Train categories in Europe

Railway companies in Europe assign their trains to different categories or train types depending on their role. Passenger trains may be broadly split into long-distance and local trains; the latter having average journey times of under an hour and a range of less than 50 kilometres. Goods trains have their own train types. The names of these train types have changed continually over the course of time.

A train type is not essentially a trademark name. However, there are trademark names that are also used as train types (e.g. CityNightLine, Cisalpino, VogtlandExpress).

European long-distance/high-speed rail brands

Austria

Germany

Switzerland

Private operators (Austria, Germany and Switzerland)

Belgium (

NMBS/SNCB)

; InterCity (IC)
: A train connecting Belgium's major cities. These trains stop at the most important stations only, sometimes crossing national borders as well.
; Rush-hour train (P)
: Additional scheduled train service that is limited to times at which the demand for a certain route is at its highest. The number of stops varies between trains.
; Local train (L)
: Local trains usually connect larger cities, but will stop at (nearly) every station along the way. Similar to German ''Regionalbahn''
; S-trains (S)
: Suburban train connecting towns and cities around Belgium's major cities of Antwerp, Brussels, Charleroi, Ghent and Liege. Stops at (nearly) every station. Each line will have a number (S1 - S20 + S81 for Brussels, S1 + S32 - S34 for Antwerp, S41 - S44 for Liege, S51 - S53 for Ghent and S61 - S64 for Charleroi)
; Tourist train (ICT)
: Additional scheduled train service that is limited to times at which the demand for a certain touristic destination is at its highest. The number of stops varies between trains.
; Extra train
: Additional train service, used in case of exceptionally good weather to accommodate more passengers on routes to the coast or in case of special events such as concerts.
; Eurocity (EC)
: International train meeting certain quality criteria.
; International train (INT)
: Regular international train.
; Thalys (THA)
: High-speed trains to Germany, France and The Netherlands. (operated by SNCF, DB, NS and SNCB/NMBS)
; TGV
: High-speed trains to France. (Operated by SNCF)
; ICE
: High-speed trains to Germany. (Operated by DB)
; Eurostar (EST)
: High-speed trains to France and the UK. (operated by SNCF, SNCB/NMBS and Eurostar UK Ltd.)

Croatia ( Hrvatske Željeznice)

; Eurocity (EC)
: international high-class service express trains
; Intercity (IC)
: national and international express trains
; Intercity Nagibni (ICN)
: national express trains using tilting DMUs
; Brzi vlak (Brzi)
: literally "fast train", lower class national and international long-distance trains stopping in larger towns
; Ubrzani vlak (Ubrz)
: literally "semi fast train", local trains skipping some stations, at the same tariff as regular local trains (putnički)
; Putnički vlak (Putn)
: literally "passenger train", local trains generally stopping at every station.

Czech Republic ( České dráhy)

; SuperCity (SC)
: highest-standard trains requiring reservation, made of modern tilting-train units operating on national and international routes. There is currently (February 2020) only one line: Františkovy lázně - Cheb - Mariánské lázně - Planá u Mariánských lázní - Stříbro - Plzeň hl.n. - Praha hl.n. - Pardubice hl.n. - Olomouc hl.n. - Ostrava-Svinov - Ostrava hl.n.- Bohumín - Český Těšín - Žilina - Ružomberok - Liptovský Mikuláš - Štrba - Poprad-Tatry - Kysak - Košice
; Railjet (rj)
: highest-standard trains, operating on international routes from 2014 (Berlin - Praha – Brno – Wien – Graz).
; EuroCity (EC)
: higher-standard international trains, consisting of new or modernised cars of several rail companies and stopping at selected stations only.
; EuroNight (EN)
: international sleeper trains.
; InterCity (IC)
: the highest category of national trains, with carriages and stopping frequencies comparable to the EC trains. Currently, the IC category is used by the private railway company RegioJet as well as České dráhy.
; Express (Ex)
: faster trains linking regions, mostly faster and more comfortable than the R trains.
; Rychlík (R)
: the lowest category of longer-distance train. Operates on R lines. They are mainly used for getting between districts of a region.
; Spěšný vlak (Sp)
: local trains stopping on selected stations only. Operates on S lines.
; Osobní vlak (Os)
: local trains stopping at every station. Operates on S lines. It is often centered around a larger city (often capital of a region).

