The Intercity Materieel or ICM (''English'' – Intercity Material or Intercity Rolling Stock) is an

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 ...

(EMU)

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

type operated by 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 ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The train received the nickname Koploper, because it had a so-called "walk through head". After these trains were modernized, the "walk through heads" were removed. The modernized train sets are referred to as Intercity Materieel Modern (ICMm). The prototypes were built in 1977, with full-scale production lasting from 1983 to 1994 by

Talbot Talbot was an automobile marque introduced in 1902 by English-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot ...

. The first train sets came into service in 1977. The trains run daily on the Dutch rail network and, together with the VIRM, form the most important equipment on services connecting the Randstad with the rest of the country.

Names

* Intercity Materieel * Koploper * ICM * ICMm ICM is short for "Intercity Materieel", which means "Intercity rolling stock". The "m" in ICMm indicates that it is modernized.

General information

The trains are designed for long-distance

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. Their maximum allowed operating speed is 140km/h, although their engines are designed to reach a top speed of 180km/h. Their cabs are on the roof, which initially allowed through gangways between sets when coupled together, though the gangways were removed during their refurbishment, as they were deemed too unreliable. Refurbishment of sets began in late 2006 and was completed in 2011. The trains have compartments in the 1st class accommodation.

Subseries

ICM-0

In 1977, a prototype batch numbered 4001–4007 were delivered. They first operated between

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Venlo and then later between

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 ...

and

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 ...

. These were taken out of service in 2003, as NS considered them to be too expensive to keep running.

ICM-1 and ICM-2

These were numbered 4011–4097 and were first introduced into service in 1983. All were delivered by 1990. These had been adjusted to remove the faults of the ICM-0. 4051–4097 are

Thyristor A thyristor () is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating P- and N-type materials used for high-power applications. It acts exclusively as a bistable switch (or a latch), conducting when the gate receives a current ...

controlled.

ICM-3 and ICM-4

Between 1990 and 1994, 50 4-car units were delivered, numbered 4201 – 4250. These have track brakes. Between 1996 and 2007, unit 4231 had a full coach converted to 1st class and was renumbered 4444. This unit only operated one train a day between

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

and

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. It has since been converted back to a regular carriage, but it continued carrying number 4444 at first. After its revision in 2011, this unit was given its original number (4231) back.

Walk through head

The train's name Koploper means "Frontrunner" but the name can also be seen as a reference to "walking through the head" (" Headwalker"(Dutch: "Doorloopkop")). When ICM units joined, the doors at the end of the train would open, and a walkway would emerge, coupling with the other set and allowing passengers and crew to walk through to the next set. (This makes it easy for conductors to check tickets and check on the security of the passengers. In addition, each set had catering cars before they were abolished in 2003). Starting from 2005 these gangways were no longer used. The reason given was that they were not often used, but they also had many technical problems that made the trains late on a regular basis. During their refurbishment from 2006 onwards, these hallways were permanently sealed shut and the doors at the heads of the train were replaced by a light polyester plate, saving the NS maintenance costs.

Refurbishment and renewal

From November 2006, the Koploper went through a process of refurbishment. The first train left NedTrain's workshop in

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

in April 2007 and then put into the regular service. To distinguish the not yet modernized sets from the modernized sets, modernized train sets are referred to as ICMm. These sets feature new interiors with 13% more seats. One could distinguish apparent differences between 1st and 2nd class. The first class consists of red seats and second class consists of blue seats, equal to SGMm units. Other improvement include the addition of a wheelchair toilet, air conditioning, OBIS, and digital travel information. On the exterior, the train sets were repainted showing blue window surrounds curving at the ends of units. Numbers are now nearer the front of the train. The connectors diverting the train compartments were revealed and digital destination screens were put at the trains ends. The renewal of the series 4011–4097 was completed in June 2010. Refurbishing and renewing of the 4-car units took place between February 2010 and July 2011.

Adverts

Olympische Koploper (ICM), Utrecht Centraal

Between 1986 and 2002 many sets featured adverts. * In 1986, in relation to the opening of the Amsterdam–Schiphol railway line, two units were painted in the colours of airplanes; 4011 was painted in

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...

colours and 4012 in the colours of Martinair * 4011, 4012 and 4024 were painted in the colours of Aegon * 4050 was painted in the colours of Randstad and later in De Lage Landen colours * 4023 advertised the Groninger Museum, but in NS colours from 1999; this train had white doors at the end and also featured altered interiors * 4028 was temporarily stickered as a Children's Book Week Train in 2004 * 4201, 4240 and 4241 had Orange Olympic adverts, which featured sportsman on the side of the train. VIRM 9520 and 9525 also featured Orange Olympic adverts; during the refurbishments, these adverts were removed

Services operated

Gallery

File:ICM 2010 Operating Area.jpg, Operating area for the 2010 timetable. File:Interieur-ICM.jpg, 2nd class, unrefurbished interior of 4020. File:Interieur 4023.jpg, The 2nd class interior of 4023, unique design for special livery carried. File:ICM Interieur 1e klas.jpg, 1st class, the unrefurbished interior of 4205. File:ICM 4444.jpg, The 1st class interior of special unit 4444. File:ICMm 4011-Interieur 1e klas.jpg, 1st class, refurbished interior of 4011. File:Interieur 2e klasse ICMm.JPG, 2nd class, refurbished interior. File:4012 ICM.JPG, Refurbished 4012. File:Station Pijnacker 002.png, Olympic set at Pijnacker (Now

RandstadRail RandstadRail () is a light rail network in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area in the west of the Netherlands that is jointly operated by HTM Personenvervoer (HTM) and Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram (RET). It connects the cities of Rotte ...

station). File:Cab End Changes.JPG, The difference in cab ends (Unrefurbished left, refurbished right). File:ICM at Arnhem Velperpoort.JPG, Unrefurbished sets passing through Arnhem Velperpoort in 2007. File:4011 en 4012 in Zwolle.JPG, Refurbished sets 4011 and 4012 at

Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is o ...

. File:Duivendrecht station in 2005 met ICM trein langs perron.jpg, Unrefurbished set at

Duivendrecht Duivendrecht () is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Ouder-Amstel, and lies about 6 km southeast of Amsterdam’s city centre. In fact, it is surrounded by Amsterdam. History The village w ...

(Lower level). File:ICM bij Diepenveen.jpg, Unrefurbished set 4085 approaching

Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...

from Zwolle. File:NS Intercitymaterieel at Amsterdam Centraal 2.jpg, Unrefurbished set at platform 1 of

Amsterdam Centraal Amsterdam Centraal Station ( nl, italic=no, Station Amsterdam Centraal ; abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passengers a day, m ...

. File:ICM in Aegon totaalreclame - Apeldoorn.jpg, ICM with Aegon advert at Apeldoorn. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ns Intercity Materieel Electric multiple units of the Netherlands Waggonfabrik Talbot 1500 V DC multiple units of the Netherlands