InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...

services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at major

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

s only. An international variant of the InterCity trains are the

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 ...

(EC) trains which consist of high-standard coaches and are run by a variety of operators.

History

The Inter-City Rapid Transit Company was an

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

company, which began operations in 1930 as it had purchased its route from the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company. It remained in operation till 1940. The use of ''Inter-City'' was reborn in the United Kingdom: A daily train of that name was introduced in 1950, running between the cities of

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 ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. This usage can claim to be the origin of all later usages worldwide. In 1966

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 ...

introduced the brand InterCity for all of its express train routes, and in 1986 the term was adopted by the InterCity sector of British Rail. Following the privatisation of the railways in Great Britain, the term is no longer in official use there although many people still refer to fast long-distance services as InterCity trains. The brand still exists though, and belongs to the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

In West Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn first used the name (then written ''Intercity'') in 1968, denoting special first-class services on the

F-Zug A ''Schnellzug'' is an express train in German-speaking countries, where it refers to trains that do not stop at all stations along a line. The term is used both generically and also as a specific train type. In Germany and Austria it is also ref ...

train network. Many of the Class VT 11.5

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

s formerly used on the

TEE A tee is a stand used in sport to support and elevate a stationary ball prior to striking with a foot, club or bat. Tees are used extensively in golf, tee-ball, baseball, American football, and rugby. Etymology The word tee is derived from the ...

network were converted for early Intercity services. In Switzerland, the InterCity brand replaced SwissExpress in the 1982 schedule. In Norway, ''intercity'' (later also written ''InterCity'') trains were introduced in 1975 on the Vestfold Line (the

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

- Skien service), later also on the Østfold Line (Oslo-

Halden Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a town and a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, Rakkestad to the north and Aremark to the east, as well as the Swedish muni ...

). They were (relatively) fast trains on distances up to 2–3 hours. Today, the name is used not on the trains, but on the main lines from Oslo to Skien,

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

, and Halden – and also on the Ringerike Line, which is under construction from Oslo to Hønefoss. An international variant of InterCity,

(EC), was introduced in May 1987. EuroCity trains consist of high-standard, air conditioned coaches, are run by a variety of operators, and are usually subject to on-board border controls. For example, EuroCity trains running in Germany can be made up by

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

of either the SBB (Switzerland),

ÖBB The Austrian Federal Railways (german: Österreichische Bundesbahnen, formally (lit. "Austrian Federal Railways Holding Stock Company") and formerly the or ''BBÖ''), now commonly known as ÖBB, is the national railway company ...

(Austria),

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...

(France), and less commonly by stock of the Czech ČD and Hungarian

MÁV Hungarian State Railways ( hu, Magyar Államvasutak, MÁV) is the Hungarian national railway company, with divisions "MÁV START Zrt." (passenger transport), "MÁV-Gépészet Zrt." (maintenance), "MÁV-Trakció Zrt." and "MÁV Cargo Zrt" (freig ...

railways.

InterCity by country

Austria

The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) have operated IC services since 1991. However, contrary to most other countries, these are often little more than

regional rail Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster serv ...

, as most long-distance, high-standard trains in Austria are likely to be

(EC) services, even when not leaving the Austrian borders (named ''ÖBB-EuroCity'' until 2011). Modernised stock of

Eurofima coach The Eurofima coach, or European Standard Coach (french: Voiture Standard Européenne), is a passenger car designed for use on international railway routes in Europe. It was commissioned by the European Company for the Financing of Railroad Rollin ...

es is used under the brand name ''ÖBB-InterCity'' (OIC) mainly on the Austrian Western and Southern Railways from

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

and

Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the po ...

. The ÖBB also deployed

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

trains, from 2006 also three

ICE T DBAG Class 411 and Class 415 are German tilting electric multiple-unit high-speed trains in service with DB Fernverkehr, commonly known as ICE T. Development Following the successful inauguration of the Intercity-Express system in 199 ...

(Class 411, named ''ÖBB 4011'') trainsets in cooperation with the

Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...

, currently running from Vienna to

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

via

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...

and

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

. ÖBB

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

service is provided by Railjet (RJ) trains. Since 2011, there is an hourly express train service on the Western Railway operated by

WESTbahn WESTbahn Management GmbH (a subsidiary of ''RAIL Holding AG'') is an open access railway company operating express train services on Austria's Western Railway (also known as Westbahn) since 11 December 2011. The French railway company SNCF has a ...

, the only long-distance competitor of the ÖBB. IC-Services: * Western Railway **

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

–

(trains are operating from 5 am to 10 pm, hourly) * Southern Railway ** Vienna–

Bruck an der Mur Bruck an der Mur is a city of some 13,500 people located in the district Bruck-Mürzzuschlag, in the Austrian state of Styria. It is located at the confluence of the Mur and Mürz Rivers. Its manufacturing includes metal products and paper. Br ...

–

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

–

(every 2 hours with several trains running as EC) ** Vienna–Bruck an der Mur–

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

(every 2 hours with several trains running as EC, 4 trains heading to

Maribor Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

and

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

) ** Vienna– Wiener Neustadt–

Mattersburg Mattersburg (; formerly ''Mattersdorf'', hu, Nagymarton, Croatian: ''Matrštof'') is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is the administrative center of the District of Mattersburg and was home to former Bundesliga football team, SV Mattersburg. ...

– Sopron– Csorna ** Graz–Klagenfurt (service is operating as ''Intercitybus'' till the

Koralm Railway The Koralm Railway (german: Koralmbahn) is an Austrian 127 km-long (79 mi)Johannes Fleckl-Ernst: ''Geodätische Herausforderungen beim Projekt „Koralmtunnel“''. In: ''Felsbau'', Heft 5/2010, S. 315–321, . double-track, electri ...

is opened) * North railway ** Vienna–

Břeclav Břeclav (; german: Lundenburg) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Town parts of Charvátská Nová Ves and Poštorná are administrative parts of Břeclav. Etymol ...

