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InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the
classification Classification is the activity of assigning objects to some pre-existing classes or categories. This is distinct from the task of establishing the classes themselves (for example through cluster analysis). Examples include diagnostic tests, identif ...
applied to certain long-distance
passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...
services in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. Such trains (in contrast to
InterRegio The InterRegio, often shortened to IR, is a train categories in Europe, train category for mainly domestic train services in use in some European countries, with Swiss Federal Railways operating the most dense network. InterRegio trains are semi ...
,
regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
, local, or
commuter train Commuter rail or suburban rail is a passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Commuter rail systems can use locomotive-hauled tr ...
s) generally call at major
station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
s only. An international variant of the InterCity trains are the
EuroCity EuroCity (EC) is an international Train categories in Europe, train category and brand for European inter-city rail, inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness. E ...
(EC) trains, which consist of high-standard coaches and are run by a variety of operators.


History

The Inter-City Rapid Transit Company was an
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...
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 London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
. This usage can claim to be the origin of all later usages worldwide. In 1966
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
introduced the brand InterCity for all of its express train routes, and in 1986 the term was adopted by the InterCity sector of British Rail. Following the privatisation of the railways in Great Britain, the term is no longer in official use there although many people still refer to fast long-distance services as InterCity trains. The brand still exists though, and belongs to the
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...
. In West Germany, the
Deutsche Bundesbahn Deutsche Bundesbahn (, ) or DB () was formed as the state railway of the newly established West Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remained the state railway of West Germany u ...
first used the name (then written ''Intercity'') 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 A tee is a stand used in sport to support and elevate a stationary ball prior to striking with a foot, club, or bat. Tees are used extensively in golf, tee-ball, baseball, American football, and rugby. Etymology The word tee is derived from t ...
network were converted for early Intercity services. In Switzerland, the InterCity brand replaced SwissExpress in the 1982 schedule. In Norway, ''intercity'' (later also written ''InterCity'') trains were introduced in 1975 on the Vestfold Line (the
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
-
Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...
service), later also on the Østfold Line (Oslo-
Halden Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a List of cities in Norway, town and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, R ...
). They were (relatively) fast trains on distances up to 2–3 hours. Today, the name is used not on the trains, but on the main lines from Oslo to Skien,
Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munici ...
, and Halden – and also on the Ringerike Line, which is under construction from Oslo to Hønefoss. An international variant of InterCity,
EuroCity EuroCity (EC) is an international Train categories in Europe, train category and brand for European inter-city rail, inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness. E ...
(EC), was introduced in May 1987. EuroCity trains consist of high-standard,
air conditioned Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...
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 The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...
of either the
SBB SBB may refer to: Arts and entertainment * SBB (band), a Polish progressive rock band, or their self-titled albums: ** ''SBB'' (1974 album) ** ''SBB'' (1978 album, Amiga) * Seán Bán Breathnach, also known as SBB, Irish TV personality * ''Saa ...
(Switzerland),
ÖBB The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...
(Austria),
SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
(France), and less commonly by stock of the Czech ČD and Hungarian MÁV railways.