Denmark ( DSB and others)

DSB (Danish State Railways)

Arriva

Nordjyske Jernbaner (North Jutland Railways)

Local trains

Light rail

Metro

Finland ( VR)

NOTE: Long distance trains are identified (in passenger information systems) by train number prefixed with the train type abbreviation (e.g. "IC 90"). However, the Helsinki region commuter trains are identified by their "route letters" only (e.g. "K") and usually do not show their train number to passengers at all.

France (SNCF)

SNCF use a different system of trains categories, based on politics wishes and commercial trademarks. Categories do not necessarily match with distance.

; TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse)
: National or international services by high speed trains with supplementary fare, totally or partially on high-speed lines. Similar to Germany's ICE.

; Intercité de Nuit
: Night service

; Intercités
: National services, ever on main lines and/or secondary lines without supplementary fare. Similar to the InterRegio or the Intercity (Paris – Caen – Cherbourg and Paris – Rouen – Le Havre). Have been used to be called Train Inter Regional, but is obsolete.

; TER (Train Express Régional)
: These trains are subsidized by regions and do not designate a precise category, a TER route can be anything from 10 miles to more than 250 miles long. Some TER routes are longer than TGV ones.
: Regional or national services, on main lines or secondary lines without supplementary fare. Used to be similar to the S-Bahn (many stops from a major city on a short distance, urban or suburban service), the Regional or RegioExpress, but can be also similar to the InterRegio-Express or Intercity (Interloire Nantes – Orléans) and the InterRegio (Orléans – Lyon, Toulouse – Clermont-Ferrand).
: Some special regional trains called TERGV (TER and TGV). The TERGV consists in TGV trains subsidized for regional service, though with a supplementary fare compared to the same trip using standard TER service. These trains use the high speed lines (LGV) to quickly link cities such as Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne-sur-Mer to Lille in an hour. Similar services in Europe include Southeastern's Highspeed service.
: There are also TER²⁰⁰, iC TER and Interloire

; thello
:These trains are not operated by the SNCF but by thello, a newly created society owned by Transdev and the FS, between France and Italy, after breaking an alliance between the SNCF and the FS.

Hungary ( MÁV, GYSEV)

;Long distance trains:

; Eurocity (often Railjet)
: international trains

; Intercity
: trains mainly in national services on important long-distance routes often with air conditioning, restaurant car and always seat reservation
; Expressz
: express train with compulsory seat reservation (only summertime)
; Gyorsvonat
: rapid trains on long-distance routes with standard rolling stock
; Sebesvonat
: ''Eilzug'' equivalent
; Interrégió
This trains make connections with Intercity trains from smaller towns. Air conditioned, allowed to travel with bike or wheelchair.

;Local trains:

; Zónázó
: ''RegionalBahn'' or "Regional Express" equivalent
; Személyvonat
: ''Regionalzug'' equivalent
; EURegio
: state-subsidiarised international stopping trains near the Austrian border, connects Győr to Vienna and Wiener Neustadt to Graz via Sopron, Szombathely and Jennersdorf
; Regional-Express
: ÖBB REX trains serve the Vienna-Ebenfurth-Sopron-Deutschkreutz line

Italy (

Trenitalia and others)

''Categories without * are operated by Trenitalia.''

International quality services

These trains are long distance international services generally with mandatory reservation. They are operated by different companies such as Thello (Italy-Paris).

