InterCity
Encyclopedia
The term originated in the United Kingdom, with the introduction in 1950 of a daily train of that name running in England between the cities of London and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. This usage can claim to be the origin of all later usages world-wide.
In 1966 British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
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
InterCity (British Rail)
InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....
. 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 German Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
first used the name (then written Intercity) in 1968, denominating special first-class services on the F-Zug train network. Many of the Class VT 11.5
DB Class VT 11.5
The trainsets of Class VT 11.5 were diesel multiple units built by Deutsche Bundesbahn in the 1950s and used for Trans Europ Express services...
diesel multiple units formerly used on the TEE
Trans Europ Express
The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express, is a former international railway service in Europe. At its maximum extent, in 1974, the network comprised 45 trains, connecting 130 different cities.-Origin:...
network were converted for early Intercity services.
In Switzerland, the InterCity replaced the SwissExpress with the 1982 schedule.
An international variant of the InterCity are the EuroCity
EuroCity
EuroCity, abbreviated EC, denotes an international train service within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains with the "IC" label, "EC" trains are international trains that meet certain criteria. The EuroCity label replaces the older Trans Europ Express name for...
(EC) trains which were introduced in May 1987. EuroCity trains consist of high-standard, Air conditioned coaches and are usually subject to on-board border controls. EuroCity trains are run by a variety of operators, for example EuroCity trains running in Germany can be made up by rolling stock of either the SBB (Switzerland), ÖBB
ÖBB
The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...
(Austria) and the SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
(France), but also less commonly by the Czech ČD and the Hungarian MÁV
MAV
The acronym/initialism MAV may have several meanings, including:*Mathematical Association of Victoria of Victoria, Australia*Municipal Association of Victoria of Victoria, Australia*Micro air vehicle, a type of remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicle...
.
Austria
EuroCity
EuroCity, abbreviated EC, denotes an international train service within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains with the "IC" label, "EC" trains are international trains that meet certain criteria. The EuroCity label replaces the older Trans Europ Express name for...
services, even when not leaving the Austrian borders. Modernised stock is used under the brand name ÖBB-IC on the Austrias West railway.
IC-Services by June 2008:
- Vienna Southern Train Station–Bruck/Mur–Klagenfurt–Villach (all 2 hours with several trains running as ÖBBEC)
- Vienna Southern Train Station–Bruck/Mur–Graz Main Station (all 2 hours with several trains running as ÖBBEC, 4 trains heading to Maribor, Ljubljana and Zagreb)
- Vienna Southern Train Station–Wiener Neustadt–Sopron–Csorna
- Vienna Southern Train Station–Břeclav (trains are operating as EC or D for Brno, Praha, Kraków, Warsaw and Berlin)
- Vienna Western Train Station–Linz–Salzburg (trains are operating from 5 am to 10 pm, hourly)
- Graz Main Station–Selzthal–Bischofshofen–Salzburg Main Station (4 trains per day).
- Graz Main Station–Leoben–Bischofshofen–Schwarzach‒St. Veit–Innsbruck (1 train per day, additional trains as ÖBBEC to Bregenz and as EN to Zurich).
- Klagenfurt–(Beograd/Zagreb–)Villach–Bischofshofen–Salzburg Main Station (trains operating every 2 hours, services running to Munich and Dortmund)
- Innsbruck–Bregenz (service is running for Stuttgart and Dortmund).
- Graz Main Station–Klagenfurt (Service is operating as InterCity Bus till the Koralmbahn is opened)
The InterCity Service from Vienna to Salzburg is going to be expanded for an hourly service to Landeck via Innsbruck by December 2008. Also, the Service from Vienna to Graz is going to operate hourly by December 2008.