InterCity by country


Austria

The
Austrian Federal Railways The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...
(ÖBB) have operated IC services since 1991. However, contrary to most other countries, these are often little more than
regional rail Regional rail is a public transport, public rail transport service that operates between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops than inter-city rail, and unlike commuter rail, operate beyond the limits of urban areas, connectin ...
, as most long-distance, high-standard trains in Austria are likely to be
EuroCity EuroCity (EC) is an international Train categories in Europe, train category and brand for European inter-city rail, inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness. E ...
(EC) services, even when not leaving the Austrian borders (named ''ÖBB-EuroCity'' until 2011). Modernised stock of
Eurofima coach The Eurofima coach, or European Standard Coach (), is a passenger car (rail), passenger car designed for use on international railway routes in Europe. It was commissioned by the European Company for the Financing of Railroad Rolling Stock (Frenc ...
es is used under the brand name ''ÖBB-InterCity'' (OIC) mainly on the Austrian
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
and Southern Railways from
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to
Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
and
Villach Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887. Together wit ...
. The ÖBB also deployed
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
trains, from 2006 also three
ICE T The ICE T or ICE-T, consisting of DB Classes 411 and 415, are German tilting train, tilting electric multiple-unit high-speed trains in service with DB Fernverkehr serving routes within Germany and to Austria. Development Following the succe ...
(Class 411, named ''ÖBB 4011'') trainsets in cooperation with the
Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...
, currently running from Vienna to
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
via
Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...
and
Passau Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...
. ÖBB
high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...
service is provided by
Railjet Railjet is a high-speed rail service in Europe operated by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Czech Railways (ČD). Branded as ''Railjet Express'' (RJX category) for the fastest services and as ''Railjet'' (RJ) for services with additional s ...
(RJ) 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 Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
–
Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...
–
Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
(trains are operating from 5 am to 10 pm, hourly) * Southern Railway ** Vienna–
Bruck an der Mur Bruck an der Mur () is a city of some 15,970 people located in the district Bruck-Mürzzuschlag, in the Austrian state of Styria. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Mur and Mürz. Its manufacturing includes metal products and paper. ...
– Klagenfurt–
Villach Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887. Together wit ...
(every 2 hours with several trains running as EC) ** Vienna–Bruck an der Mur–
Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...
(every 2 hours with several trains running as EC, 4 trains heading to
Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
,
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
and
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
) ** Vienna–
Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; Lower_Austria.html" ;"title=".e. Lower Austria">.e. Lower Austria , ) is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administr ...
– Mattersburg–
Sopron Sopron (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-Várhely. When ...
–
Csorna Csorna is a town in Győr-Moson-Sopron county, Hungary. Csorna is located near the Fertő-Hanság National Park. There are two districts in the town: the Földsziget and the Csatárimajor. Etymology The name comes from Slavic languages, Slavic '' ...
** Graz–Klagenfurt (service is operating as ''Intercitybus'' till the
Koralm Railway The Koralm Railway () is an Austrian 127 km-long (79 mi)Johannes Fleckl-Ernst: ''Geodätische Herausforderungen beim Projekt „Koralmtunnel“''. In: ''Felsbau'', Heft 5/2010, S. 315–321, . Double track, double-track, Railway ele ...
is opened) * North railway ** Vienna–
Břeclav Břeclav (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Located at the Czech-Austrian state border and near the Czech–Slovak state border, it is an important railway hub. Administrative divis ...
(trains are operating as EC or D for
Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
, Praha,
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
,
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
) * Enns Valley Railway ** Graz– Selzthal–
Bischofshofen Bischofshofen () is a List of cities and towns in Austria, town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau District, St. Johann im Pongau in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. It is an important traffic junction located both on ...
–Salzburg (4 trains per day). ** Graz–
Leoben Leoben () is a Styrian city in central Austria, located on the Mur River, Mur river. With a population in 2023 of about 25,140 it is a local industrial centre and hosts the University of Leoben, which specialises in mining. The Peace of Leoben, ...
–Bischofshofen– Schwarzach/ St. Veit–
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
(1 train per day, additional EC trains to
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
and as EN to
Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
). ** Klagenfurt–(
Beograd Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. The population of the Belgrade metropolitan area is 1,68 ...
/Zagreb–)Villach–Bischofshofen–Salzburg (trains operating every 2 hours, services running to
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
and
Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...
) * Salzburg-Tyrol Railway and Lower Inn Valley Railway **
Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
–
Wörgl Wörgl () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, in the Kufstein district. It is from the international border with Bavaria, Germany. Population Transport Wörgl is a railway junction in the line between Innsbruck and Munich, as well as the ...
–
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
*
Arlberg railway The Arlberg Railway (), which connects the Austrian cities Innsbruck and Bludenz, is Austria's only ''east-west'' mountain railway. It is one of the highest standard gauge railways in Europe and the second highest in Austria, after the Brenner ...
** Innsbruck–
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
(service is running for
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
and
Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...
). The InterCity service from Vienna to Salzburg is going to be expanded for an hourly service to
Landeck Landeck () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the capital of the district of Landeck. Geography Landeck is located in the Tyrolean Oberland in the west of the state at an elevation of about . The town is situated in the valley of the Inn ...
via Innsbruck by December 2008. Also, the service from Vienna to Graz is going to operate hourly by December 2008. *Vienna-Košice Railway ( route Vienna-Bratislava-Žilina-Košice mainly on the territory of
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
). 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: * Western railway: Wien Westbahnhof, Wien Hütteldorf, Tullnerfeld, St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof, Amstetten, St. Valentin,
Linz Hauptbahnhof Linz Hauptbahnhof or Linz Central Station is a railway station in Linz, the third largest city in Austria, and capital city of the States of Austria, federal state of Upper Austria. Opened in 1858, the station is the centrepiece of the Linz trans ...
, Wels Hauptbahnhof, Attnang-Puchheim, Vöcklabruck, Salzburg Hauptbahnhof * Southern railway:
Wien Südbahnhof Wien Südbahnhof ( German for ''Vienna South Station'') was Vienna's largest railway terminus. It closed in December 2009 and was demolished in 2010 to be replaced with a new station, Wien Hauptbahnhof. It was located in Favoriten, in the south ...
, Wien Meidling, Wiener Neustadt Hauptbahnhof, Mürzzuschlag, Bruck an der Mur, Frohnleiten, Graz Hauptbahnhof, Wildon, Leibniz, Spielfeld-Straß * Line from Bruck an der Mur to Villach: Bruck an der Mur, Leoben Hauptbahnhof, Knittelfeld, Zeltweg, Judenburg, Unzmarkt, Friesach in Kärnten, Treibach-Althofen, St.Veit an der Glan,
Klagenfurt Hauptbahnhof Klagenfurt Hauptbahnhof (German for ''Klagenfurt Main station''; occasionally translated as ''Klagenfurt Central Station'') is the main railway station in Klagenfurt, capital of the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is an important railway junctio ...
, Krumpendorf am Wörthersee, Pörtschach am Wörthersee, Velden am Wörthersee,
Villach Hauptbahnhof Villach Hauptbahnhof ('Villach Central Station') is the main railway station in Villach, the second largest city in the Austrian state of Carinthia.
* Line from Villach to Salzburg:
Villach Hauptbahnhof Villach Hauptbahnhof ('Villach Central Station') is the main railway station in Villach, the second largest city in the Austrian state of Carinthia.
, Spittal-Millstättersee, Mallnitz-Obervellach, Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, Dorfgastein, Schwarzach-St.Veit, St. Johann im Pongau, Bischofshofen, Werfen, Golling-Abtenau, Hallein, Salzburg Süd, Salzburg Hauptbahnhof


Belgium

InterCity trains link all major cities of Belgium. Some of them serve also destinations outside the country. The IC between
Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
and
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
travels at 200 km/h on the
HSL 2 The HSL 2 (, ) is a Belgian high-speed rail line between Leuven and Ans (near Liège) and is long, all of it on dedicated high-speed tracks, which began service on 15 December 2002. As part of the Belgian railway network, it is owned, technic ...
. 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'' (
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
–
Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
) *''IC Agram'' (
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
–
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
) The coaches used are similar to the ones used in Germany by DB. Trains ''Slavonija'' and ''Cibalia'' connecting Zagreb and
Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...
were part of IC network up to 2023, when they were downgraded to fast train (B). Speeds were up to 160 km/h between
Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (, ), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod is the 7th lar ...
and
Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...
. Line
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
–
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
served by tilting trains is designated as InterCity Nagibni (ICN).


