' was an international train service linking
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
with
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. The train service was named after English composer, conductor and pianist
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
.
History
The ''Benjamin Britten'' was one of the initial services of the 1987
EuroCity
EuroCity, abbreviated as EC, is a cross-border train category within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains allocated to the lower-level "IC" (InterCity) category, EC trains are international services that meet 20 criteri ...
network. It was operated as a
boat train
A boat train is a passenger train operating to a port for the specific purpose of making connection with a passenger ship, such as a ferry, ocean liner, or cruise ship. Through ticketing is normally available. __NOTOC__
Notable named boat trains ...
, the first part Amsterdam –
Hook of Holland
Hook of Holland ( nl, Hoek van Holland, ) is a town in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was the word in use before the word ''kaap'' – "cape", from Portuguese ''cabo'' – became Dutch. The English t ...
by train, the second Hook of Holland –
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...
by boat and the final part, Harwich – London, by train.
The eastbound EC ''Benjamin Britten'' and the westbound
EC ''Admiraal de Ruijter'' had timed connections with the day boats. The return services had timed connections with the night boats.
Each of these trains lost its EuroCity label after one year of service because it did not meet the EuroCity criteria for service quality; sometimes other rolling stock was used and the on-board catering was minimal from the start. However, both trains also remained in the timetable, as
InterCity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
services.
Formation (consist)
The
Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and the ...
used three coupled ''
Koplopers'' between Amsterdam and Hook of Holland.
[ Spoorwegen 88 p. 37] Ferries of
Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland
Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (known as SMZ or in English as Zeeland Steamship Company ) was a Dutch ferry operator that ran services from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom between 1875 and 1989.Haws (1993), p.197
History
The Stoomvaart Ma ...
(the ) or
Sealink
Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland.
Ports served by the company included: Dover, Folkesto ...
(the
MS ''St Nicholas'') provided the shipping.
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
used its most modern InterCity coaches hauled by Class 86 locomotives on the Harwich – London portion.
References
Works cited
*
Further reading
*
External links
NVBS ''Op de Rails'' - 2008 - Nr. 2 (Februari)– includes image of 86 254 with the ''Benjamin Britten'' at Harwich, 15 July 1987
{{EuroCity trains
International named passenger trains
Named passenger trains of the Netherlands
Named passenger trains of British Rail
EuroCity
Railway services introduced in 1987
1987 establishments in the United Kingdom
1987 establishments in the Netherlands