InterCity stops in Austria:
- West railway: Wien Westbahnhof, Wien Hütteldorf, St. Pölten Hbf, Amstetten, St. Valentin, Linz Hbf, Wels Hbf, Attnag-Puchheim, Vöcklabruck, Salzburg HBF
- South railway: Wien Südbahnhof, Wien Meidling, Wiener Neustadt Hbf, Mürzzuschlag, Bruck an der Mur, Frohnleiten, Graz Hbf, Wildon, Leibniz, Spielfeld-Straß
- Line from Bruck an der Mur to Villach: Bruck an der Mur, Leoben Hbf, Knittelfeld, Zeltweg, Judenburg, Unzmarkt, Friesach in Kärnten, Treibach-Althofen, St.Veit an der Glan, Klagenfurt Hbf, Krumpendorf am Wörthersee, Pörtschach am Wörthersee, Velden am Wörthersee, Villach Hbf
- Line from Villach to Salzburg: Villach Hbf, Spittal-Millstättersee, Mallnitz-Obervellach, Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, Dorfgastein, Schwarzach-St.Veit, St. Johann im Pongau, Bischofshofen, Werfen, Golling-Abtenau, Hallein, Salzburg Süd, Salzburg Hbf
Belgium
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
travels at 200 km/h on the HSL 2
HSL 2
The HSL 2 is a Belgian high-speed rail line between Leuven and Ans. long, all of it dedicated high-speed tracks, it began service on 15 December 2002. As a part of the Belgian railway network, its formal owner is the Railway Infrastructure Fund...
.
Britain
The term "Inter-City" was first used by state railway company British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in 1966, to brand
British Rail brand names
British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards....
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 Mk2
British Rail Mark 2
The Mark 2 family of railway carriages were British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975...
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 National Express East Anglia, CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
, First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
, Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
, East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
, East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
, First Hull Trains and Grand Central. Most of these companies operate their services from one of the many London terminuses, with CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
being the exception, running from Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. If travelling via London it is often necessary to change stations: a journey from Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
would require a transfer from London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
to London Paddington station via the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
.
Currently, InterCity trains in United Kingdom use Intercity 125
InterCity 125
The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
(Class 43 power car + 8/9 Mark 3 coaches, also named as HST), Intercity 225
InterCity 225
The InterCity 225 is a locomotive-hauled domestic train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer...
(Class 91 power car + 8 Mark 4 coaches), Class 90
Class 90
Class 90 may refer to:*British Rail Class 90, a British electric locomotive class*German Class 90 tank locomotives with a 0-6-2T wheel arrangement operated by the Deutsche Reichsbahn and its successor administrations, comprising:...
+ 8/9 Mark 3 coaches + Driving van trailer
Driving Van Trailer
A Driving Van Trailer is a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train. Trains operating with a DVT therefore do not require the locomotive to be moved around to the other end of the train at terminal stations...
, Voyager family
Bombardier Voyager family
The Voyager series is a group of express diesel-electric multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation for service on the UK railway network.-Class 220:...
classes 220
British Rail Class 220
The Class 220 Voyager are a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation in 2000 and 2001....
, 221
British Rail Class 221
The Class 221 Super Voyager is a class of British diesel-electric multiple-unit express trains built by Bombardier Transportation between 2001 and 2002, entering service on 12 April 2002....
& 222
British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
(4-7 coach DEMUs), class 180
British Rail Class 180
The Class 180 is a type of British diesel multiple unit train built by Alstom between 2000 and 2001 for use on then-new express services by First Great Western . They were built at Washwood Heath in Birmingham and are part of the Coradia 1000 family along with the Class 175. FGW stopped using the...
(5 coach DMUs) and class 390
British Rail Class 390
The Class 390 Pendolino is a type of train used in Great Britain. They are electric multiple units using Fiat's tilting train pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fifty-three 9-car units were originally built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line , with...
(9 carriage EMUs) on the Intercity lines.
The British Government have named their project to replace High Speed Trains as the Intercity Express Programme
Intercity Express Programme
The Intercity Express Programme is an initiative of the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom to procure new trains to replace the InterCity 125 fleet on the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line, as well as replacing other trainsets on long distance services from London to...
.
Croatia
InterCity trains in Croatia mainly serve domestic routes from Zagreb (capital) to Split, and from Zagreb to Osijek. The coaches used are similar to the ones used in Germany by DB.Czech Republic
In the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, the IC trains service the following routes:
- BohumínBohumínBohumín is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
–BřeclavBreclavBřeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, approximately 55 km southeast of Brno. It is located at the border with Lower Austria on the Dyje River. The nearest large town on Austrian territory is Hohenau an der March...
, - BohumínBohumínBohumín is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
–PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, - TřinecTrinecTřinec is a town in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town has 37,405 inhabitants as of 2009, in 2001 17.7% of the population were Poles...
–PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, - ChebChebCheb is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with about 33,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Ohře , at the foot of one of the spurs of the Smrčiny and near the border with Germany...
–PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
(served by Pendolino tilting trainsets), - HavířovHavírovHavířov is a city in the Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has 82,768 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the region. It is the largest town in the country without a university...
–PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
Most of the IC relations are served by trains of state-owned operator České dráhy
Ceské dráhy
České dráhy or Czech Railways is the main railway operator of the Czech Republic. In 2010 its consolidated revenues reached CZK 41.0 bn...
with speeds up to 160 km/h, while the last one is served by trains of private operator RegioJet
RegioJet
RegioJet is a private railway operator in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is a subsidiary of Student Agency partnered with Keolis.-Routes:In the Czech Republic, RegioJet operates trains between Prague and Havířov...
with speed up to 140 km/h. No surcharge is applied to IC trains.
The state-owned operator České dráhy
Ceské dráhy
České dráhy or Czech Railways is the main railway operator of the Czech Republic. In 2010 its consolidated revenues reached CZK 41.0 bn...
also serves line Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
–Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
(with some connections extended to Bohumín
Bohumín
Bohumín is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
and Třinec
Trinec
Třinec is a town in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town has 37,405 inhabitants as of 2009, in 2001 17.7% of the population were Poles...
) with Pendolino
Pendolino
Pendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
trainsets under designation "SuperCity", which conforms to IC standard. A surcharge of Czech koruna
Czech koruna
The Czech koruna or Czech crown has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 8 February 1993 when, together with its Slovak counterpart, it replaced the Czechoslovak koruna at par....
200 is applied on these trains.
Denmark
The Intercity network of the Danish State Railways consists of IC trains and their faster version, Lyntog (Lightning Train), which is identical but with less stops. Each train type operates hourly between the eastern terminus at Copenhagen and westwards to OdenseOdense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
–Århus–Ålborg, and less frequently to alternative destinations in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
. These are run by IC3
IC3
The IC3 is a Danish-built high-comfort medium/long distance diesel multiple-unit train. The sets were built by ABB Scandia . This train model has been operating in Denmark and Sweden since 1989...
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
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
and alternately Esbjerg
Esbjerg
Esbjerg Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Johnny Søtrup, from the Venstre political party...
/Sønderborg
Sønderborg
Sønderborg Municipality , is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark partially on the Jutland peninsula and partially on the island of Als in south Denmark, at the border with Germany. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 76,236...
. 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 a few IR trains during Friday and Sunday peak hours between Copenhagen and Århus. These are locomotive-run and have bilevel car
Bilevel car
The bilevel car or double-decker coach is a type of rail car that has two levels of passenger accommodation, as opposed to one, increasing passenger capacity ....
s. The IC3 trains are planned to be replaced by new IC4
IC4
The IC4 is an inter-city train built by Italian AnsaldoBreda for the trans-Great Belt routes of Danske Statsbaner , Denmark's national railway operator. Under DSB's ‘Good trains for everyone’ plan , the intent of the IC4 project was to replace several types of outdated rolling stock...
trains, originally in 2001. They first ran with passengers in 2008, but haven't nearly replaced the IC3
IC3
The IC3 is a Danish-built high-comfort medium/long distance diesel multiple-unit train. The sets were built by ABB Scandia . This train model has been operating in Denmark and Sweden since 1989...
yet.
Finland
In Finland, VRVR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
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
VR blue carriages
The VR classes Eit, Eip and Ein , better known as blue carriages due to their colour, are passenger cars built between 1961 and 1985 for long-distance passenger travel in Finland...
express trains, are being withdrawn off the schedules. The train tickets include an additional surcharge compared to ordinary express trains: 17 to 27% depending of the journey length.
VR operates both ordinary InterCity trains (IC) and 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. IC cars have separately ventilated smoking cabins instead of smokers' compartments; IC² trains are smoke-free.
The trains run at a maximum speed of 140–160 km/h for single-decker trains and up to 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph) for double-deckers, which was VR's aim in 1988. Only the Pendolino
VR Class Sm3
The Sm3 Pendolino is a class of high-speed body-tilting trains operated by VR Group. It is a member of the Pendolino train family; its design is based on the ETR 460. The first two trainsets were assembled in Finland by Rautaruukki-Transtech in the mid-1990s...
and Allegro trains are faster than InterCity trains in Finland.