Czech Republic

In the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, the IC or Express trains service the following routes: *
Bohumín Bohumín (; , ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Bohumín consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 202 ...
–
Břeclav Břeclav (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Located at the Czech-Austrian state border and near the Czech–Slovak state border, it is an important railway hub. Administrative divis ...
, *
Bohumín Bohumín (; , ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Bohumín consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 202 ...
–
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, *
Třinec Třinec (; ; ) is a city in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants, making it the least populated Statutory city (Czech Republic), statutory city in the country. The city ...
–
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, *
Cheb Cheb (; ) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. Before the Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of Germans in 1945, the town was the centre of the G ...
–
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
(served by Pendolino tilting trainsets), *
Havířov Havířov () is a city in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 69,000 inhabitants, making it the second largest city in the region. Havířov was founded in 1955 and is the youngest Czech city. It is ...
–
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. Most of the IC are served by trains of state-owned operator
České dráhy České dráhy (English: ''Czech Railways''), often shortened to ČD, is the major Rail transport, railway operator in the Czech Republic providing regional and long-distance services. The company was established in January 1993, shortly after ...
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. Third private passenger operator LEO Express introduced express InterCity train service between Prague and Ostrava in November 2012, with speeds up to 160 km/h. The state-owned operator
České dráhy České dráhy (English: ''Czech Railways''), often shortened to ČD, is the major Rail transport, railway operator in the Czech Republic providing regional and long-distance services. The company was established in January 1993, shortly after ...
also serves line
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
–
Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...
(with some connections extended to
Bohumín Bohumín (; , ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Bohumín consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 202 ...
and Františkovy Lázně) with
Pendolino Pendolino (from Italian language, Italian "pendulum", and ''-ino,'' a diminutive suffix) is an Italian family of high-speed tilting trains (and non-tilting) used in Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, the Czech Republic, ...
trainsets under designation "'' SuperCity''", which conforms to IC standard. A compulsory reservation 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 fewer stops. Each train type operates hourly between the eastern terminus at Copenhagen and westwards to
Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...
–
Århus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
–
Ålborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, ...
, and less frequently to alternative destinations in
Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...
. 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 Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...
and alternately
Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport city and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban area, urban population of 71,554 (1 January ...
/
Sønderborg (; ) is a Denmark, Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 28,333 (1 January 2025),bilevel cars. The IC3 trains are planned to be replaced by new
IC4 The IC4 is an inter-city rail train built by the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for the trans-Great Belt routes of Danske Statsbaner (DSB), Denmark's national railway operator. Under DSB's 'Good trains for everyone' plan ('Gode tog ti ...
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 The IC4 is an inter-city rail train built by the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for the trans-Great Belt routes of Danske Statsbaner (DSB), Denmark's national railway operator. Under DSB's 'Good trains for everyone' plan ('Gode tog ti ...
trains, due to the plague of poor reliability. IR4 stock (Electric version of IC3) will release IC3 stock from the Esbjerg Line, allowing some IC3 trains to replace
IC4 The IC4 is an inter-city rail train built by the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for the trans-Great Belt routes of Danske Statsbaner (DSB), Denmark's national railway operator. Under DSB's 'Good trains for everyone' plan ('Gode tog ti ...
trains.


Finland

In Finland, VR has operated
InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
trains between major Finnish cities since August 1988. The first routes were Helsinki–Vaasa and Helsinki–Imatra, which later expanded to all major cities and include for instance Helsinki–Tampere–Oulu–Rovaniemi, Helsinki–Turku, Helsinki–Iisalmi and Helsinki–Joensuu. InterCity trains have become the standard as the Finnish long-distance rail travel mainstay, and their predecessors, blue-carriaged express trains, are being withdrawn off the schedules. The train tickets include an additional surcharge compared to ordinary express trains: 17 to 27% depending on journey length. VR operates both ordinary
InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
trains (IC) and entirely double-decker trains (IC²). An ordinary IC train usually consists of 3 to 4 double-decker cars and 3 to 5 ordinary IC cars. In addition the train has a restaurant car. IC² trains consist only of double-decker cars and have no separate restaurant car with a sales trolley moving about in the train. However, due to high demand, VR ordered double-decker restaurant cars from Transtech in early 2011. The first carriages became operational in 2013. All IC-trains are smoke-free. The trains run at a maximum speed of 140–160 km/h for single-decker trains and up to for double-deckers, which was VR's aim in 1988. Only the ''
Pendolino Pendolino (from Italian language, Italian "pendulum", and ''-ino,'' a diminutive suffix) is an Italian family of high-speed tilting trains (and non-tilting) used in Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, the Czech Republic, ...
'' and ''
Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'') * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...
'' trains are faster than InterCity trains in Finland.


France

In 2006, the
SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
rebranded Corail, Téoz and Lunéa services as '
Intercités Intercités (IC), known before September 2009 as ''Corail Intercités'', is a brand name used by France's national railway company, the SNCF, to denote non High-speed rail in France, high-speed services on the classic rail network in France. The ...
', 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 The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network compri ...
trains. At first, IC services were first-class only, often using TEE stock and the then-new Class 103 locomotives. Trains ran bi-hourly. DB paid a royalty fee to BR for many years for the use of the
brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
. 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"'' ("every hour, every class") to emphasize its new structure. Large numbers of air-conditioned open coach cars, the ''Bpmz 291'', were built for InterCity services, which at first were using the TEE colour scheme. In 1985, with many of the TEE trains gone and the introduction of the
InterRegio The InterRegio, often shortened to IR, is a train categories in Europe, train category for mainly domestic train services in use in some European countries, with Swiss Federal Railways operating the most dense network. InterRegio trains are semi ...
, the network was expanded again, now covering virtually any major city of then-
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
. It faced further changes after the
German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
and the introduction of the
InterCityExpress Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE () and running under this category) is a high-speed rail system in Germany. It also serves destinations in Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands as part of cross-border services. It ...
in the early 1990s. Today, after the abolition of the InterRegio in 2002, most long-distance connections in Germany are either IC or ICE trains; they most commonly offer at least bi-hourly service. Maximum speed for an IC is 200 km/h.


