The IC 2000 is a double-deck

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

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and is run by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) as part of its

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

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. In 1997-2004, the consortium, made up of

Schindler Waggon , logo = Logo-schindler.png , logo_size = 200px , image = SchindlerTestTowerHeadOfficeEbikon.jpg , image_size = 250px , image_caption = Schindler Test Tower at the Head Office in Ebikon, Switzerland , type = Public (''Aktiengesellschaft'') ...

Pratteln Pratteln (Swiss German: ''Brattele'') is a municipality in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland, located in the district of Liestal. History Pratteln is first mentioned around 1102-03 as ''Bratello''. Geography Pratteln has an area, ...

(later Bombardier Transportation Switzerland) and

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational corporation, multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the A ...

delivered 341 coaches to SBB, of which about 320 coaches are still in use as of December 2009.

Overview

IC 2000 was the first double-deck train in use on a nationwide scale. Previously, most, if not all, double-deck trains, belonged to the

Zürich S-Bahn The Zürich S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn Zürich) system is a network of rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zürich and portions of neighbouring cantons (Aargau, Glarus, ...

network. The IC 2000 typically has a dining or a bistro car, and a snacks trolley service on the upper level throughout the train set. Both the first and second class coaches feature luggage racks on both decks; in addition, small suitcases can be stored under the seats. In November 2013, the first

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 cou ...

café coaches on SBB-CFF-FFS were launched using two refurbished IC 2000 dining cars, used on a 9-month trial basis on the St. Gallen – Geneva route. The

driving trailer A control car, cab car (North America), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK and Ireland) is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or two driver compartm ...

at the beginning or at the end of the train is either a family coach with a special play area on the upper level or has a family zone, also on the upper level. In either case, there is space on the lower deck of the driving trailer for pushchairs, bicycles, and skis. Trains with family coaches are marked FA in the timetables. 75 first class coaches are equipped with power sockets for charging laptops etc. Trains with such business zones are marked BZ in the timetables and the coaches themselves can be identified by a laptop icon. On certain routes, passengers are able to use mobile broadband internet access for an additional fee. The business zone coaches can be typically found behind the locomotive. The usage of the IC 2000 is now very commonplace in Switzerland. Its "cowlike" black-and-white design, and red doors, make it instantly recognisable. The train exterior was designed by

Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...

, to match the style of the

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 used with the trainset. Due to the frequent use of mobile phones, in December 2008, SBB introduced "quiet zones" in both classes, where "conversation and discussion, even if conducted quietly; listening to music or the radio, even using headphones; using audio and video applications on laptops; and using mobile phones" are prohibited. However, after one year quiet zones have been restricted to some first class coaches only.

IC 2020 Project

In December 2016, Swiss Federal Railways initiated its largest train refurbishment project to date. The entire IC 2000 fleet (a total of 341 coaches) will be refurbished by the end of 2024 at SBB's Olten facility.. The refurbished coaches are expected to operate until 2043, combined with refurbished Re 460 locomotives that are being rebuilt in SBB's Yverdon-les-Bains facility. After the renovation, the coaches will be rebranded as IC 2020. The refreshed livery has a different appearance compared to the original fleet: the coaches are white, with black bands across the window sections and undercarriage. A red stripe runs above the upper deck, and then covers the front section of the driving car. The refurbished coaches also have a new interior design. In contrast to dark tones of the original design, the refurbished interior has brighter tones and materials. 40 first class coaches will include conference tables for business meetings, replacing standard 4/2 person compartments.

Operated Routes

IC1: Genève-Aéroport - Bern - Zürich HB - St. Gallen (partly) IC6: Basel SBB - Bern - Brig (partly) IC8: Romanshorn - Bern - Brig IC61: Basel SBB - Bern - Interlaken Ost (partly) IR15: Luzern - Bern - Lausanne - Genève-Aéroport (partly) IR16: Bern - Olten - Brugg AG - Zürich HB (partly) IR27: Basel SBB - Olten - Luzern (partly) IR75: Konstanz - Zürich HB - Luzern (partly) IR90: Brig - Lausanne - Genève-Aéroport (partly)

References

External links

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Bombardier Transportation AG - IC 2000 Double-deck train
- bombardier-transportation.ch {{High-speed rail Railway coaches of Switzerland Double-decker rail vehicles