Interexpress (abbreviated as "''IEx''") is a former international
train category. The word ''Interexpress'' is a short form version of the German language term (English: ''International Express'') and its foreign language equivalents.
Interexpress services operated between 1986 and 1991 as
express train
An express train is a type of passenger train that makes a small number of stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, allowing faster service than local trains that stop at most or all of the stations along ...
s between
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(GDR),
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
.
History
In the mid 1980s, the State railways of Czechoslovakia (
Československé státní dráhy (ČSD)), the GDR (
Deutsche Reichsbahn
The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regi ...
(DR)), Hungary (
Magyar Államvasutak (MÁV)) and Poland (
Polskie Koleje Państwowe
(''PKP S.A.''; en, Polish State Railways, Inc.) is the dominant railway operator in Poland.
The company was founded when the former state-owned enterprise was divided into several units based on the need for separation between infrastructure ...
(PKP)) decided to introduce the Interexpress train category for high value passenger train traffic between these four countries.
In 1986, a few ''
Schnellzug
A ''Schnellzug'' is an express train in German-speaking countries, where it refers to trains that do not stop at all stations along a line. The term is used both generically and also as a specific train type. In Germany and Austria it is also ref ...
''-category trains were converted into IEx trains. This conversion anticipated by one year the equivalent transformation of international express train traffic by the Western European rail operators, which introduced their own new
EuroCity
EuroCity, abbreviated as EC, is a cross-border train category within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains allocated to the lower-level "IC" (InterCity) category, EC trains are international services that meet 20 criteri ...
system only in 1987.
Following the political changes in central Europe in 1989/1990, there was no longer any demand for an isolated train service offering for international travellers. In 1991, the IEx trains were therefore either discontinued, or converted to EuroCity trains or ''Schnellzug'' category services.
Trains
The following trains operated as Interexpresses:
The ''Báthory'' and the ''Metropol'' were overnight trains that also included
sleeping
Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited Perception, sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefuln ...
and
couchette car
A couchette car is a railway carriage conveying non or semi-private sleeping accommodation.
Overview
The car is divided into a number of compartments (typically 8 to 10) accessed from the side corridor of the car, which in daytime are configu ...
s.
Some of the IEx trains included
through coach
In rail terminology, a through coach is a passenger car (coach) that is re-marshalled during the course of its journey. It begins the journey attached to one train, and arrives at its destination attached to another train.
Through coaches save t ...
es at least occasionally; examples were the ''Metropol'' (to Vienna), and the ''
Berolina'' (from Paris). In 1986/87 and 1987/88, the ''
Hungaria'' ran coupled together with the D374/375 ''
Vindobona
Vindobona (from Gaulish ''windo-'' "white" and ''bona'' "base/bottom") was a Roman military camp on the site of the modern city of Vienna in Austria. The settlement area took on a new name in the 13th century, being changed to Berghof, or now si ...
'' to Vienna, and in summer included through coaches from
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal popula ...
in Sweden.
The ''Progress'' operated as an IEx train only in 1986/87 and 1987/88 and then reverted to its previous classification. Its IEx formation (
consist
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often kno ...
) included special air-conditioned ''Komfortwagen'' in a red-white livery.
The fares charged for travel in IEx trains were in accordance with the normal ''Schnellzug'' tariffs. Seat reservations were compulsory for all passengers.
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
External links
Private Website–about the history of the IEx trains
Train compositions of IEx Trains
''This article is based upon a translation of the
German language version as at March 2013.''
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Trains