Greece

In
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, InterCity trains operated by Italian government-owned Hellenic Train run in the following routes: *
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
–
Lamia Lamia (; ), in ancient Greek mythology, was a child-eating monster and, in later tradition, was regarded as a type of night-haunting spirit or "daimon". In the earliest myths, Lamia was a beautiful queen of ancient Libya who had an affair with ...
–
Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...
–
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
*
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
–
Lamia Lamia (; ), in ancient Greek mythology, was a child-eating monster and, in later tradition, was regarded as a type of night-haunting spirit or "daimon". In the earliest myths, Lamia was a beautiful queen of ancient Libya who had an affair with ...
– Palaiofarsalos– Karditsa–
Trikala Trikala () is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece, and the capital of the Trikala (regional unit), Trikala regional unit. The city straddles the Lithaios river, which is a tributary of Pineios (Thessaly), Pineios. According to the Greek Natio ...
–
Kalambaka Kalabaka (, ''Kalabáka'', alternative transliterations are ''Kalambaka'' and ''Kalampaka'') is a town and seat of the municipality of Meteora in the Trikala regional unit, part of Thessaly in Greece. The population was 11,492 at the 2021 cens ...
, one pair of trains per day at 160 km/h *
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
–
Serres Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...
–
Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
–
Xanthi Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided ...
-
Alexandroupoli Alexandroupolis (, ) or Alexandroupoli (, ) is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Greek Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, with a population of 71,75 ...
, one pair of trains per day at 160 km/h


Hungary

In Hungary the first InterCity train departed in 1991, since then almost 10 million people use these trains every year. Since then almost 250 InterCity trains operate in the country. Intercity train services in Hungary: * Budapest Déli pu–
Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...
(Every 2–3 hours) * Budapest Keleti pu–
Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...
(Every 1–2 hours) * Budapest Déli pu–
Kaposvár Kaposvár (; also known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in southwestern Hungary, south of Lake Balaton. It is one of the leading cities of Transdanubia, the capital of Somogy County, and the seat of the Kaposvár District and th ...
–
Nagykanizsa Nagykanizsa (; , or just ''Kaniža/Kanjiža''; ; ; ; ), known colloquially as Kanizsa, is a medium-sized city in Zala County in southwestern Hungary. It is a city with county rights. It lies not far from Lake Balaton at the meeting point of five ...
(Somogy IC) * Budapest Déli pu.-
Szekszárd Szekszárd (, formerly also ''Szegzárd''; ; or ; ) is a small city in southern Hungary and the capital of Tolna County. By population, Szekszárd is the smallest county capital in Hungary; by area, it is the second-smallest (after Tatabánya). ...
- Baja (Gemenc IC) * Budapest Keleti pu–
Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...
– Tiszai–
Debrecen Debrecen ( ; ; ; ) is Hungary's cities of Hungary, second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain Regions of Hungary, region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the large ...
– Budapest Nyugati pu (Circle-IC, every 2 hours) * Budapest Keleti pu–
Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...
– Tiszai (Every hour) * Budapest Keleti pu–
Győr Győr ( , ; ; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia region, and – halfwa ...
–
Sopron Sopron (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-Várhely. When ...
and
Szombathely } Szombathely (; ; also see #Etymology, names) 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. Szombathely lies by the streams ''Perint'' and '' ...
(Every hour) * Budapest Keleti pu–
Békéscsaba Békéscsaba (; ; see also #Name, other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, the capital of Békés County. Geography Békéscsaba is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budapest. Highway 44, 47 ...
–
Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...
/
Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; ; German language, German: ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'') is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the list of cities and towns in Romania, 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 ...
/
Simeria Simeria (; ; ) is a town in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania, and an important railway junction with a hump yard. Six villages are administered by the town: Bârcea Mare (''Nagybarcsa''), Cărpiniș (''Gyertyános''), Simeria Veche (''Óp ...
/
Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
/ București-Nord (Every 2h) * Budapest Keleti pu-
Békéscsaba Békéscsaba (; ; see also #Name, other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, the capital of Békés County. Geography Békéscsaba is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budapest. Highway 44, 47 ...
-
Lőkösháza Lőkösháza () is a village in Békés County, in the Southern Great Plain region of southeast Hungary. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 1804 (2015). An important railway line crosses the Hungarian-Romanian border here ( ...
(Every hour) * Budapest Nyugati pu–
Nyíregyháza Nyíregyháza (, ) is a city with county rights in northeastern Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. With a population of 118,001, it is the seventh-largest city in Hungary and the second largest in the Northern Great ...
(Every 2 hours) * Budapest Nyugati pu–
Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...
(Every hour) The Hungarian intercity trains are operated by MÁV-START, the Hungarian railway company.