(trains are operating as EC or D for

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

, Praha,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

) *

Enns Valley Railway The Enns Valley Railway (german: Ennstalbahn) is an electrified, standard gauge main line railway in the Austrian states of Styria and Salzburg. It was originally built and operated by the Empress Elisabeth Railway Company. The line is an importan ...

** Graz–

Selzthal Selzthal is a municipality in the district of Liezen in the Austrian state of Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styr ...

– Bischofshofen–Salzburg (4 trains per day). ** Graz– Leoben–Bischofshofen– Schwarzach/

St. Veit Sankt Veit is the German name for Saint Vitus in place names (cf. wiktionary:Sankt). Places named Sankt Veit in Austria include: * Sankt Veit an der Glan, Carinthia ** Sankt Veit an der Glan (district), Carinthia * Sankt Veit an der Gölsen, Low ...

–

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

(1 train per day, additional EC trains to Bregenz and as EN to Zurich). ** Klagenfurt–( Beograd/Zagreb–)Villach–Bischofshofen–Salzburg (trains operating every 2 hours, services running to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

and

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

) * Salzburg-Tyrol Railway and

Lower Inn Valley Railway The Lower Inn Valley Railway (german: Unterinntalbahn) is a two-track, electrified railway line that is one of the major lines of the Austrian railways. It was originally opened as the '' k.k. Nordtiroler Staatsbahn'' (Imperial and Royal North ...

–

Wörgl Wörgl () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, in the Kufstein district. It is from the international border with Bavaria, Germany. Population Transport Wörgl is an important railway junction between the line from Innsbruck to Munich, and ...

–

Arlberg railway The Arlberg Railway (german: Arlbergbahn), which connects the Austrian cities Innsbruck and Bludenz, is Austria's only ''east-west'' mountain railway. It is one of the highest standard gauge railways in Europe and the second highest in Austria, a ...

** Innsbruck– Bregenz (service is running for

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

and

). The InterCity service from Vienna to Salzburg is going to be expanded for an hourly service to

Landeck Landeck () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the capital of the district of Landeck. Geography Landeck is located in the Tyrolean Oberland in the west of the state at an elevation of about . The town is situated in the valley of the Inn Ri ...

via Innsbruck by December 2008. Also, the service from Vienna to Graz is going to operate hourly by December 2008. InterCity stops in Austria: * Western railway: Wien Westbahnhof, Wien Hütteldorf, Tullnerfeld, St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof, Amstetten, St. Valentin, Linz Hauptbahnhof,

Wels Hauptbahnhof Wels Hauptbahnhof, occasionally Wels Central Station or Wels central station is a railway station at Wels, which is the second largest city in the federal state of Upper Austria, in the north of Austria.Salzburg Hauptbahnhof * Southern railway:

Wien Südbahnhof Wien Südbahnhof (German for ''Vienna South Station'') was Vienna's largest railway terminus. It closed in December 2009 and was demolished in 2010 to be replaced with a new station, Wien Hauptbahnhof. It was located in Favoriten, in the south-e ...

, Wien Meidling, Wiener Neustadt Hauptbahnhof, Mürzzuschlag, Bruck an der Mur, Frohnleiten, Graz Hauptbahnhof, Wildon, Leibniz, Spielfeld-Straß * Line from Bruck an der Mur to Villach: Bruck an der Mur,

Leoben Hauptbahnhof Leoben Hauptbahnhof is the main station at Leoben, a city in the federal state of Styria in Austria. The station is located on the Bruck an der Mur–Leoben railway. West of the station, the Rudolf Railway branches off to the north. Services ...

, Knittelfeld, Zeltweg, Judenburg, Unzmarkt, Friesach in Kärnten, Treibach-Althofen, St.Veit an der Glan,

Klagenfurt Hauptbahnhof Klagenfurt Hauptbahnhof ( German for ''Klagenfurt Main station''; occasionally translated as ''Klagenfurt Central Station'') is the main railway station in Klagenfurt, capital of the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is an important railway juncti ...

, Krumpendorf am Wörthersee, Pörtschach am Wörthersee, Velden am Wörthersee,

Villach Hauptbahnhof Villach Hauptbahnhof (translated as Villach Central Station) is the main railway station in Villach, the second largest city in the Austrian state of Carinthia.

* Line from Villach to Salzburg:

Villach Hauptbahnhof Villach Hauptbahnhof (translated as Villach Central Station) is the main railway station in Villach, the second largest city in the Austrian state of Carinthia.

, Spittal-Millstättersee, Mallnitz-Obervellach, Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, Dorfgastein, Schwarzach-St.Veit, St. Johann im Pongau, Bischofshofen, Werfen, Golling-Abtenau, Hallein, Salzburg Süd, Salzburg Hauptbahnhof

Belgium

InterCity trains link all major cities of Belgium. Some of them serve also destinations outside the country. The IC between

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

and

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

travels at 200 km/h on the HSL 2. However, because of the density of the train network with many connecting lines and the many small- and medium-sized cities in Belgium, most IC services also call at smaller stations or continue as local trains on branch lines.

Croatia

InterCity trains in Croatia mainly serve domestic routes from

(capital) to Split and from Zagreb to

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

except one international train connecting Zagreb and

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surrounde ...

. Speeds are up to 160 km/h between

Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod was the 7th large ...

and

. The coaches used are similar to the ones used in Germany by DB.

Czech Republic

In the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, the IC or Express trains service the following routes: *

Bohumín Bohumín (; ; pl, , german: Oderberg) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Bohumín is made up of town parts and villages of Nový Bohumín, ...

–

, *

–

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, *

Třinec Třinec (; pl, Trzyniec ; german: Trzynietz) is a city in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants and is the least populated statutory city in the country. The city is an ...

