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InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance
In West Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn first used the name (then written ''Intercity'') in 1968, denoting special first-class services on the
The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) have operated IC services since 1991. However, contrary to most other countries, these are often little more than
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 interurban 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 and Birmingham. This usage can claim to be the origin of all later usages worldwide. In 1966British 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- 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, 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), 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 of either the SBB (Switzerland), ÖBB (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 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) 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 to Salzburg and Villach.
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 via Linz 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– Linz– Salzburg (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– Villach (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 and Zagreb)
** 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 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, Warsaw and Berlin)
* Enns Valley Railway
** Graz– Selzthal– 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 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
** Salzburg– Wörgl–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 ...
* 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 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 ...
).
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
St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station at St. Pölten, which is the capital city of the federal state of Lower Austria, located in the north east of Austria. The station is one of the western endpoints of the Verkehrsverbund Ost-Reg ...
, 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:
InterCity trains link all major cities of Belgium. Some of them serve also destinations outside the country. The IC between
InterCity trains in Croatia mainly serve domestic routes from Zagreb (capital) to Split and from Zagreb to
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 ''
'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. It faced further changes after the
In Italy, 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.
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
In Poland IC trains operated by 
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),
-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.
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 Swedish State Railways introduced the new
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
Intercity+ (max. 160 km/
train services in Ukrain
* Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Kharkiv * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Zaporizhzhia * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv –
Intercity (70 km/h – 90 km/h) train services in Ukrain
* Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Kryvyi Rih * Kharkiv – Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Vinnytsia * Kharkiv – Donetsk (Suspended in 2014) *
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 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 Zagreb (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. Speeds are up to 160 km/h between Slavonski Brod and Vinkovci. The coaches used are similar to the ones used in Germany by DB.
Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, the IC or Express trains service the following routes: * Bohumín–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 ...
,
* Bohumín– Prague,
*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 ...
– Prague,
* Cheb– Prague (served by Pendolino tilting trainsets),
* Havířov– Prague.
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 Prague– Ostrava (with some connections extended to Bohumín and Františkovy Lázně) with Pendolino trainsets under designation "'' SuperCity''", which conforms to IC standard. A compulsory reservation is applied on these trains.
Denmark
The Intercity network of theDanish 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–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. 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/ 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 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 ...
yet. It is now planned to give the 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 ...
stock a 10-year life extension, and to eventually scrap 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, due to the plague of poor reliability. IR4 stock (Electric version of 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 ...
) will release 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 ...
stock from the Esbjerg Line, allowing some IC3 trains to replace 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.
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, theSNCF
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 ...
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 theTrans 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 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
In Greece, InterCity trains operated by privately owned TrainOSE run in the following routes: * Athens– 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
* Athens– 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
* Thessaloniki– Serres– Drama–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– Nagykanizsa (Somogy IC) * Budapest Déli pu.- Szekszárd- Baja (Gemenc IC) * Budapest Keleti pu– Miskolc– Tiszai– Debrecen– 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,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 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, Limerick, Tralee, Waterford, 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 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 ...
both formerly operated trains on the Dublin– Belfast line under the InterCity brand, however this was replaced with the revived 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
In Italy, 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
Arnhem Centraal railway station is the largest railway station in the city of Arnhem in Gelderland, Netherlands. It was opened on 14 May 1845 and is located on the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway, the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Arnhem–Nijmege ...
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 ...
to 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 and the airport. 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 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:
* Warsaw–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 ...
/ Kraków with speed up to 200 km/h.
* Warsaw–Katowice– Bielsko-Biała with speed up to 160 km/h
* Warsaw–Katowice– Gliwice with speed up to 160 km/h
* Warsaw– Poznań– Wrocław 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– Berlin–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 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 ...
)
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) 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 ...
s. In addition to the EMU trains are served with refurbished cars pulled by EU07, EP07, and 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 ...
locomotives.
Portugal
In Portugal, 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: connectsLisbon
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. 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: 1 train per day - Saturday service terminates at Porto and Sunday service begins at Porto;
*Intercidades Beira Alta: 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 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 - Guarda: 3 trains per day;
*Intercidades Beira Baixa: connects Lisbon with Covilhã via Abrantes and Castelo Branco following most of the Tagus valley before turning north towards the Portuguese central highlands. It complements the InterCidades Norte services between Lisbon and Entroncamento and has the following route and frequencies:
** Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Entroncamento - 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: 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 Hills. It complements the two daily Porto - Faro Alfa Pendular services and has the following route and frequencies:
** Lisbon (Oriente) - 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,Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
, Cluj-Napoca
; hu, kincses város)
, official_name=Cluj-Napoca
, native_name=
, image_skyline=
, subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County
, subdivision_name1 = Cluj County
, subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status
, subdivision_name2 ...
, Târgu Mureș, Galați
Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...
(all once daily), Suceava, Iași
Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...