Ireland

In the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
,
Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann, () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national Rail transport in Ireland, railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal I ...
introduced the brand name InterCity in 1984, replacing the previous name of ''Mainline'', which had been introduced in 1976. Initially applied to services operated by
British Rail Mark 3 The British Rail Mark 3 is a type of passenger railway carriage, carriage developed in response to growing competition from passenger airline, airlines and the automobile, car in the 1970s. A variant of the Mark 3 became the rolling stock for t ...
trains, it was later extended to include all services not part of the
Dublin Suburban Rail The Dublin Suburban Rail () network, branded as Commuter (Iarnród Éireann), Commuter, is a railway network that serves the city of Dublin, Ireland, most of the Greater Dublin Area and outlying towns. The system is made up of five lines: * '' ...
network. Today the brand encompasses services between
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
and
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
,
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
,
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
,
Tralee Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...
,
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
,
Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...
, Westport,
Rosslare Europort Rosslare Europort () is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeasternmost point of the island of Ireland. The port is the primary Irish port serving the European Continent with 36 direct servi ...
, Ballina, and
Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...
, as well as some regional services. A new InterCity logo was introduced in 2006, though the vast majority of rolling stock bore the original script logo and orange-tan livery until the final Mark 3 set was withdrawn in 2009. Since Ireland completed its replacement of the old Mark 2 and Mark 3 stock in 2012, it has one of the most modern InterCity fleets in the world.
Northern Ireland Railways NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR; and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways; UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose parent company is the Northern Ireland Tr ...
and
Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann, () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national Rail transport in Ireland, railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal I ...
both formerly operated trains on the
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
–
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
line under the InterCity brand, however this was replaced with the revived
Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...
brand name upon the introduction of the
De Dietrich Ferroviaire CAF Reichshoffen, formerly De Dietrich Ferroviaire (DDF) is a French manufacturer of railway rolling stock and operated by CAF France, based in Reichshoffen, France. It was formed as a division of the De Dietrich group, which has a history going ...
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 Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, InterCity trains constitute a capillary network that links the main cities across the peninsula. There were over 80 day (InterCity Sun) and night (InterCity Notte) services. Things changed with the opening of high-speed lines and the mixed public-private service. With the introduction of high-speed trains, intercity trains are limited to few services per day on mainline and regional tracks. The daytime services (''InterCity'' IC), while not frequent and limited to one or two trains per route, are essential in providing access to cities and towns off the railway's mainline network. The main routes are
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
(stopping at
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
,
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
,
Prato Prato ( ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') in Tuscany, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Prato. The city lies in the northeast of Tuscany, at an elevation of , at the foot of Monte Retaia (the last peak in the Calvana ch ...
,
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
and
Arezzo Arezzo ( , ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the Province of Arezzo, province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of Above mean sea level, above sea level. As of 2 ...
),
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
to Rome (stopping at
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
,
La Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguria ...
,
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
and
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
/ stopping at
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
,
Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...
, Bologna, Prato, Florence and Arezzo), Bologna to
Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...
(stopping at
Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...
,
Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
,
Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...
,
Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
and
Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...
) and Rome to
Reggio di Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As of 2025, it has 168,572 ...
(stopping at Latina and
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
). In addition, the Intercity trains provide a more economical means of long-distance rail travel within Italy. The night trains (''Intercity Notte'' ICN) have sleeper compartments and washrooms, but no showers on board (available only for ''Excelsior'' carriages). Main routes are Rome to
Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...
/Bozen (calling at Florence, Bologna,
Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
,
Rovereto Rovereto (; "wood of sessile oaks"; locally: ''Roveredo'') is a city and ''comune'' in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River. History Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the fronti ...
and
Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin language, Ladin and ; ; ; ; ; ), also known in English as Trent, is a city on the Adige, Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the Trentino, autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th ...
), Milan to
Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...
(calling at Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Faenza, Forlì, Cesena, Rimini, Ancona, Pescara, Bari and Brindisi),
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
to Lecce (calling at
Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...
,
Voghera image:Voghera Castle.jpg, The Castle of Voghera in a 19th-century etching. Voghera (Emilian dialect, Vogherese dialect of Emilian: ''Vughera''; Latin language, Latin: ''Forum Iulii Iriensium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Pavia i ...
,
Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...
, Parma, Bologna, Rimini, Pescara, Termoli, San Severo,Foggia, Barletta, Bisceglie, Molfetta, Bari, Monopoli, Fasano, Ostuni and Brindisi) and Reggio di Calabria to Turin (calling at Naples, Rome,
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
, La Spezia and Genova). Most portions of these ICN services run during the night; since most services take 10 to 15 hours to complete a one-way journey, their day-time portion provide extra train connections to complement with the Intercity services. There are a total of 86 intercity trains running within Italy per day.


Netherlands

Intercity trains are very common in the Netherlands, but may differ from each other. While some intercity trains call only at larger stations, some others may also call at smaller stations or at all intermediate stations along a short stretch of its route. Hence, some stations may be served by one intercity train while another may pass it. For example, the Intercity trains between Arnhem Central station and Utrecht Central station alternately serve Driebergen-Zeist or Veenendaal-De Klomp (and both when the frequency is lowered from 4tph to 2tph in the evening). Often, intercity trains run as local trains along the very end of its route. For example, the
Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
to
Den Helder Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base. From here the Royal TESO fe ...
intercity runs as regular intercity until Alkmaar, serving larger stations only, but running as local train between Alkmaar and Den Helder, serving all intermediate stations. The average distance between station is shorter than most IC trains in most other countries, but frequencies are higher. All lines are served at least with 2tph, but many busy stretches are served have 4tph. From Utrecht Central there are even two different services to Amsterdam, one that serves the
central station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
and two others and another that serves the
south station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan I ...
and the
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
. From December 2017 the frequency between Amsterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven will be further increased to 6tph. Rolling stock used mostly for intercity services in the Netherlands is VIRM. DD-AR trains have been converted to be used as ''New Intercity Double deckers'' and have been introduced to parts of the intercity network. Also, older ICM (formerly known as Koploper) EMUs are frequently seen on intercity routes. Trains in the Netherlands#Coaches, ICRm coaches, pulled by a Bombardier TRAXX, TRAXX locomotive, can be seen on international stretches and the Intercity Direct.


Poland

In Poland IC trains operated by PKP Intercity S.A. up to 2009 served the following routes: *
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
–Katowice /
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
with speed up to 200 km/h. * Warsaw–Katowice–Bielsko-Biała with speed up to 160 km/h * Warsaw–Katowice–Gliwice with speed up to 160 km/h * Warsaw–Poznań–Wrocław with speed up to 160 km/h * Warsaw–Katowice–Opole–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 200 km/h * Warsaw–Dęblin–Lublin with speed up to 160 km/h * Gdynia–Warsaw–Kraków with speed up to 200 km/h * Gdynia–Warsaw–Gliwice with speed up to 160 km/h * Szczecin–
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
–Amsterdam Zuid station, Amsterdam Zuid WTC–Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Schiphol (jointly operated by PKP Intercity and
Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...
) Apart from a single railway line (line nr 4, a.k.a. Grodzisk Mazowiecki–Zawiercie railway, Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa–Central Railway Route), average speeds are much lower. These trains mostly use the locomotive named Eurosprinter (EU44), EP09, sometimes EP08. In 2009 IC category was renamed Express InterCity (EIC). Since December 2014 IC trains are regular express and Express train, fast trains (with pricing offers like TLK fast trains), also operated by PKP Intercity, mainly utilizing high-standard Pesa Dart (ED161) and Stadler FLIRT, Stadler FLIRT3 (ED160)
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
s. In addition to the EMU trains are served with refurbished cars pulled by PKP class EU07, EU07, EP07, and PKP class EP08, EP08 locomotives.