–

, *

Cheb Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of the German-speaking population ...

–

(served by Pendolino tilting trainsets), * Havířov–

. Most of the IC are served by trains of state-owned operator České dráhy with speeds up to 160 km/h but they have been converted into category Express in 2012 timetable. The other is served by trains of private operator

RegioJet RegioJet a.s. ( VKM: RJ) is a private Czech provider of passenger rail and bus transport. The company Student Agency, owned by Czech businessman Radim Jančura, is the sole owner. A sister company of the same name, with its registered office in ...

with speed up to 160 km/h. No surcharge is applied to IC trains but RegioJet runs reservation compulsory trains. Third private passenger operator

LEO Express Leo Express, formerly Rapid Express, is an open access operator, open-access train operator in the Czech Republic, established in 2010. It launched InterCity, inter-city services in November 2012 on the Prague–Ostrava route, on which state-ow ...

introduced express InterCity train service between Prague and Ostrava in November 2012, with speeds up to 160 km/h. The state-owned operator České dráhy also serves line

–

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rive ...

(with some connections extended to

and Františkovy Lázně) with Pendolino trainsets under designation "''

SuperCity A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enou ...

''", which conforms to IC standard. A compulsory reservation is applied on these trains.

Denmark

The Intercity network of the

Danish State Railways DSB, an abbreviation of ''Danske Statsbaner'' (, ''Danish State Railways''), is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goo ...

consists of IC trains and their faster version, ''Lyntog'' (Lightning Train), which is identical but with fewer stops. Each train type operates hourly between the eastern terminus at Copenhagen and westwards to Odense–

Århus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

–

Ålborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aal ...

, and less frequently to alternative destinations in

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. These are run by

IC3 The IC3 (or class MF) is a Danish-built high-comfort medium/long distance diesel multiple-unit train. The sets were built by ABB Scandia (later purchased by Adtranz, which itself was subsequently acquired by Bombardier Transportation) in Rand ...

diesel materiel since most of the network is not electrified. There are also electrical IC trains run by IR4s in an hourly schedule from Copenhagen westwards to Odense and alternately

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

/ Sønderborg. This means during most of the day there are three trains an hour between Copenhagen and Odense. Quite unusual in the world, some trains will consist of both electrically and diesel-powered units coupled together. Being the only option for long-distance and some short-distance travel, there is no surcharge for IC and Lyntog. They have a maximum speed of 180 km/h. Additionally, there are a few IR trains during Friday and Sunday peak hours between Copenhagen and Århus. These are locomotive-run and have

bilevel car A bilevel car (American English) or double-decker coach (British English and Canadian English) is a type of rail car that has two levels of passenger accommodation, as opposed to one, increasing passenger capacity (in example cases of up to 5 ...

s. The IC3 trains are planned to be replaced by new

IC4 The IC4 is an inter-city rail train built by the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for the trans-Great Belt routes of Danske Statsbaner (DSB), Denmark's national railway operator. Under DSB's 'Good trains for everyone' plan ('Gode tog til ...

trains, originally in 2001. They first ran with passengers in 2008, but haven't nearly replaced the

yet. It is now planned to give the

stock a 10-year life extension, and to eventually scrap

trains, due to the plague of poor reliability. IR4 stock (Electric version of

) will release

stock from the Esbjerg Line, allowing some IC3 trains to replace

trains.

Finland

In Finland, VR has operated InterCity trains between major Finnish cities since August 1988. The first routes were Helsinki–Vaasa and Helsinki–Imatra, which later expanded to all major cities and include for instance Helsinki–Tampere–Oulu–Rovaniemi, Helsinki–Turku, Helsinki–Iisalmi and Helsinki–Joensuu. InterCity trains have become the standard as the Finnish long-distance rail travel mainstay, and their predecessors, blue-carriaged express trains, are being withdrawn off the schedules. The train tickets include an additional surcharge compared to ordinary express trains: 17 to 27% depending on journey length. VR operates both ordinary InterCity trains (IC) and entirely double-decker trains (IC²). An ordinary IC train usually consists of 3 to 4 double-decker cars and 3 to 5 ordinary IC cars. In addition the train has a restaurant car. IC² trains consist only of double-decker cars and have no separate restaurant car with a sales trolley moving about in the train. However, due to high demand, VR ordered double-decker restaurant cars from Transtech in early 2011. The first carriages should be operational in 2013. All IC-trains are smoke-free. The trains run at a maximum speed of 140–160 km/h for single-decker trains and up to for double-deckers, which was VR's aim in 1988. Only the '' Pendolino'' and ''

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking indicate to play fast, quickly and bright * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem by John Milton * ''Allegro'' (Satie), an ...

'' trains are faster than InterCity trains in Finland.

France

In 2006, the

rebranded Corail, Téoz and Lunéa services as ' Intercités', a brand for all of their 'classic' services day and night.

Germany

In Germany, the InterCity network was launched in 1971 to accompany and eventually replace the

Trans Europ Express The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network compri ...

trains. At first, IC services were first-class only, often using TEE stock and the then-new Class 103 locomotives. Trains ran bi-hourly. DB paid a royalty fee to BR for many years for the use of the brand name. In 1978, it was decided to expand the IC network to services with both first and second class, and so the new scheme, called ''IC '79'' was launched in 1979 with the motto ''"Jede Stunde, jede Klasse"'' ("every hour, every class") to emphasize its new structure. Large numbers of air-conditioned open coach cars, the ''Bpmz 291'', were built for InterCity services, which at first were using the TEE colour scheme. In 1985, with many of the TEE trains gone and the introduction of the InterRegio, the network was expanded again, now covering virtually any major city of then-

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. It faced further changes after the

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

and the introduction of the

InterCityExpress The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...

in the early 1990s. Today, after the abolition of the InterRegio in 2002, most long-distance connections in Germany are either IC or ICE trains; they most commonly offer at least bi-hourly service. Maximum speed for an IC is 200 km/h.