Germany
In Germany, the InterCity network was launched in 1971 to accompany and eventually replace the Trans Europ ExpressTrans Europ Express
The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express, is a former international railway service in Europe. At its maximum extent, in 1974, the network comprised 45 trains, connecting 130 different cities.-Origin:...
trains. At first, IC services were first-class only, often using TEE stock and the then-new Class 103
DB Class 103
The Baureihe 103 is a class of electric locomotives in Germany, originally operated by Deutsche Bundesbahn. For a long period, they were perceived as flagships of the DB rolling stock.- Development :...
locomotives. Trains ran bi-hourly. DB paid a royalty fee to BR
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
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
In 1985, with many of the TEE trains gone and the introduction of the InterRegio
InterRegio
The InterRegio is a train service seen in some European countries. Mostly they are trains that run "from region to region", as best described by Swiss Federal Railways.-Switzerland:...
, the network was expanded again, now covering virtually any major city of then-West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. It faced further changes after the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
and the introduction of the InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
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.
Hungary
Intercity train services in Hungary:- Budapest Keleti pu– MiskolcMiskolcMiskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
–Tiszai–DebrecenDebrecenDebrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
–Budapest Nyugati pu (Circle-IC, every 2 hours) - Budapest Keleti pu–MiskolcMiskolcMiskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
–Tiszai (every 2 hours) - Budapest Nyugati pu–NyíregyházaNyíregyháza- Tourist sights :Nyíregyháza also has several museums and exhibitions, showing the city's rich cultural heritage.* Collection of the International Medallion Art and Small Sculpture Creative Community of Nyíregyháza-Sóstó – periodic exhibitions of works of contemporary artists-Twin towns — Sister...
(every 2 hours) - Budapest Nyugati pu–SzegedSzeged' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
(every hour) - Budapest Keleti pu–GyőrGyor-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...
–SopronSopronIn 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
and SzombathelySzombathelySzombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...
(every 4 hours) - Budapest Keleti pu–PécsPécsPécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economical centre of Baranya county...
(every 2–3 hours) - Budapest Keleti pu–Nagykanizsa and KeszthelyKeszthelyKeszthely is a Hungarian city of 21,100 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton. It's the second largest city by the lake after Siófok....
(Kanizsa-Zala IC, Mura-Helikon IC) - Budapest Déli pu–Kaposvár–Nagykanizsa (Somogy IC)
- Budapest Keleti pu–BékéscsabaBékéscsabaBékéscsaba is a city in Southeast Hungary, the capital of the county Békés.- Geography :According to the 2001 census, the city has a total area of .- Name :...
–TimişoaraTimisoaraTimișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
/Târgu Mureş/SimeriaSimeriaSimeria is a town in Hunedoara County with a population of just under 14,000, and an important railway junction with hump yard. Six villages are administered by the town: Bârcea Mare, Cărpiniş, Simeria Veche, Sântandrei, Şăuleşti and Uroi....
/BraşovBrasovBrașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
/Bucoresti-Nord( (every 2h))
The Hungarian intercity trains are operated by MAV-START, the Hungarian railway company.
Ireland
In the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Iarnrod Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
introduced the brand name InterCity in 1987, replacing the previous name of Mainline. Initially applied to services operated by British Rail Mark 3
British Rail Mark 3
British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...
trains, it was later extended to include all services not part of the Dublin Suburban Rail
Dublin Suburban Rail
The Dublin Suburban Rail network, , is a railway network that serves the city of Dublin, Ireland, most of the Greater Dublin Area and outlying towns...
network. Today the brand encompasses services between Dublin and Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
, Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, Westport
Westport, County Mayo
Westport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean....
, Rosslare
Rosslare Strand
Rosslare Strand, or simply Rosslare , is a village and Seaside resort in County Wexford, Ireland. The name Rosslare Strand is used to distinguish it from the nearby community of Rosslare Harbour, site of the Rosslare Europort....
, Ballina
Ballina, County Mayo
Ballina is a large town in north County Mayo in Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountain range to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west...
, and Ennis
Ennis
Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....
, as well as some regional services. A new InterCity logo was introduced in 2006, though as of July 2007 the vast majority of rolling stock still bears the original script logo and orange-tan livery. By the time Ireland completes its replacement of the old Mk2 and Mk3 stock it will have the most modern intercity fleet in the world.
Northern Ireland Railways
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways and for a brief period of time, Ulster Transport Railways , is the railway operator in Northern Ireland...
and Iarnrod Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
both formerly operated trains on the Dublin–Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
line under the InterCity brand, however this was replaced with the revived Enterprise brand name upon the introduction of the De Dietrich Ferroviaire
De Dietrich Ferroviaire
De Dietrich Ferroviaire is a French manufacturer of railway rolling stock based in Reichshoffen, France. It was formed as a division of the De Dietrich group, which has a ....