Portugal

In Portugal, InterCidades trains are operated by state-owned Comboios de Portugal (CP). All routes (except Casa Branca to Beja) are operated using a CP Class 5600, 5600 Series electric locomotives pulling Corail and Modernized Sorefame passenger cars, all capable of running at a maximum speed of 200 km/h. This services have a Bar car and bicycle space. The Casa Branca to Beja Shuttle service is operated using two Portuguese train type 0450, 0450 Series DMUs with airline style interiors at a maximum speed of 120 km/h. Although this service is branded as InterCidades, it is truly a stopper service (like a Regional service) with lower comfort standards and no Bar car or vending machines. This service is expected to have a quality boost when the new Stadler FLIRT, Stadler FLIRT BMU units enter operations sometime after 2025. The InterCidades network can be divided into the following: * InterCidades Norte: connects Lisbon with Norte Region, Portugal, northern Portugal. It complements the Alfa Pendular services so that, in average, there is one train per hour between Lisbon and Porto. It has the following routes and frequencies: **Santa Apolónia railway station, Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Campanhã railway station, Porto (Campanhã): 3 trains per day; **Santa Apolónia railway station, Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Campanhã railway station, Porto (Campanhã) - Braga: 2 trains per day; **Santa Apolónia railway station, Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Campanhã railway station, Porto (Campanhã) - Guimarães: 1 train per day; **Santa Apolónia railway station, Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Campanhã railway station, Porto (Campanhã) - Viana do Castelo: 1 train per day - Saturday service terminates at Porto and Sunday service begins at Porto; *Intercidades Beira Alta: connects Lisbon with Guarda via Coimbra and Mangualde through the Beira (Portugal), Portuguese central highlands. It complements the InterCidades Norte services between Lisbon and Coimbra and has the following route and frequencies: **Santa Apolónia railway station, Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Coimbra - Guarda, Portugal, Guarda: 3 trains per day; *Intercidades Beira Baixa: connects Lisbon with Covilhã via Abrantes and Castelo Branco, Portugal, Castelo Branco following most of the Tagus valley before turning north towards the Beira (Portugal), Portuguese central highlands. It complements the InterCidades Norte services between Lisbon and Entroncamento and has the following route and frequencies: **Santa Apolónia railway station, Lisbon (Santa Apolónia) - Entroncamento - Covilhã: 3 trains per day; *InterCidades Alentejo: connects Lisbon with the Alentejo capitals of Évora and Beja through the Alentejo plains. It has the following route and frequencies: **Gare do Oriente, Lisbon (Oriente) - Casa Branca - Évora: 4 trains per day on weekdays and 3 trains per day on weekends and holidays; **Casa Branca - Beja, Portugal, Beja: 4 trains per day on weekdays and 3 trains per day on weekends and holidays; *InterCidades Sul: connects Lisbon with Faro through the Alentejo plains and the Algarve Hills. It complements the two daily Porto - Faro Alfa Pendular services and has the following route and frequencies: **Gare do Oriente, Lisbon (Oriente) - Faro, Portugal, Faro: 3 trains per day with one extra summer Fridays service to Faro and one extra summer Sundays service to Lisbon. ''Note: All frequencies listed above refer to round trips, so 1 train per day means 1 train per day each way.''


Romania

Currently InterCity lines link the capital Bucharest to
Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
, Arad, Romania, Arad, Oradea, Cluj-Napoca,
Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; ; German language, German: ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'') is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the list of cities and towns in Romania, 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 ...
, Galați (all once daily), Suceava, Iași (twice daily), Piatra Neamț (once daily), Bacău (4x daily), Ploiești (6x daily), Craiova (twice daily) and
Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...
(once daily). There are also international trains branded as InterCity between the Hungarian capital,
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
and some Transylvanian cities such as Cluj-Napoca,
Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; ; German language, German: ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'') is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the list of cities and towns in Romania, 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 ...
,
Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
, and others. These trains usually have specific names (Harghita, Ady Endre, etc.). In the case of IC service running partially or totally on electrified lines as well as international IC-s locomotive-hauled trains are used. For some trains running exclusively on unelectrified lines (mainly in northern Transilvania) Siemens Desiro DMU-s are preferred. These trainsets look similar to standard Desiro DMU-s used for regional trains but have a different interior design with more comfortable seating. All IC trains use 1st and 2nd class coaches with air conditioning, having automatic doors and a higher level of comfort than InterRegio trains. In order to compete with regional airlines, CFR Călători introduced special Business class coaches on the IC trains running between Oradea and Bucharest and
Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...
and Bucharest. The new class can be divided into two slightly different premium service levels, ''Business Exclusiv'' (1A) and ''Business Standard'' (1B). All of these coaches have wireless internet and wall sockets in order to permit the use of laptops, 4 channel audio system, bar, Exclusiv further providing larger space per customer, special leather seating and LCD screens for each seat. The maximum speed on the Romanian Railways network is 160 km/h on the Căile Ferate Române Line 800, Bucharest - Constanța line, 140 km/h on the Căile Ferate Române Line 1000, Bucharest - Ploiești line. The design speed for the rest of the network is either 120 km/h or 100 km/h. In 2014, InterCity trains were replaced in their entirety by InterRegio trains, only to make an illegal comeback (train sets do not respect all the obligatory criteria for InterCity trains ironically signed by the same government a few months prior to their comeback) in 2022, with the new train timelist.


Serbia

From March 2022, state company called Srbija Voz operates InterCity route from Belgrade, the capital, to Novi Sad using 3 Stadler KISS Electric multiple unit, EMUs reaching speeds up to 200 km/h, with journey length of 36 minutes. A massive expansion of IC routes is planned after the completion of Budapest–Belgrade railway, Belgrade – Budapest and Belgrade – Niš high-speed lines.