Greece

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, InterCity trains operated by privately owned

TrainOSE Hellenic Train S.A., formerly TrainOSE S.A. ( el, ΤραινΟΣΕ Α.Ε., pronounced ''trenosé'') is a private railway company in Greece which currently operates passenger and freight trains on OSE lines. TrainOSE was acquired in September 201 ...

run in the following routes: *

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

– Lamia–

Larissa Larissa (; el, Λάρισα, , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 144,651 according to the 2011 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regiona ...

–

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

– Lamia– Palaiofarsalos–

Karditsa Karditsa ( el, Καρδίτσα ) is a city in western Thessaly in mainland Greece. The city of Karditsa is the capital of Karditsa regional unit of region of Thessaly. Inhabitation is attested from 9000 BC. Karditsa ls linked with GR-30, the ...

– Trikala– Kalambaka, one pair of trains per day at 160 km/h *

– Serres–

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

–

Xanthi Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi (regional unit), Xanthi regional unit of the modern regions of Greece, region of East Macedonia and Thrace. A ...

- Alexandroupoli, one pair of trains per day at 160 km/h

Hungary

In Hungary the first InterCity train departed in 1991, since then almost 10 million people use these trains every year. Since then almost 250 InterCity trains operate in the country. Intercity train services in Hungary: * Budapest Déli pu– Pécs (Every 2–3 hours) * Budapest Keleti pu– Pécs (Every 1-2 hours) * Budapest Déli pu–

Kaposvár Kaposvár (; also known by other alternative names) is a city with county rights in the southwestern part of Hungary, south of Lake Balaton. It is one of the leading cities of Transdanubia, the capital of Somogy County, and the seat of the Kaposvá ...

–

Nagykanizsa Nagykanizsa (; hr, Velika Kaniža/Velika Kanjiža, or just ''Kaniža/Kanjiža''; german: Großkirchen, Groß-Kanizsa; it, Canissa; sl, Velika Kaniža; tr, Kanije), known colloquially as Kanizsa, is a medium-sized city in Zala County in southw ...

(Somogy IC) * Budapest Déli pu.- Szekszárd- Baja (Gemenc IC) * Budapest Keleti pu– Miskolc– Tiszai–

Debrecen Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...

– Budapest Nyugati pu (Circle-IC, every 2 hours) * Budapest Keleti pu– Miskolc– Tiszai (Every hour) * Budapest Keleti pu– Győr– Sopron and Szombathely (Every hour) * Budapest Keleti pu– Békéscsaba– Timișoara / Târgu Mureș/ Simeria/ Brașov/ București-Nord (Every 2h) * Budapest Keleti pu- Békéscsaba-

Lőkösháza Lőkösháza () is a village in Békés County, in the Southern Great Plain region of southeast Hungary. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 1804 (2015). An important railway line crosses the Hungarian-Romanian border here (t ...

(Every hour) * Budapest Nyugati pu– Nyíregyháza (Every 2 hours) * Budapest Nyugati pu– Szeged (Every hour) The Hungarian intercity trains are operated by MÁV-START, the Hungarian railway company.

Ireland

In the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal InterCity, Commuter, DART and fr ...

introduced the brand name InterCity in 1984, replacing the previous name of ''Mainline'', which had been introduced in 1976. Initially applied to services operated by British Rail Mark 3 trains, it was later extended to include all services not part of the Dublin Suburban Rail network. Today the brand encompasses services between

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, Tralee,

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

, Westport, Rosslare Europort, Ballina, and

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

, as well as some regional services. A new InterCity logo was introduced in 2006, though the vast majority of rolling stock bore the original script logo and orange-tan livery until the final Mark 3 set was withdrawn in 2009. Since Ireland completed its replacement of the old Mark 2 and Mark 3 stock in 2012, it has one of the most modern InterCity fleets in the world. Northern Ireland Railways and

both formerly operated trains on the

–

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

line under the InterCity brand, however this was replaced with the revived

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...

brand name upon the introduction of the

De Dietrich Ferroviaire Alstom DDF, formerly De Dietrich Ferroviaire (DDF) is a French manufacturer of railway rolling stock and a subsidiary of Alstom, based in Reichshoffen, France. It was formed as a division of the De Dietrich group, which has a history going back t ...

rolling stock in 1997. This, coupled with the subsequent withdrawal of most coaching stock bearing the logo and the rebrand to the Translink name, means that the InterCity brand has largely disappeared from Northern Ireland Railways.

Italy

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, InterCity trains constitute a capillary network that links the main cities across the peninsula. There are over 80-day (InterCity Sun) and night (InterCity Notte) services. The major north–south connections are Turin-Lecce (night trains only), Milan-Bari, Bolzano/Bozen-Bari, Venice-Bari, Milan-Rome and Trieste-Naples. In the south, Intercity connections consist of Rome-Palermo-Siracusa, Rome-Bari, Rome-Naples and Rome-Reggio di Calabria. In the north, Intercity connections consist of Turin-Genoa, Milan-Genoa, Milan-Livorno and Venice-Florence. The fleet consists of first and second class coaches with open-seat or six-seat compartments. Night trains include sleeper coaches of three types: bunk beds for four travellers, two-bed "double" sleeper and one-bed "single" sleeper. There are, however, no showering facilities on any Intercity Notte trains. The newer coaches, called InterCity Plus, have renovated interiors with sockets for PC or mobile phones added to each compartment. However, Excelsior cabins only shown on the Rome To Sicily night train claim to have their own toilet and shower in the cabin, information from Trenitalia web pages: The Excelsior coaches, available on some night trains offer services comparable to those of a high-level hotel, every vehicle available cabins : • Single: a cabin with a bed, • Double rooms : one twin cabin, • Doubles: a large suite with double bed with all the amenities. Each cabin Excelsior E4 instead offers 4 beds for travel from 1 to 4 persons : Single: a cabin with a bed, Doubles : one twin cabin, Triple : a three-bed cabin Quadruple : a four-bed cabin All cabins are equipped with shower and wash basin with private toilet. High cab there is a reception with bar service. Excelsior single and double cabins are available from all sales channels, while the triple and quadruple only at the ticket and authorized travel agencies. When travelling in these coaches you must have a personal identification document.

