EuroCity

EuroCity (EC) is an international train category and brand for European inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness.[1][2] Each EC train is operated by more than one European Union or Swiss rail company, under a multilateral co-operative arrangement, and all EC trains link important European cities with each other.[3]

The EuroCity label replaced the older Trans Europ Express (TEE) name for border-crossing trains in Europe. Whereas TEE services were first-class only, EuroCity trains convey first- and second-class coaches.[2]

Criteria

The criteria EuroCity trains are required to meet include the following:

The EuroCity schedule was designed with train pairs running one train in both directions, thus resulting in a more frequent service than the TEE, which normally ran only once a day. In 1993 it was decided that EuroCity trains must complete their journey between 6:00 am and midnight. The night services are operated as EuroNight since 23 May 1993.[4]

During the pre-Schengen era, passport checks were conducted on EC trains while in motion, rather than while parked at a station or requiring the passengers to disembark, as was sometimes the case for non-EC trains. A few require pre-reservation (though this is possible and recommended for all other trains) and in some countries a supplemental charge.

• train through two or more countries
• all cars air-conditioned
• stop only at stations serving major cities
• stops scheduled to last no more than five minutes, in special cases up to 15 minutes
• food and beverages available onboard (preferably from a dining car)

Naming

Originally all EuroCity trains carried names, and many still do, continuing the practice started with luxury trains of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The names are printed on brochures showing the times of arrival and departure at every stop and details of the journey; these are placed on the seats by the train staff. A few trains have used the names of the earlier Trans Europ Express or InterCity trains that they replaced on the same route, for example Iris for Brussels to Zürich. The names were mostly related to the cities and region the trains served and chosen from historical or mythological figures, geographical and botanical names or regional products. In 1991, the decision was made to name the EuroCity services after famous Europeans,[5] which in some cases resulted in the renaming of existing services, e.g. the EC trains between Germany and Denmark.

On 29 July 1991, the European Community decided to reorganise the legal structure of the railways in order to stimulate commercial operation and reduce government subsidies. The directive, in force in 1993, stated that railway services and infrastructure should be split and operators should be able to offer their services everywhere in Europe using the national infrastructure. After 20 years the implementation is still ongoing, but it has affected the railway operators already. High-speed services that have been introduced subsequently, using both new rolling stock and some newly built line sections, have all used brand names that are applied to all trains of their class or category, rather than naming every single service.

Network

On 31 May 1987, the network started with 64 EuroCity trains, serving 200 cities in 13 countries.[2][6] They were made up of 56 day services and eight night services. The network included the international TGV services between France and Switzerland along with several other EuroCity trains, except the TEE Gottardo, which was converted to EuroCity only one year later. There were also several night services (note that the boat-train Benjamin Britten (London–Amsterdam) overnight portion was by ferry, not by train). Additionally, there were three international InterCity trains, which did not qualify as EuroCity.

The network was set up by the national railways of Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, and the European Community. One year later Hungary joined as well. The network grew from 64 services in 1987 to 76 services in 1990, and in 1991 the frequency was improved, resulting in an expansion to 102 services by 1991. Until then, it was a mainly western European network but from 1991 it began expanding beyond Hungary in the east. After the historic developments occurring in Central

EuroCity Express and EuroCity Direct

List of EuroCity services

See also

• EuroCity in Germany
• Rail transport in Europe
• Train categories in Europe

External links

• 7 new railways companies on Open Access 2013 – Mediarail.be