(twice daily), Piatra Neamț
Piatra Neamț (; german: Kreuzburg an der Bistrița (Siret), Bistritz; hu, Karácsonkő) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in northeastern Romania. Because of its privileged location in the Easter ...
(once daily), Bacău (4x daily), Ploiești (6x daily), Craiova
Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...
(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
; hu, kincses város)
, official_name=Cluj-Napoca
, native_name=
, image_skyline=
, subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County
, subdivision_name1 = Cluj County
, subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status
, subdivision_name2 ...
, Târgu Mureș, Brașov, and others. These trains usually have specific names (Harghita
Harghita (, hu, Hargita megye, ) is a county ( județ) in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc.
Demographics 2002 census
In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a populatio ...
, Ady Endre
Endre Ady (Hungarian: ''diósadi Ady András Endre,'' archaic English: Andrew Ady, 22 November 1877 – 27 January 1919) was a turn-of-the-century Hungarian poet and journalist. Regarded by many as the greatest Hungarian poet of the 20th century ...
, 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
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
) 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
CFR may refer to:
* Caen – Carpiquet Airport in northern France
* Căile Ferate Române, the Romanian state railway
* Canadian Finals Rodeo
* Case fatality rate, term for proportion of people dying of a disease
* Centre for Foreign Relations, ...
introduced special Business class coaches on the IC trains running between Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
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
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
network is 160 km/h on the Bucharest - Constanța line, 140 km/h on the Bucharest - Ploiești - Câmpina line as well as on some sections of the 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 capitalBelgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
to Novi Sad, Subotica
Subotica ( sr-cyrl, Суботица, ; hu, Szabadka) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, ...
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 theSlovak Republic
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, InterCity trains run between the capital Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
and Košice
Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...
(some IC trains continued from Bratislava to Vienna). 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 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
Compulsion may refer to:
* Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so.
* Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by ...
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 car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
s which are fully air conditioned.
First class and a restaurant car
A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant.
It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that do ...
are available on all IC trains.
Maximum speed between Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
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 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 train (EMU) Renfe 444 series, making the Madrid -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 wasIrún
Irun ( es, Irún, eu, Irun) is a town of the Bidasoaldea region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain.
History
It lies on the foundations of the ancient Oiasso, cited as a Roman-Vasconic town.
During the Span ...
-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 Swedish State Railways introduced the new X 2000
X 2000, also called SJ X2 or simply as X2, is an electric tilting train operated by SJ in Sweden. It was constructed by Kalmar Verkstad in Kalmar, Sweden (prior to the company being bought by Adtranz in 1996) and launched in 1990 as a ...
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 Rc6 locomotives with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. They serve the following lines:
*Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
– Arlanda – Uppsala – Sala – Avesta – Hedemora – Säter – Borlänge
Borlänge is a locality in Dalarna County, Sweden with 44,898 inhabitants as of 2020. It is the seat of the Borlänge Municipality with a total population of 51,604 inhabitants as of 2017.
History
Originally Borlänge was the name of a tin ...
– Falun. Some trains continue from Borlänge via Gagnef
Gagnef () is the second largest locality situated in Gagnef Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 1,049 inhabitants in 2010.
Gagnef consists of several small villages: The Church Village, Kyrkbyn, The Station Village, Stationsbyn, Moje, Moje, ...
– Leksand – Rättvik
Rättvik is a locality on the eastern shore of the lake Siljan and the seat of Rättvik Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 4,686 inhabitants in 2010. Its bandy club IFK Rättvik has reached the highest division Elitserien and has bu ...
towards Mora
Mora may refer to:
People
* Mora (surname)
Places Sweden
* Mora, Säter, Sweden
* Mora, Sweden, the seat of Mora Municipality
* Mora Municipality, Sweden
United States
* Mora, Louisiana, an unincorporated community
* Mora, Minnesota, a city
* M ...
;
*Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
– Arlanda – Uppsala – Gävle
Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...
– Ljusdal
Ljusdal () is a locality and the seat of Ljusdal Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 6,230 inhabitants in 2010.
Ljusdal is situated on Riksväg 83 which runs between Tönnebro in Söderhamn Municipality in Gävleborg County and ...
– Ånge
Ånge is a locality and the seat of Ånge Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 2,872 inhabitants in 2010.
Ånge is a railway junction where the northern main line railway (''Norra Stambanan'') connects with the central main line rai ...
– Bräcke
Bräcke is a locality and the seat of Bräcke Municipality in Jämtland County, Sweden with 1,651 inhabitants in 2010.
The community is located next to Lake Revsundssjön, 70 km south-east of Östersund.
The railway has been an importan ...
– Östersund – Åre – Duved;
*Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
– Arlanda – Uppsala – Gävle
Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...
– Söderhamn – Hudiksvall – Sundsvall
Sundsvall () is a city and the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It has a population of 58,807 as of 2020; more than 95,000 live in the municipal area. It is Sweden's 21st largest city by population.
History
Th ...