Netherlands

Intercity trains are very common in the Netherlands, but may differ from each other. While some intercity trains call only at larger stations, some others may also call at smaller stations or at all intermediate stations along a short stretch of its route. Hence, some stations may be served by one intercity train while another may pass it. For example, the Intercity trains between Arnhem Central station and Utrecht Central station alternately serve Driebergen-Zeist or Veenendaal-De Klomp (and both when the frequency is lowered from 4tph to 2tph in the evening). Often, intercity trains run as local trains along the very end of its route. For example, the

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

Den Helder Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base. From here the Royal TESO fe ...

intercity runs as regular intercity until Alkmaar, serving larger stations only, but running as local train between Alkmaar and Den Helder, serving all intermediate stations. The average distance between station is shorter than most IC trains in most other countries, but frequencies are higher. All lines are served at least with 2tph, but many busy stretches are served have 4tph. From Utrecht Central there are even two different services to Amsterdam, one that serves the central station and two others and another that serves the

south station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...

and the

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

. From December 2017 the frequency between Amsterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven will be further increased to 6tph. Rolling stock used mostly for intercity services in the Netherlands is VIRM. DD-AR trains have been converted to be used as ''New Intercity Double deckers'' and have been introduced to parts of the intercity network. Also, older ICM (formerly known as Koploper) EMUs are frequently seen on intercity routes. ICRm coaches, pulled by a

TRAXX Alstom Traxx (sold as Bombardier TRAXX before 2021) is a modular product platform of mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives produced originally by Bombardier Transportation and later Alstom, which was built in both freight and passen ...

locomotive, can be seen on international stretches and the

Intercity Direct Intercity Direct is a Dutch higher-speed train service operating on the HSL-Zuid, connecting Amsterdam Centraal to Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal and Breda. Intercity Direct replaced the Fyra brand as of December 2013; it is part of NS ...

Poland

In Poland IC trains operated by

PKP Intercity PKP Intercity is a company of PKP Group responsible for long-distance passenger transport. It runs about 350 trains daily, connecting mainly large agglomerations and smaller towns in Poland. The company also provides most international trains to ...

S.A. up to 2009 served the following routes: *

–

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

with speed up to 200 km/h. * Warsaw–Katowice–

Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...

with speed up to 160 km/h * Warsaw–Katowice– Gliwice with speed up to 160 km/h * Warsaw–

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

–

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

with speed up to 160 km/h * Warsaw–Katowice–

Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city loc ...

–Wrocław with speed up to 160 km/h * Warsaw–Poznań–

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

with speed up to 160 km/h * Warsaw–

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

– Gdynia with speed up to 200 km/h * Warsaw–

Dęblin Dęblin is a town at the confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which altogether has over 100 000 inhabitants. The population of ...

–

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

with speed up to 160 km/h * Gdynia–Warsaw–Kraków with speed up to 200 km/h * Gdynia–Warsaw–Gliwice with speed up to 160 km/h * Szczecin–

–

Amsterdam Zuid WTC Amsterdam Zuid ("Amsterdam South") is a railway station situated in the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For a number of years, it was named ''Amsterdam Zuid WTC'', in reference to the neighbouring World Trade Center Amsterdam. ...

– Schiphol (jointly operated by PKP Intercity and

)

Apart from a single railway line (line nr 4, a.k.a. Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa–Central Railway Route), average speeds are much lower. These trains mostly use the locomotive named Eurosprinter (EU44),

EP09 EP09 (also manufactured as Pafawag 104E) is a Polish electric locomotive used by the Polish railways, Polskie Koleje Państwowe (PKP) and produced by Pafawag of Wrocław between 1986 and 1997. History Construction Work on designing new famil ...

, sometimes

EP08 EP08 (also manufactured as Pafawag 102E) is the name for a Polish electric locomotive used by the Polish railway operator ''Polskie Koleje Państwowe'' (PKP), produced between 1972 and 1976 in Pafawag, Wrocław. The construction is based on the E ...

. In 2009 IC category was renamed Express InterCity (EIC). Since December 2014 IC trains are regular express and fast trains (with pricing offers like TLK fast trains), also operated by PKP Intercity, mainly utilizing high-standard

Pesa Dart The Pesa is a river in Tuscany, central Italy. It has a length of 53 km, and, after crossing the provinces of Siena and Florence, flows into the Arno River near Montelupo Fiorentino Montelupo Fiorentino is a '' comune'' (municipality) in t ...

(ED161) and Stadler FLIRT³ (ED160)

s. In addition to the EMU trains are served with refurbished cars pulled by EU07, EP07, and

locomotives.

Portugal

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, InterCidades trains are operated by state-owned Comboios de Portugal (CP). All routes (except Casa Branca to Beja) are operated using a 5600 Series electric locomotives pulling Corail and Modernized Sorefame passenger cars, all capable of running at a maximum speed of 200 km/h. This services have a Bar car and bicycle space. The Casa Branca to Beja Shuttle service is operated using two 0450 Series DMUs with airline style interiors at a maximum speed of 120 km/h. Although this service is branded as InterCidades, it is truly a stopper service (like a Regional service) with lower comfort standards and no Bar car or vending machines. This service is expected to have a quality boost when the new Stadler FLIRT BMU units enter operations sometime after 2025. The InterCidades network can be divided into the following: * InterCidades Norte: connects

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

with

northern Portugal The North Region ( pt, Região do Norte ) or Northern Portugal is the most populous region in Portugal, ahead of Lisbon, and the third most extensive by area. The region has 3,576,205 inhabitants according to the 2017 census, and its area is with ...

