InterCity


InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains generally call at major stations only.
An international variant of the InterCity trains are the EuroCity 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 1966 British Rail 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.
File:IC Steuerwagen.jpg|thumb|right|DB InterCity cab car in Bremen Hbf
In West Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn first used the name in 1968, denoting special first-class services on the F-Zug train network. Many of the Class VT 11.5 diesel multiple units formerly used on the TEE network were converted for early Intercity services.
In Switzerland, the InterCity brand replaced SwissExpress in the 1982 schedule.
In Norway, intercity trains were introduced in 1975 on the Vestfold Line, later also on the Østfold Line. They were 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, and Halden – and also on the Ringerike Line, which is under construction from Oslo to Hønefoss.
An international variant of InterCity, EuroCity, 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, ÖBB, SNCF, and less commonly by stock of the Czech ČD and Hungarian MÁV railways.

InterCity by country

Austria

The Austrian Federal Railways have operated IC services since 1991. However, contrary to most other countries, these are often little more than regional rail, as most long-distance, high-standard trains in Austria are likely to be EuroCity services, even when not leaving the Austrian borders. Modernised stock of Eurofima coaches is used under the brand name ÖBB-InterCity mainly on the Austrian Western and Southern Railways from Vienna to Salzburg and Villach.
The ÖBB also deployed electric multiple unit trains, from 2006 also three ICE T trainsets in cooperation with the Deutsche Bahn, currently running from Vienna to Frankfurt via Linz and Passau. ÖBB high-speed rail service is provided by Railjet trains.
Since 2011, there is an hourly express train service on the Western Railway operated by WESTbahn, the only long-distance competitor of the ÖBB.
IC-Services:
  • Western Railway
  • * Vienna–Linz–Salzburg
  • Southern Railway
  • * Vienna–Bruck an der Mur–Klagenfurt–Villach
  • * Vienna–Bruck an der Mur–Graz
  • * Vienna–Wiener Neustadt–Mattersburg–Sopron–Csorna
  • * Graz–Klagenfurt
  • North railway
  • * Vienna–Břeclav
  • Enns Valley Railway
  • * Graz–Selzthal–Bischofshofen–Salzburg.
  • * Graz–Leoben–Bischofshofen–Schwarzach/St. Veit–Innsbruck.
  • * Klagenfurt–Villach–Bischofshofen–Salzburg
  • Salzburg-Tyrol Railway and Lower Inn Valley Railway
  • * Salzburg–Wörgl–Innsbruck
  • Arlberg railway
  • * Innsbruck–Bregenz.
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.
  • Vienna-Košice Railway.
The IC44 and IC45 trains stop at Bratislava-Petržalka, Bratislava-Nové Mesto, Bratislava Hlavná Stanica, Trnava, Žilina, Poprad, and Kysak; it takes 6:22h for the whole journey.
InterCity stops in Austria:
InterCity trains link all major cities of Belgium. Some of them serve also destinations outside the country. The IC between Liège 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

As of 2024, there are two InterCity services:
  • IC Podravka
  • IC Agram
The coaches used are similar to the ones used in Germany by DB.
Trains Slavonija and Cibalia connecting Zagreb and Vinkovci were part of IC network up to 2023, when they were downgraded to fast train. Speeds were up to 160 km/h between Slavonski Brod and Vinkovci.
Line Zagreb – Split served by tilting trains is designated as InterCity Nagibni.

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, the IC or Express trains service the following routes:
  • Bohumín–Břeclav,
  • Bohumín–Prague,
  • Třinec–Prague,
  • Cheb–Prague,
  • 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 with speed up to 160 km/h. No surcharge is applied to IC trains but RegioJet runs reservation compulsory trains. A third private passenger operator, LEO Express, introduced express InterCity train services between Prague and Ostrava in November 2012, with speeds up to 160 km/h.
The state-owned operator České dráhy also serves the line Prague–Ostrava with Pendolino trainsets under the designation "SuperCity", which conforms to IC standards. A compulsory reservation is applied on these trains, which are allowed to run at speeds up to 200 km/h since 2025.

Denmark

The Intercity network of the Danish State Railways consists of IC trains and their faster version, Lyntog, which is identical but with fewer stops. Each train type operates hourly between the eastern terminus at Copenhagen and westwards to Odense–Århus–Ålborg, and less frequently to alternative destinations in Jutland. These are run by IC3 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 cars. The IC3 trains are planned to be replaced by new IC4 trains, originally in 2001. They first ran with passengers in 2008, but haven't nearly replaced the IC3 yet. It is now planned to give the IC3 stock a 10-year life extension, and to eventually scrap IC4 trains, due to the plague of poor reliability. IR4 stock will release IC3 stock from the Esbjerg Line, allowing some IC3 trains to replace IC4 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. Double-deck InterCity trains have become the standard as the Finnish long-distance rail travel having replaced the blue-carriaged express trains.
The trains run at a maximum speed of up to. Only the Pendolino trains are faster than InterCity trains in Finland.

France

In 2006, the SNCF rebranded Corail, Téoz and Lunéa services as 'Intercités', a brand for all of their 'classic' services day and night.

Germany

In Germany, the InterCity network was launched in 1971 to accompany and eventually replace the Trans Europ Express trains. At first, IC services were first-class only, often using TEE stock and the then-new Class 103 locomotives. Trains ran bi-hourly. DB paid a royalty fee to BR for many years for the use of the brand name.
In 1978, it was decided to expand the IC network to services with both first and second class, and so the new scheme, called IC '79 was launched in 1979 with the motto "Jede Stunde, jede Klasse" 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 German reunification and the introduction of the InterCityExpress 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.