Slovakia

In the Slovak Republic, InterCity trains run between the capital Bratislava and Košice (some IC trains continued from Bratislava to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
). In the past, the names of some of these trains used to be sold for commercial use (IC Šariš named by beer producer, IC Zelmer named by an electronic devices producer, IC Slovenka (magazine), Slovenka named by a magazine, IC Mora, IC Gorenje, both named after kitchen appliances producers). In 2012, no IC train had commercial name. All IC trains are named by natural monuments (IC Tatran, IC Kriváň, IC Gerlach, IC Rysy, IC Chopok, IC Ďumbier). All IC trains are subject to compulsory reservation to make comfort as high as possible. The seat reservation is included in the ticket price. The price varies, depending on the day of travel, and the time of reservation (the sooner you buy a ticket, the lower the price). In the past, there were also 3 other InterCity services: IC 400/407 Donau (Danube) between Bratislava and Vienna, IC 532/533 Rákoczi from Košice to
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
and IC 536/537 Hornád from Košice to
Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...
. On this train passengers could travel without a reservation or surcharge, since it is impossible to use them for domestic transport in Slovakia. All InterCity trains consist of new comfortable passenger car (rail), cars which are fully Air conditioning, air conditioned. First class travel#Railways, First class and a restaurant car are available on all IC trains. Maximum speed between Bratislava and Nové Mesto nad Váhom has been increased in the recent years and is now 160 km/h. On the rest of the route, maximum speed varies from 80 to 140 km/h. There is a large reconstruction under way between Nové Mesto nad Váhom and Žilina. After the reconstruction is finished, it will be possible to increase maximum speed of this part of the route to 160 km/h.


Slovenia

Intercity trains in Slovenia mainly serve domestic routes, like running from Ljubljana (capital) to Celje, Ptuj, and Maribor. Additionally, there are also available Pendolino electric multiple tilting units ETR 310 (SŽ series 310) labeled as ICS lines connecting Slovenian largest cities, Ljubljana and Maribor and the Mediterranean region of Slovenia, Koper.


Spain

Renfe Operadora, Renfe operates intercity trains in Spain. It was a long-distance train with high frequency. This denomination was created firstly in 1980. It started operating the Electric multiple unit, electric train (EMU) Renfe 444 series, making the Madrid Valencia, -Valencia vía Albacete line. It was capable of doing 140 km/h (87 mph). In 1986 it expanded to Barcelona and Zaragoza, it was capable of doing 160 km/h (99 mph). In 1987 Renfe received new 448 series electric trains, those also being capable of doing 160 km/h. In the main lines this service was combined with fast trains or Talgos. In the less used lines it was a once a day train, as daily fast train. The last line was Irún Madrid, -Madrid, operated by a 448 series. This service closed in 2008. In 2012 they opened new lines with the same denomination, making medium and long-distance routes. The main differences between this line and the other ones is that it has more stops, trains stop in some lines every 15 minutes or less. This service can be divided in 3 categories:
-New lines using old Medium distance tracks, but with more stops.
-Long-distance routes with intercity fares.
-Old MD (Medium distance) lines, some of them are two older MD lines together.


Sweden

During the 1980s, InterCity denoted trains of the highest standard in Sweden, serving as a fast and comfortable connection between major Swedish cities. Trains used to be set up of the most modern cars, always including a restaurant car. During the 1990s the SJ AB, Swedish State Railways introduced the new X 2000 units which replaced the InterCity trains in this role. In 2012 SJ started running services with Regina X55 trainsets under the name SJ 3000, which replaced InterCity trains on even more routes. InterCity trains now serve an auxiliary role, and are mainly used on lines where the track standard is too low to allow X 2000 and SJ 3000 trains to be utilised to their full potential, or on services which call at smaller stations with shorter distances inbetween them. InterCity trains are set up of modernised cars pulled by SJ Rc, Rc6 locomotives with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. Some lines have services with both InterCity, SJ 3000 and X 2000 trains. As of July 2024 InterCity trains serve the following routes: *Stockholm – Arlanda – Uppsala – Sala, Sweden, Sala – Avesta – Hedemora – Säter – Borlänge – Falun. Some trains continue from Borlänge via Gagnef – Leksand – Rättvik to Mora, Sweden, Mora; *Stockholm – Arlanda – Uppsala – Gävle – Ljusdal – Ånge – Bräcke – Östersund – Åre – Duved, Sweden, Duved. Some trains run along the East Coast Line (Sweden), East Coast Line and Central Line (Sweden), Central Line via Söderhamn – Hudiksvall – Sundsvall instead of the Northern Main Line between Gävle – Ljusdal – Ånge. *Stockholm – Arlanda – Uppsala – Tierp – Gävle – Ockelbo – Bollnäs – Arbrå – Järvsö – Ljusdal *Stockholm – Södertälje – Katrineholm – Hallsberg – Degerfors – Kristinehamn – Karlstad. Some trains continue from Karlstad via Arvika – Kongsvinger to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
; Apart from the SJ, there are other train operators in Sweden who also run trains of a similar type. Only SJ, however, uses the name "InterCity". SJ also runs services with similar locomotive trains under the brand SJ Regional, mainly between Stockholm – Uppsala and Gothenburg – Kalmar, as well as night trains (SJ Nattåg) between Stockholm – Umeå, Gothenburg – Umeå, Stockholm – Östersund – Duved and Stockholm – Malmö. These are however not branded as InterCity services.