. It complements the Alfa Pendular services so that, in average, there is one train per hour between Lisbon and

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

. It has the following routes and frequencies: ** Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Porto (Campanhã): 3 trains per day; ** Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Porto (Campanhã) - Braga: 2 trains per day; ** Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Porto (Campanhã) -

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and a ...

: 1 train per day; ** Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Porto (Campanhã) -

Viana do Castelo Viana do Castelo () is a municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 88,725, in an area of 319.02 km². The urbanized area of the municipality, comprising the city, ...

: 1 train per day - Saturday service terminates at Porto and Sunday service begins at Porto; *Intercidades Beira Alta: connects

with Guarda via Coimbra and Mangualde through the Portuguese central highlands. It complements the InterCidades Norte services between Lisbon and Coimbra and has the following route and frequencies: ** Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) -

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto, and Bra ...

- Guarda: 3 trains per day; *Intercidades Beira Baixa: connects Lisbon with Covilhã via Abrantes and Castelo Branco following most of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...

valley before turning north towards the Portuguese central highlands. It complements the InterCidades Norte services between Lisbon and

Entroncamento Entroncamento () is a Portuguese municipality in district of Santarém in the Médio Tejo Subregion (''Middle Tagus'') of the Centro Region. The population in 2011 was 20,206, in an area of 13.73 km². Situated in the Ribatejo, it benefits f ...

and has the following route and frequencies: ** Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) -

- Covilhã: 3 trains per day; *InterCidades Alentejo: connects Lisbon with the

Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

capitals of Évora and Beja through the Alentejo plains. It has the following route and frequencies: ** Lisbon (Oriente) - Casa Branca -

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old to ...

: 4 trains per day on weekdays and 3 trains per day on weekends and holidays; **Casa Branca - Beja: 4 trains per day on weekdays and 3 trains per day on weekends and holidays; *InterCidades Sul: connects Lisbon with Faro through the Alentejo plains and the

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

Hills. It complements the two daily Porto - Faro Alfa Pendular services and has the following route and frequencies: ** Lisbon (Oriente) - Faro, Portugal, Faro: 3 trains per day with one extra summer Fridays service to Faro and one extra summer Sundays service to Lisbon. ''Note: All frequencies listed above refer to round trips, so 1 train per day means 1 train per day each way.''

Romania

Currently InterCity lines link the capital Bucharest to Brașov, Arad, Romania, Arad, Oradea, Cluj-Napoca, Târgu Mureș, Galați (all once daily), Suceava, Iași (twice daily), Piatra Neamț (once daily), Bacău (4x daily), Ploiești (6x daily), Craiova (twice daily) and Timișoara (once daily). There are also international trains branded as InterCity between the Hungarian capital, Budapest and some Transylvanian cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Târgu Mureș, Brașov, and others. These trains usually have specific names (Harghita, Ady Endre, etc.). In the case of IC service running partially or totally on electrified lines as well as international IC-s locomotive-hauled trains are used. For some trains running exclusively on unelectrified lines (mainly in northern Transilvania) Siemens Desiro DMU-s are preferred. These trainsets look similar to standard Desiro DMU-s used for regional trains but have a different interior design with more comfortable seating. All IC trains use 1st and 2nd class coaches with air conditioning, having automatic doors and a higher level of comfort than InterRegio trains. In order to compete with regional airlines, CFR Călători introduced special Business class coaches on the IC trains running between Oradea and Bucharest and Timișoara and Bucharest. The new class can be divided into two slightly different premium service levels, ''Business Exclusiv'' (1A) and ''Business Standard'' (1B). All of these coaches have wireless internet and wall sockets in order to permit the use of laptops, 4 channel audio system, bar, Exclusiv further providing larger space per customer, special leather seating and LCD screens for each seat. The maximum speed on the Romanian Railways network is 160 km/h on the Căile Ferate Române Line 800, Bucharest - Constanța line, 140 km/h on the Căile Ferate Române Line 1000, Bucharest - Ploiești - Câmpina line as well as on some sections of the Căile Ferate Române Line 500, Line 500. The design speed for the rest of the network is either 120 km/h or 100 km/h. In 2014, InterCity trains were replaced in their entirety by InterRegio trains, only to make an illegal comeback (train sets don't respect all the obligatory criteria for InterCity trains ironically signed by the same government a few months prior to their comeback) in 2022, with the new train timelist.

Serbia

Currently InterCity lines link the capital Belgrade to Novi Sad, Subotica and Prijepolje. There is new interCity service between Belgrade and Novi Sad called ''Soko'' witch uses Stadler KISS and speed up to 200km/h.

Slovakia

In the Slovak Republic, InterCity trains run between the capital Bratislava and Košice (some IC trains continued from Bratislava to

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). In the past, the names of some of these trains used to be sold for commercial use (IC Šariš named by beer producer, IC Zelmer named by an electronic devices producer, IC Slovenka (magazine), Slovenka named by a magazine, IC Mora, IC Gorenje, both named after kitchen appliances producers). In 2012, no IC train had commercial name. All IC trains are named by natural monuments (IC Tatran, IC Kriváň, IC Gerlach, IC Rysy, IC Chopok, IC Ďumbier). All IC trains are subject to compulsory reservation to make comfort as high as possible. The seat reservation is included in the ticket price. The price varies, depending on the day of travel, and the time of reservation (the sooner you buy a ticket, the lower the price). In the past, there were also 3 other InterCity services: IC 400/407 Donau (Danube) between Bratislava and Vienna, IC 532/533 Rákoczi from Košice to Budapest and IC 536/537 Hornád from Košice to Pécs. On this train passengers could travel without a reservation or surcharge, since it is impossible to use them for domestic transport in Slovakia. All InterCity trains consist of new comfortable passenger car (rail), cars which are fully Air conditioning, air conditioned. First class travel#Railways, First class and a restaurant car are available on all IC trains. Maximum speed between Bratislava and Nové Mesto nad Váhom has been increased in the recent years and is now 160 km/h. On the rest of the route, maximum speed varies from 80 to 140 km/h. There is a large reconstruction under way between Nové Mesto nad Váhom and Žilina. After the reconstruction is finished, it will be possible to increase maximum speed of this part of the route to 160 km/h.