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 net that links the main cities of the countryItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The fundamental lines run from North to South, skirting Thyrrenian and Adriatic seas, linking cities like Milan, Turin, Genoa, Venice, Ferrara and Bologna with Florence, Rome, Naples, Bari, Reggio Calabria and Palermo, and from West to East in the North, connecting Turin, Milan, Venice, Trieste and Po river plain provinces.
The fleet consists in first and second class wagons, generally divided in six seats compartments. The new wagons, called InterCity Plus, have renovated interiors and a richer equipment, like sockets for PC or mobile phones.
Netherlands
NS Intercity Materieel
The Intercity Materieel or ICM is an Electric Multiple Unit train type operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen in The Netherlands. The prototypes were built in 1977 and production started in 1983 until 1994 by Talbot....
(called Intercitymaterieel or Plan Z) multiple unit, locomotive-hauled intercity coaches (called Intercityrijtuigen or ICR) as well as the IRM double decker trains, though Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands.Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national railinfrastructure, operated by ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003...
also acquired a number of ex-DB
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
express coaches for locomotive-hauled services.
See also types of train service in the Nederlands.
Poland
In Poland IC trains operated by PKP IntercityPKP Intercity
PKP Intercity is a company of PKP Group responsible for long-distance passenger transport. It runs about 350 trains daily, connecting mainly large aglomerations and smaller towns, also servicing most of the international trains....
S.A. service the following routes:
- Warsaw–Kraków with speed up to 160 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–Wrocław with speed up to 160 km/h
- Warsaw–Poznań–Szczecin with speed up to 160 km/h
- Warsaw–Gdańsk–Gdynia with speed up to 120 km/h
- Warsaw–Dęblin–Lublin (until 2002) with speed up to 140 km/h
- Gdynia–Warsaw–Kraków with speed up to 160 km/h
- Gdynia–Warsaw–Gliwice with speed up to 160 km/h
- Szczecin–Berlin–Amsterdam Zuid WTC–Schiphol (jointly operated by PKP Intercity and Deutsche BahnDeutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
)
It should be noted that, apart from a single railway line (line nr 4, aka Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa–Central Railway Route), average speeds are much lower.
These trains mostly use the locomotive named EP09, sometimes EP07
Portugal
In Portugal InterCidades trains operated by state onwed CP run in the following routes:- Lisbon–Coimbra–Porto–Guimarães (where they complement the [Alfa Pendular] high-speed trains on a one-per-hour schedule), corail coaches at 200 km/h
- Lisbon–Coimbra–Guarda, three trains a day with corail coaches at 200 km/h
- Lisbon–Entroncamento–Castelo Branco–Covilhã, three trains a day with refurbished coaches at 160 km/h
- Lisbon–Faro, three (with a forth train on Friday (Lisbon - Faro), Sunday (Faro - Lisbon) becoming daily both ways in the Summer) at 160 km/h complemented by two daily Alfa Pendular runs each way at 200 km/h
- Lisbon-Évora four trains (three in weekends) with 5600's engines at 200Km/h. The connecting Beja shuttle is also branded IC despite sttopping at all stations.
Romania
Currently InterCity lines link the capital BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
to Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
, Arad
Arad, Romania
Arad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the Crişana region, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a training...
, Oradea
Oradea
Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
, Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, Targu Mureş, Galați
Galati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
(all once daily), Suceava
Suceava
Suceava is the Suceava County seat in Bukovina, Moldavia region, in north-eastern Romania. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1388 to 1565.-History:...
, Iași
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
(twice daily), Piatra Neamţ
Piatra Neamt
Piatra Neamț , , ; is the capital city of Neamţ County, in the historical region of Moldavia, eastern Romania. Because of its privileged location in the Eastern Carpathian mountains, it is considered one of the most picturesque cities in Romania...
(once daily), Bacău
Bacau
Bacău is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. It covers a land surface of 43 km², and, as of January 1, 2009, has an estimated population of 177,087. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Bistriţa River...
(4x daily), Ploiești
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
(6x daily), Craiova
Craiova
Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
(twice daily) and Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
(once daily).
Maximum speed is 140 km/h on Bucharest-Campina, 120 km/h on all other lines.