* EuroCity
* EuroNight (night services)
* TGV, operated by SVI (Società Viaggiatori Italia, a company of SNCF)

High-speed trains

* Frecciarossa
* Frecciargento
* .italo (* NTV)

Long-distance services

* Frecciabianca: trains running once every hour or two hours on the most important long-distance routes (replaced most Intercity on main lines as of 13 December 2008)
* InterCity
* InterCity Notte (night services)

Regional and local trains

These categories are also used by regional railways (generally isolated from the national railway network). These trains are financed by administrative regions:

* Regionale Veloce ''"RV"'' (Regio Express ''"RE"'' for the Merano-Malles railway managed by SAD and for Trenord): local or interregional trains only stopping in few selected stations
* Regionale ''"R"'': basic local train, equates to German ''Regionalbahn''
* Suburbano ''"S"'': suburban commuter services, for the Milan suburban railway service (* Trenord)
* Metropolitano: for Naples suburban service's line 2 and trains running from Cagliari to Decimomannu in Sardinia

Circumvesuviana (Naples area)

Circumvesuviana (a group of narrow-gauge railways connecting towns to the south-east of Naples) has a special classification: accelerato, diretto and direttissimo, which was the former classification used by FS. ''Diretto'' is also used by ''Società Subalpina Imprese Ferroviarie'' for the cross-border Domodossola–Locarno railway.

Ireland ( Iarnród Éireann and NI Railways)

Four different train categories are operated in Ireland by NI Railways and Iarnród Éireann.
* D.A.R.T, Rapid Transit train network in Dublin.
* Commuter, Suburban services operated around major cities.
*Intercity, Long Distance or Local Services operated between cities.
*Enterprise, Long Distance service operated Jointly by NI Railways and Iarnród Éireann out of Dublins Connolly Rail Station to Belfast Lanyon Place railway station.

Luxembourg

Because of its small size and its location, Luxembourg has more international trains than national ones.

International trains

* EuroCity (EC)
International trains connecting Belgium and Switzerland through Luxembourg and France (Brussels-South – Basel/Chur/Zurich).
* InterCity (IC)
Long-distance trains from either Belgium (''InterCity J'': Brussels-South – Luxembourg) and Germany (Cologne – Luxembourg).
* InterRegio (IR)
Long-distance trains from Belgium (''InterRegio m'': Luxembourg – Liège/Lier)
* TGV
High-speed train from France (Paris – Luxembourg)
* Intercités de Nuit
Night service from France (Nice – Luxembourg) and Spain (Port-Bou – Luxembourg)
* TER Lorraine
Regional train from Lorraine, France (Longuyon – Luxembourg ; Longwy – Esch-sur-Alzette – Thionville ; Nancy – Luxembourg, French extension to Épinal and Remiremont)
* Regional-Express (RE)
Regional train from Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (Trier – Luxembourg, German extension to Wittlich and Cochern)
* Piekuurtrein/rush-hour train (P)
Regional trains from Belgium, circulating in rush-hour only (Virton – Rodange, Arlon – Rodange)
* Lokale trein/local train (L)
Regional trains from Belgium (Arlon – Rodange – Virton/Gedinne/Libramont)

National trains

* InterRegio (IR)
Long-distance train between Luxembourg and either Diekirch or Troisvierges (extension from Troisvierges with the Belgian ''IR m'')
* Regionalexpress (RE)
Regional trains, including extensions to border stations in France (Volmerange-les-Mines, Audun-le-Tiche, Longwy) and in Belgium (Athus)

Luxembourgish? Foreign?

Some trains are considered both Luxembourgish (by the CFL, according to their map) and from the border country the train is from or crossing (like L and P trains from Belgium, TER from France, RE from Germany), no matter if these trains are really from Luxembourg or not, making these trains more difficult to classify. These difficulties are due to the assimilation of each train as Regionalexpress or InterRegio in Luxembourg (similar name in Germany and Belgium, specific name in France).