Slovenia

Intercity trains in Slovenia mainly serve domestic routes, like running from Ljubljana (capital) to Celje, Ptuj, and Maribor. Additionally, there are also available Pendolino electric multiple tilting units ETR 310 (SŽ series 310) labeled as ICS lines connecting Slovenian largest cities, Ljubljana and Maribor and the Mediterranean region of Slovenia, Koper.

Spain

Renfe Operadora, Renfe operates intercity trains in Spain. It was a long-distance train with high frequency. This denomination was created firstly in 1980. It started operating the Electric multiple unit, electric train (EMU) Renfe 444 series, making the Madrid Valencia, -Valencia vía Albacete line. It was capable of doing 140 km/h (87 mph). In 1986 it expanded to Barcelona and Zaragoza, it was capable of doing 160 km/h (99 mph). In 1987 Renfe received new 448 series electric trains, those also being capable of doing 160 km/h. In the main lines this service was combined with fast trains or Talgos. In the less used lines it was a once a day train, as daily fast train. The last line was Irún Madrid, -Madrid, operated by a 448 series. This service closed in 2008. In 2012 they opened new lines with the same denomination, making medium and long-distance routes. The main differences between this line and the other ones is that it has more stops, trains stop in some lines every 15 minutes or less. This service can be divided in 3 categories:
-New lines using old Medium distance tracks, but with more stops.
-Long-distance routes with intercity fares.
-Old MD (Medium distance) lines, some of them are two older MD lines together.

Sweden

During the 1980s, InterCity denoted trains of the highest standard in Sweden, serving as a fast and comfortable connection between major Swedish cities. Trains used to be set up of the most modern cars, always including a restaurant car. During the 1990s the SJ AB, Swedish State Railways introduced the new X 2000 units which replaced the InterCity trains in this role. Since then, the InterCity trains serve an auxiliary role, calling at smaller stations and providing a cheaper alternative for the costly X 2000. They are set up of modernised cars pulled by SJ Rc, Rc6 locomotives with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. They serve the following lines: *Stockholm – Arlanda – Uppsala – Sala, Sweden, Sala – Avesta – Hedemora – Säter – Borlänge – Falun. Some trains continue from Borlänge via Gagnef – Leksand – Rättvik towards Mora, Sweden, Mora; *Stockholm – Arlanda – Uppsala – Gävle – Ljusdal – Ånge – Bräcke – Östersund – Åre – Duved, Sweden, Duved; *Stockholm – Arlanda – Uppsala – Gävle – Söderhamn – Hudiksvall – Sundsvall; *Stockholm – Södertälje – Hallsberg – Skövde – Herrljunga – Gothenburg; *Stockholm – Södertälje – Norrköping – Linköping – Nässjö – Hässleholm – Lund – Malmö; *Gothenburg – Varberg – Falkenberg – Halmstad – Hässleholm – Lund – Malmö; *Luleå – Boden, Sweden, Boden – Gällivare – Kiruna – Narvik. Apart from the SJ, there are other train operators in Sweden who also run trains of a similar type. Only SJ, however, uses the name "InterCity".

Switzerland

Swiss InterCity services started in 1982, replacing the on the line Geneva-St. Gallen. There is no surcharge for InterCity services in Switzerland and the rolling stock consists of three types of formations: * Standard type IV carriages (german: EW IV, Einheitswagen IV) and driving trailers of type IC, the same as on InterRegio services. A normal train composition consists of a Re 460 locomotive, 8 to 12 carriages and a driving trailer. Seating capacity is up to 900, depending on the train composition. Most carriages have a small compartment for storing bicycles and/or skis at one end of the carriage; this end is marked by a bicycle drawn on the outside of the closest doors. The type IV carriages are the least wheelchair friendly as they require climbing the stairs to enter. Overall, 533 carriages and driving trailers are in operation. * Double-decker IC 2000 carriages for lines with heavy commuter load. These trains are also powered by a Re 460 locomotive, can be composed of up to 9 carriages with one driving trailer and offer close to 1,000 seats. At present, about 320 carriages are in use. * A tilting train category called SBB-CFF-FFS RABDe 500, ICN for lines with many curves. These trains are