Serbia
Currently InterCity lines link the capital BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
to Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
, Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
and Prijepolje
Prijepolje
Prijepolje is a town and municipality in the Zlatibor District of Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the municipality of Prijepolje has a population of 36,713 people, while the town itself has a population of 13,068...
.
Slovakia
In the Slovak Republic InterCity trains run between the capital BratislavaBratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and Košice
Košice
Košice is a 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...
(some trains continue from Bratislava to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
). Names of some of these trains are sold for commercial use (IC 402/403 Šariš
Šariš
For the beer brand see Šariš .Šariš is the traditional name of a region situated in northeastern Slovakia. It encompasses the territory of the former Sáros county.-History:...
named by beer producer, IC 500/501 Zelmer named by an electronic devices producer and IC 511 Slovenka named by a magazine). There is currently only one non-sold InterCity name on this route - IC 404/405 Tatran. These train are subject to compulsory reservation which costs 66 cents or 2,65€
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
(depending on travel day) to make comfort as high as possible. There is also an InterCity surcharge of 1,32€. Reservation is not necessary between Bratislava and Vienna. Surcharge is not necessary when passengers travel with an international ticket.
There are also 3 other InterCity services: IC 400/407 Donau (Danube) between Bratislava and Vienna, IC 532/533 Rákoczi
Rákóczi
The Rákóczi were a Hungarian noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary between the 13th century and 18th century. Their name is also spelled Rakoczi and Rakoczy in some foreign sources....
from Košice to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and IC 536/537 Hornád
Hornád
Hornád or Hernád is a river in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary.It is a tributary to the river Sajó, which is itself a tributary to the river Tisza. The source of the Hornád is in the Low Tatra mountains under the Kráľova hoľa hill, southwest of Poprad...
from Košice to Pécs
Pécs
Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economical centre of Baranya county...
. On this train passengers can travel without a reservation or surcharge, since it's impossible to use them for domestic transport in Slovakia.
All InterCity trains are served only with modernized or new comfortable cars which are fully air conditioned
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
. The only exceptions are IC 536/537 services which carry some old Polish cars to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
.
First class is available on all trains and a restaurant car is available on all IC trains except IC 532/533.
On the track between Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and Nové Mesto nad Váhom
Nové Mesto nad Váhom
Nové Mesto nad Váhom is a town in the Trenčín Region of Slovakia.- Geography :District town located at the northern edge of the Danubian Hills at the foothills of the northern end of the White Carpathians, on the Váh river. Other mountains nearby are the White Carpathians and the Považský Inovec...
is speed up to 160 km/h for IC 501 Kriváň, IC 502-503 Gerlach and IC 504 Tatran.
Slovenia
Intercity trains in Slovenia mainly serve domestic routes, like running from Ljubljana (capital) to Celje, Ptuj, and Maribor. However, that country is now replacing the old trains by new ICN trains, which is equivalent to ICE in Germany and Austria. The coaches used are similar to the ones used by DB.Switzerland
- Standard type IV carriages and driving trailers of type IC, the same as on InterRegioInterRegioThe InterRegio is a train service seen in some European countries. Mostly they are trains that run "from region to region", as best described by Swiss Federal Railways.-Switzerland:...
services. A normal train composition consists of a Re 460 locomotive, 8 to 12 carriages and a driving trailer. Seating capacity is up to 900, depending on the train composition. Most carriages have a small compartment for storing bicycles and/or skis at one end of the carriage; this end is marked by a bicycle drawn on the outside of the closest doors. The type IV carriages are least wheelchair friendly as they require climbing the stairs to enter. Overall, 533 carriages and driving trailers are in operation. - Double-decker IC 2000IC 2000The IC 2000 is a double-deck train in Switzerland and is run by Swiss Federal Railways 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 seats, according to SBB...
carriages for lines with heavy commuter load. These trains are also powered by a Re 460 locomotive, can be composed of up to 9 carriages with one driving trailer and offer close to 1,000 seats. At present, about 320 carriages are in use. - A tilting trainTilting trainA tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to...
category called ICN for lines with many curves. These trains are electric multiple unitElectric multiple unitAn 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 number of the carriages...
s and hence require no locomotive. One such multiple unit consists of 7 carriages and has a seating capacitySeating capacitySeating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
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 - 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 - Arth-Goldau - Zug - Zürich HB;
- Chiasso - ( Mendrisio ) - Lugano - Bellinzona - Arth-Goldau - Luzern - Olten - Basel SBB.