Netherlands ( NS and others)

Also see Rail transport in the Netherlands
; Thalys
: High speed train to Belgium and France
; ICE International
: High speed train to Germany and Switzerland
; Eurostar
: High speed train to Belgium, France and the United Kingdom
; Intercity Direct
: Semi high speed trains from Amsterdam to Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, Breda, Antwerp and Brussels
; InterCity
: Brand used by NS for trains linking cities across the country, not calling at every station. Trains to Berlin are also branded Intercity. Typically calling at 25–50% of the intermediate stations they pass, Intercities are comparable to the InterRegio used in many European countries. Some call at every station for a part of their run near their terminus ("zone train").
; Sneltrein
: Brand used by other operators on the regional railways for trains comparable to the Intercity, but typically running shorter distances.
; Sprinter
: NS brand, since 2018 also used by other operators, for local trains calling at (almost) every station on the mainline railway stations
; Stoptrein
: Brand used by other operators for local trains calling at (almost) every station on all stations that are not located on the regional railways.

Poland ( PKP and others)

; EuroNight (EN)
: high quality night train; operated by PKP Intercity
; EuroCity (EC)
: international luxury trains on the most important long-distance routes, must be reserved on domestic routes, up to 160 km/h; operated by PKP Intercity
;Express Intercity Premium (EIP)
: high speed rail, highest-standard trains requiring reservation, made of modern tilting-train units operating on national routes, operated by PKP Intercity using units ED250 Pendolino
; Express InterCity (EIC)
: luxury trains in national services on the most important long-distance routes, must be reserved, up to 160 km/h; operated by PKP Intercity;
:InterCity (IC)
: Trains of new EMUs and refurbished coaches, more comfortable than TLK, in national services on the most important long-distance routes, up to 160 km/h; operated by PKP Intercity;
; Twoje Linie Kolejowe (TLK)
: Fast trains on inter-regional routes; few up to 160 km/h operated by PKP Intercity. Pricing is same as IC.
; InterRegio (IR)
: Few trains between Warsaw and Łódź; cheaper than "TLK", but usually with lower standard, 2nd class only; operated by Polregio. Rolling stock is refurbished EMUs of late 1960s design, speed up to 120 km/h.
; Regio (R)
: local passenger train, 2nd class only; Formerly called "osobowy" and often confused; operated by Polregio.
; Osobowy (os.)
: local passenger train, 2nd class only; operated by Arriva RP (consortium of Arriva and DB Cargo Polska), Koleje Dolnośląskie, Koleje Małopolskie, Koleje Śląskie, Koleje Wielkopolskie, Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna, Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa and Koleje Mazowieckie.
; Szybka Kolej Miejska (Warsaw)
; Szybka Kolej Miejska (Tricity)
: S-Bahn in Tricity (operated by PKP SKM) and Warsaw (operated by SKM Warszawa)

Portugal

CP - Comboios de Portugal (State Owned Operator)

''Long Distance Services''

* Alfa Pendular (AP): Fast tilting trains used on the main North/South lines, only stopping at major intermediate cities with a top speed of 220 km/h. Surcharge payable;
* InterCidades (IC): InterCity trains used on main lines, stopping only at main towns with a top speed of 200 km/h. Surcharge payable;
* Internacional (IN): International night trains Sud-Express (Lisbon- Hendaye) and Lusitânia (Lisbon-Madrid) and day train Celta (Porto- Vigo).

''Medium Distance Services''

* InterRegional (IR): Semi-fast trains used on main lines, stopping at all main towns and some smaller towns with speeds up to 160 km/h;
* Regional (R): Stopping trains used on main lines, stopping at all stations (with some exceptions) with speeds up to 140 km/h.

''Short Distance Services''

* Urbanos (U): Commuter trains used in or around the major cities with speeds up to 140 Km/h.

Leisure Services

* Comboio Histórico do Douro: Douro Valley Line Historic Train (Summer weekends only);
* Comboio Histórico do Vouga: Vouga Line Historic Train (Weekends around some holidays).