s and hence require no locomotive. One such multiple unit consists of 7 carriages and has a seating capacity of 480 passengers: 125 in first class, 332 in second class, and 23 in the dining car (which is part of second class). The fleet of ICN trains comprise 44 units. If needed, two ICN trains can be combined to double the passenger capacity. In addition, several type IV carriages can be attached to an IC 2000 train set on the other side of the locomotive, especially if a group reservation requires extra carriages. All carriages are air conditioned. Each train formation has first and second class carriages and, in most cases, a restaurant/bistro carriage. The availability of power sockets is constantly improved, sometimes even in second class. The maximal speed of all train types is 200 km/h, except for about half of type IV carriages that have not yet been upgraded and have a maximum speed of 160 km/h. InterCity trains serve most of Swiss cities and provide direct connections from Zurich and Geneva airports. The InterCity routes within Switzerland according to 2009–2010 schedule include: * Lugano – Bellinzona – Arth-Goldau – Luzern - Zug – Zürich HB; * Interlaken Ost – Interlaken West – ( Därligen – Leissigen – Faulensee ) – Spiez – Thun – ( Münsingen ) – Bern – Olten – ( Liestal ) – Basel SBB; * Brig – Visp – ( Frutigen ) – Spiez – Thun – Bern – ( Olten ) – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Frauenfeld – Weinfelden – ( Sulgen ) – Amriswil – Romanshorn; * Brig – Visp – Spiez – Thun – Bern – Olten – Liestal – Basel SBB; * Chur – Landquart – Sargans – ( Ziegelbrücke ) – Zürich HB – Basel SBB; * Genève-Aéroport – Genève – ( Nyon – Morges ) – Lausanne – Fribourg – Bern – ( Olten – Aarau – Lenzburg ) – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Wil – Uzwil – Flawil – Gossau SG – St. Gallen; as well as the following routes served by tilting SBB-CFF-FFS RABDe 500, ICNs: * Bern – Zürich HB; * Lausanne – ( Renens VD ) – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – ( Grenchen Süd ) – Solothurn – ( Oensingen ) – Olten – Aarau – ( Lenzburg ) – Zürich HB – ( Zürich Oerlikon ) – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Wil – ( Uzwil – Flawil ) – Gossau SG – St. Gallen; * Lausanne – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – Grenchen Nord – Moutier – Delémont – Laufen – Basel SBB; * Genève-Aéroport – Genève – Nyon – Morges – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – ( Grenchen Süd ) – Solothurn – Olten – Aarau – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Wil – ( Uzwil – Flawil ) – Gossau SG – St. Gallen; * Genève-Aéroport – Genève – Nyon – Morges – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – Grenchen Nord – Moutier – Delémont – Laufen – Basel SBB; * Chur – Landquart – Sargans – Zürich HB – Basel SBB; * Chiasso – Mendrisio – Lugano – Bellinzona – ( Flüelen – ) Arth-Goldau – Zug – Zürich HB; * Chiasso – ( Mendrisio ) – Lugano – Bellinzona – Arth-Goldau – Luzern – Olten – Basel SBB.

Ukraine

Intercity+ (max. 160 km/

train services in Ukrain

* Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Kharkiv Railway Station, Kharkiv * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Zaporizhzhia * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Dnipro * Darnytsia Railway Station, Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv railway station, Lviv – Przemysl * Darnytsia Railway Station, Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv railway station, Lviv – Truskavets * Darnytsia Railway Station, Kyiv Darnytsia – Odesa There were trains from Kharkiv and Dnipro to Crimea and from Kyiv to Donetsk. They were suspended in 2014, shortly after Ukraine have lost control of some of its territories. Currently, a shortened connection to Donbas is in service: * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Sloviansk – Kostiantynivka These services are operated by Hyundai Rotem HRCS2 multiple unit, HRCS2, Škoda UZ class 675, KVBZ Ekr1 "Tarpan" trains, and KVBZ "Ukrajina" locomotive-hauled trai

Intercity (70 km/h – 90 km/h) train services in Ukrain

* Darnytsia Railway Station, Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv railway station, Lviv * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Kryvyi Rih * Kharkiv Railway Station, Kharkiv – Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Vinnytsia * Kharkiv Railway Station, Kharkiv – Donetsk (Suspended in 2014) * Dnipro – Donetsk (Suspended in 2014) Intercity and Intercity+ trains are operated by Ukrainian Rapid Railway Company (a branch of Ukrzaliznytsia]

United Kingdom

The term "Inter-City" was first used by state railway company

in 1966, to British Rail brand names, brand all its longer-distance, higher-speed services (the hyphen was dropped shortly afterwards, changing the name to "InterCity"). The brand was closely associated with a new design of carriage, the British Rail Mark 2, Mark 2 which revolutionised levels of comfort on the system. The system was hugely successful and became one of the world's few profitable public railway services. Today, Britain's railways having been privatised, InterCity trains in the UK are operated by many different train companies including Abellio Greater Anglia, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway (train operating company), Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, East Midlands Railway, Hull Trains, Abellio ScotRail and Grand Central (train operating company), Grand Central. Most of these companies operate their services from one of the many London termini, with CrossCountry being the exception, running from Cornwall to Scotland. If travelling via London it is often necessary to change stations: a journey from Norwich to Cardiff would require a transfer from Liverpool Street railway station, London Liverpool Street to Paddington railway station, London Paddington station via the London Underground. Currently, InterCity trains in United Kingdom mainly use Hitachi AT300 in the form of British Rail Class 800, Class 800, British Rail Class 801, Class 801, British Rail Class 800, Class 802 and in the future British Rail Class 803, Class 803, British Rail Class 805, Class 805, British Rail Class 807, Class 807 and British Rail Class 810, Class 810. InterCity 125 (Class 43 power car + 4/5/8 Mark 3 coaches, also named as HST), InterCity 225 (Class 91 + 9 Mark 4 coaches), British Rail Class 90, Class 90 + 8/9 Mark 3 coaches + Driving Van Trailer, Bombardier Voyager, Voyager family classes British Rail Class 220, 220, British Rail Class 221, 221 & British Rail Class 222, 222 (4–7 coach DEMUs), British Rail Class 180, class 180 (5 coach DMUs) and British Rail Class 390, class 390 (9 or 11 coach EMUs) on the Intercity lines. The British Government have named their project to replace the InterCity 125 as well as InterCity 225 as the Intercity Express Programme. The resultant bidding process was won by Hitachi and Angel Trains and resulted in the Hitachi Super Express Trains being introduced, which Hitachi later designated the AT300.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Intercity Rail transport in Europe Trains

History

InterCity by country

Austria

Belgium

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Ukraine

United Kingdom

See also

References

External links