Switzerland

Swiss InterCity services started in 1982, replacing the on the line Geneva-St. Gallen. There is no surcharge for InterCity services in Switzerland and the rolling stock consists of three types of formations: * Standard type IV carriages (, Einheitswagen IV) and driving trailers of type IC, the same as on
InterRegio The InterRegio, often shortened to IR, is a train categories in Europe, train category for mainly domestic train services in use in some European countries, with Swiss Federal Railways operating the most dense network. InterRegio trains are semi ...
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 the least wheelchair friendly as they require climbing the stairs to enter. Overall, 533 carriages and driving trailers are in operation. * Double-decker IC 2000 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 train category called SBB-CFF-FFS RABDe 500, ICN for lines with many curves. These trains are
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
s and hence require no locomotive. One such multiple unit consists of 7 carriages and has a seating capacity of 480 passengers: 125 in first class, 332 in second class, and 23 in the dining car (which is part of second class). The fleet of ICN trains comprise 44 units. If needed, two ICN trains can be combined to double the passenger capacity. In addition, several type IV carriages can be attached to an IC 2000 train set on the other side of the locomotive, especially if a group reservation requires extra carriages. All carriages are air conditioned. Each train formation has first and second class carriages and, in most cases, a restaurant/bistro carriage. The availability of power sockets is constantly improved, sometimes even in second class. The maximal speed of all train types is 200 km/h, except for about half of type IV carriages that have not yet been upgraded and have a maximum speed of 160 km/h. InterCity trains serve most of Swiss cities and provide direct connections from Zürich and Geneva airports. The InterCity routes within Switzerland according to 2009–2010 schedule include: * Lugano – Bellinzona – Arth-Goldau – Luzern - Zug – Zürich HB; * Interlaken Ost – Interlaken West – ( Därligen – Leissigen – Faulensee ) – Spiez – Thun – ( Münsingen ) – Bern – Olten – ( Liestal ) – Basel SBB; * Brig – Visp – ( Frutigen ) – Spiez – Thun – Bern – ( Olten ) – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Frauenfeld – Weinfelden – ( Sulgen ) – Amriswil – Romanshorn; * Brig – Visp – Spiez – Thun – Bern – Olten – Liestal – Basel SBB; * Chur – Landquart – Sargans – ( Ziegelbrücke ) – Zürich HB – Basel SBB; * Genève-Aéroport – Genève – ( Nyon – Morges ) – Lausanne – Fribourg – Bern – ( Olten – Aarau – Lenzburg ) – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Wil – Uzwil – Flawil – Gossau SG – St. Gallen; as well as the following routes served by tilting SBB-CFF-FFS RABDe 500, ICNs: * Bern – Zürich HB; * Lausanne – ( Renens VD ) – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – ( Grenchen Süd ) – Solothurn – ( Oensingen ) – Olten – Aarau – ( Lenzburg ) – Zürich HB – ( Zürich Oerlikon ) – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Wil – ( Uzwil – Flawil ) – Gossau SG – St. Gallen; * Lausanne – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – Grenchen Nord – Moutier – Delémont – Laufen – Basel SBB; * Genève-Aéroport – Genève – Nyon – Morges – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – ( Grenchen Süd ) – Solothurn – Olten – Aarau – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Wil – ( Uzwil – Flawil ) – Gossau SG – St. Gallen; * Genève-Aéroport – Genève – Nyon – Morges – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – Grenchen Nord – Moutier – Delémont – Laufen – Basel SBB; * Chur – Landquart – Sargans – Zürich HB – Basel SBB; * Chiasso – Mendrisio – Lugano – Bellinzona – ( Flüelen – ) Arth-Goldau – Zug – Zürich HB; * Chiasso – ( Mendrisio ) – Lugano – Bellinzona – Arth-Goldau – Luzern – Olten – Basel SBB.


Ukraine

Intercity+ (max. 160 km/

) train services in Ukrain

* Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Kharkiv Railway Station, Kharkiv * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Zaporizhzhia * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Dnipro * Darnytsia Railway Station, Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv railway station, Lviv – Przemysl * Darnytsia Railway Station, Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv railway station, Lviv – Truskavets * Darnytsia Railway Station, Kyiv Darnytsia – Odesa There were trains from Kharkiv and Dnipro to Crimea and from Kyiv to Donetsk. They were suspended in 2014, shortly after Ukraine have lost control of some of its territories. Currently, a shortened connection to Donbas is in service: * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Sloviansk – Kostiantynivka These services are operated by Hyundai Rotem HRCS2 multiple unit, HRCS2, Škoda UZ class 675, KVBZ Ekr1 "Tarpan" trains, and KVBZ "Ukrajina" locomotive-hauled trai

Intercity (70 km/h – 90 km/h) train services in Ukrain

* Darnytsia Railway Station, Kyiv Darnytsia – Lviv railway station, Lviv * Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Kryvyi Rih * Kharkiv Railway Station, Kharkiv – Kyiv Passenger Railway Station, Kyiv – Vinnytsia * Kharkiv Railway Station, Kharkiv – Donetsk (Suspended in 2014) * Dnipro – Donetsk (Suspended in 2014) Intercity and Intercity+ trains are operated by Ukrainian Rapid Railway Company (a branch of Ukrzaliznytsia]


United Kingdom

The term "Inter-City" was first used by the state railway company
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
in 1966, to British Rail brand names, brand all its longer-distance, higher-speed services (the hyphen was dropped shortly afterwards, changing the name to "InterCity"). The brand was closely associated with a new design of carriage, the British Rail Mark 2, Mark 2 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 Greater Anglia, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway (train operating company), Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, East Midlands Railway, Hull Trains, Lumo (train operating company), Lumo, Transport for Wales Rail, Transport for Wales, ScotRail, TransPennine Express, Caledonian Sleeper, Grand Central (train operating company), Grand Central and Eurostar. Most of these companies operate their services from one of the many London termini, with CrossCountry being the main exception, running from Cornwall to Scotland. If travelling via London it is often necessary to change stations: a journey from Norwich to Cardiff would require a transfer from Liverpool Street railway station, London Liverpool Street to Paddington railway station, London Paddington station via the London Underground. Currently, InterCity trains in United Kingdom mainly use Hitachi AT300 in the form of British Rail Class 800, Class 800, British Rail Class 801, Class 801, British Rail Class 800, Class 802, British Rail Class 803, Class 803, British Rail Class 805, Class 805, British Rail Class 807, Class 807 and British Rail Class 810, Class 810. Other InterCity trains include the InterCity 125 (Class 43 power car + 4/5/8 Mark 3 coaches, also named as HST), InterCity 225 (Class 91 + 9 Mark 4 coaches), British Rail Class 90, Class 90 + 8/9 Mark 3 coaches + Driving Van Trailer, Bombardier Voyager, Voyager family classes British Rail Class 220, 220, British Rail Class 221, 221 & British Rail Class 222, 222 (4–7 coach DEMUs), British Rail Class 180, class 180 (5 coach DMUs), British Rail Class 745, Class 745, and British Rail Class 390, class 390 (9 or 11 coach EMUs) on the Intercity lines. The British Government have named their project to replace the InterCity 125 as well as InterCity 225 as the Intercity Express Programme. The resultant bidding process was won by Hitachi and Angel Trains and resulted in the Hitachi Super Express Trains being introduced, which Hitachi later designated the AT300.


See also

* Train categories in Europe


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Intercity InterCity