Fertagus (Private Operator)

* Urbanos (U): Commuter trains in the Greter Lisbon Area with speeds up to 140 Km/h. Operations limited to the route between Roma-Areeiro - Setúbal.

Romania (

Caile Ferate Romane – CFR)

Current

; Regio (R)
: Local trains, stopping every station, speeds up to 120 km/h.
* Regio Express (RE) – 1st and 2nd class cars
* Regio – mainly 2nd class cars
* Regio Urban/Suburban (RU/RS) – commuter trains, mainly 2nd class cars
; InterRegio (IR)
: Semi-fast trains, usually for long distances, speeds up to 160 km/h, stopping at the main stations and some smaller towns.
* InterRegio – longer distance trains than Regio, only stop in stations where connections to other destinations are available
* InterRegio Night (IRN)- sleeping services assured, frequent stops, may include cars from foreign operators and/or autoracks

Former

; Personal (P)
: Local trains, stopping every station, speeds up to 120 km/h.
; Accelerat (A)
: Semi-fast trains, usually for long distances, speeds up to 140 km/h, stopping at the main stations and some smaller towns.
; Rapid (R)
: Fast trains, speeds up to 160 km/h, stopping on major cities.
; Euronight (EN)
: Night trains, fewer stops only on major cities, speeds up to 160 km/h.
; InterCity (IC)
: Fast trains, speeds up to 160 km/h, stopping on major cities.
* InterCity/EuroCity (IC/EC) – national and international services, stopping in important stations only
* EuroNight (EN) – night services of the IC/EC
* InterCity Night (ICN) – sleeping services assured, important stops only, may include cars from foreign operators and/or autoracks

Russia ( RZD)

Train category is defined by its number's digits.

; 1 to 150 – Skory (Fast)
: All-year long-distance fast trains, mostly overnight. Speeds up to 160 km/h, but usually the average speed is not more than 70 km/h.
; 151 to 298 – Skory Sezonny (Fast seasonal)
: Seasonal fast trains, mostly similar to Skory.
; 301 to 450 – Passazhirsky Dalny (Long-distance passenger)
: Long-distance stopping trains.
; 451 to 498 – Passazhirsky Dalny Sezonny (Long-distance passenger seasonal)
: Seasonal Passazhirsky Dalny services.
; 501 to 598 – Passazhirsky Dalny Razovy (Long-distance passenger one-time)
: Additional or organized children groups carrying Passazhirsky Dalny services.
; 601 to 698 – Passazhirsky Mestny (Local (medium-distance) passenger)
: Stopping trains travelling distances more than 150 km, but less than 700 km.
; 701 to 750 – Skorostnoy (Speedy – like InterCity in Germany)
: Intercity trains.
; 751 to 788 – Vysokoskorostnoy (High-speed)
: High-speed or Intercity-Express trains ( Sapsans, (by Karelian Trains) Allegros).
; 801 to 898 – Obsluzhivaemyj dizel'- ili elektropoezdom (Served by DMU or EMU)
: Mainline passenger trains featuring DMU / (out of the EMU-served Skorostnoy's and (all served by EMUs) Vysokoskorostnoy's) EMU rolling stock. Mostly fast versions of Passazhirsky Mestny.
; 6001 to 6998 – Prigorodny (Suburban)
: Suburban trains (travelling distance up to 150 km, (almost) all-stops services).
; 7001 to 7598 – Skory Prigorodny ili Gorodskoy (Semi-fast suburban or urban)
: Semi-fast suburban trains and urban trains.