;
*Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
– Södertälje – Hallsberg – Skövde – Herrljunga
Herrljunga () is a locality and the seat of Herrljunga Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 3,822 inhabitants in 2010.
Overview
The town grew up around a railway junction. From 1906 it had the status of a ''municipalsamhälle'' ...
– Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
;
*Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
– Södertälje – Norrköping
Norrköping (; ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Linköp ...
– Linköping – Nässjö – Hässleholm – Lund
Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...
– Malmö;
*Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
– Varberg – Falkenberg – Halmstad
Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Socia ...
– Hässleholm – Lund
Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...
– Malmö;
*Luleå
Luleå ( , , locally ; smj, Luleju; fi, Luulaja) is a city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban core (2018) and is the seat of Lu ...
– Boden – Gällivare – Kiruna
(; se, Giron ; fi, Kiiruna ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norr ...
– Narvik
( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...
.
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
The Re 460 (popularly known as the Lok 2000) series are modern four-axle electric locomotives of the Swiss Federal Railways. Upon their entry into service in the early 1990s, they replaced the , Ae 4/7, and series units, and displaced many of th ...
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
The IC 2000 is a double-deck train in Switzerland and is run by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) as part of its InterCity service. Top speed is 200 km/h. The train set can be composed of up to 10 coaches and provides close to 1,000 se ...
carriages for lines with heavy commuter load. These trains are also powered by a Re 460
The Re 460 (popularly known as the Lok 2000) series are modern four-axle electric locomotives of the Swiss Federal Railways. Upon their entry into service in the early 1990s, they replaced the , Ae 4/7, and series units, and displaced many of th ...
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 ICN for lines with many curves. These trains are 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 ...
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 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 * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Zaporizhzhia * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv –
Dnipro
Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...
* Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv – Przemysl
* Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv – Truskavets
* 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
Kostiantynivka ( uk, Костянтинівка, ; russian: Константиновка) is an industrial city in the Donetsk Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine, on the river. Administratively, it is incorporated as a city of oblast signific ...
These services are operated by Hyundai Rotem HRCS2
The HRCS2 Hyundai Rotem is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit built by Hyundai Rotem for the Ukrainian Railways.
History
The trains were ordered by Ukrainian Railways in preparation for the football championship UEFA Euro 2012 to transpor ...
, Škoda UZ class 675, KVBZ
Kriukiv Railway Car Manufacturing Plant ( uk, Крюківський вагонобудівний завод, КВБЗ; KVBZ) is a large industrial company in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, manufacturing locomotives and multiple unit trains.
History
Th ...
Ekr1 "Tarpan" trains, and KVBZ
Kriukiv Railway Car Manufacturing Plant ( uk, Крюківський вагонобудівний завод, КВБЗ; KVBZ) is a large industrial company in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, manufacturing locomotives and multiple unit trains.
History
Th ...
"Ukrajina" locomotive-hauled traiIntercity (70 km/h – 90 km/h) train services in Ukrain
* Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Kryvyi Rih * Kharkiv – Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Vinnytsia * Kharkiv – Donetsk (Suspended in 2014) *
Dnipro
Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...
– Donetsk (Suspended in 2014)
Intercity and Intercity+ trains are operated by Ukrainian Rapid Railway Company (a branch of Ukrzaliznytsiabr>United Kingdom
The term "Inter-City" was first used by state railway companyBritish 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 ...
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 Mark 2
Mark 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. In this chapter, the first arguments between Jesus and other Jewish religious teachers appear. Jesus heals a paralyzed man and forgives his sins, m ...
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
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
, Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
, London North Eastern Railway
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by the DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big Four ...
, East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
, Hull Trains, Abellio ScotRail and Grand Central. Most of these companies operate their services from one of the many London termini, with CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
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 London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...
to London Paddington
Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services pro ...
station via the London Underground.
Currently, InterCity trains in United Kingdom mainly use Hitachi AT300 in the form of Class 800, Class 801, Class 802 and in the future Class 803, Class 805, Class 807 and 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), Class 90 + 8/9 Mark 3 coaches + Driving Van Trailer, Voyager family classes 220
__NOTOC__
Year 220 ( CCXX) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Antonius and Eutychianus (or, less frequently, year 973 '' ...
, 221
__NOTOC__
Year 221 (Roman numerals, CCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Vitellius (or, less frequently, ...
& 222
__NOTOC__
Year 222 ( CCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Antoninus and Severus (or, less frequently, ye ...
(4–7 coach DEMUs), class 180 (5 coach DMUs) and class 390
The British Rail Class 390 ''Pendolino'' is a type of electric high-speed passenger train operated by Avanti West Coast in the United Kingdom, leased from Angel Trains. They are electric multiple units using Fiat Ferroviaria's tilting train ...
(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
() is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...
and Angel Trains and resulted in the Hitachi Super Express Trains being introduced, which Hitachi later designated the AT300.
See also
* Train categories in EuropeReferences
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intercity Rail transport in Europe Trains