Slovakia ( ZSSK)

; SuperCity – pendolino (SC)
: highest-standard trains requiring reservation, operated by modern ČD Class 680 „Pendolino“ tilting-train units of České dráhy (ČD) operating on both national and international routes in cooperation with ČD
; LEO Express (LE)
: private trains, similar to the IC category
; EuroCity (EC)
: high quality, usually long-haul international services between Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany. Surcharge payable when travelling with domestic ticket
; InterCity (IC)
: high quality trains providing only air-conditioned carriages, all trains are between Bratislava and Košice
; EuroNight (EN)
: high quality night train between Košice and Prague and between Budapest and Berlin
; Express (Ex)
: this category is used for trains which operate as EuroCity in other countries, but failed to qualify for EuroCity in Slovakia due to high quality standards given by ZSSK. However, there are also domestic express service from Banská Bystrica to Bratislava (Ex 530/531) and from Košice to Bratislava (Ex 1502, runs on Sundays)
; Rýchlik (R)
: "fast train" – trains for longer routes, usually stops at all towns en route, but not at villages. However, there are also night trains between Humenné and Prague and from Košice to Cheb
; Regional Express (REX)
: local semi-fast train stopping at few stations, modern version of Zrýchlený vlak
:''this category is also used by RegioJet between Komárno and Bratislava''
; Zrýchlený vlak (Zr)
: semi-fast train, today is mostly used Regional Express version; Zrýchlený vlak run from Zvolen to Žilina
; Osobný vlak (Os)
: stopping train, serving all stations
:''this category is also used by RegioJet between Komárno and Bratislava''

Slovenia ( Slovenske železnice Ž

; InterCity Slovenija (ICS)
: modern air-conditioned trains whose tilting technology allows for greater speed and comfort. They enable easier travel for passengers in wheelchairs, as well as offering a range of additional services. A buffet car is available to passengers; for those who travel 1st class, this service is free. 1st class passengers also benefit from access to electrical plug sockets. At some stations free parking is available. ICS trains operate on the Ljubljana-Maribor-Ljubljana route. In the summer season and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, ICS trains also operate along the Maribor-Ljubljana-Koper route and back. Seats must be reserved on all routes and this is included in the rail fare.
; InterCity (IC)
: are high quality trains which operate on long-distance domestic and international routes and connect major cities, and commercial and tourist centres. They consist of comfortable carriages, and have shorter journey times with fewer stops. Most of them also offer catering services. IC services require an additional IC supplement.
; EuroCity (EC)
: are high quality international trains which operate along major international routes and connect important economic and tourist hubs in Slovenia and Europe. Journey times of EC trains are shorter and have fewer stops. Most of them have air-conditioned carriages and offer catering services. An additional supplement is required for travel on EC trains.
; EuroNight (EN)
: are high quality international night trains which include sleepers and couchettes. A supplement is required for a bed or berth. For travel on a domestic EN, as with IC trains, it is necessary to pay a supplement for a seat in a standard carriage. On certain EN trains which operate across Europe, standard international prices apply together with a reservation fee.
; Local Train (LP)
: connects Slovenian towns on shorter and longer routes. These are intended primarily for daily journeys to and from work or to school. Seat reservations and supplements are not required to travel on these trains.

Spain ( Renfe)

; AVE
: High speed trains, speeds up to 310 km/h
: Routes:
*Madrid–Ciudad Real–Puertollano– Córdoba– Sevilla
*Madrid–Ciudad Real–Puertollano–Córdoba– Puente Genil-Herrera–Antequera–Málaga
*Madrid–Ciudad Real–Puertollano–Córdoba–Puente Genil-Herrera–Antequera– Loja–Granada
*Madrid–Guadalajara– Calatayud–Zaragoza– Huesca
*Madrid–Guadalajara–Calatayud–Zaragoza–Lleida– Tarragona–Barcelona
*Madrid–Guadalajara–Calatayud–Zaragoza–Lleida–Tarragona–Barcelona–Girona–Figueres
*Madrid–Valladolid–Burgos.
*Madrid– Segovia–Valladolid– León
*Madrid– Cuenca–Requena-Utiel–Valencia
*Madrid–Cuenca–Valencia– Castellón
*Madrid–Cuenca–Albacete– Villena–Alicante
*Madrid–Cuenca–Albacete–Elche

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