Iris (train)
| File:TEE Iris in 1979 - departing Zürich 2.jpg
TEE Iris departing from Zürich HB, 1979.
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| Overview | |||||
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| Service type | Trans Europ Express (TEE) (1974–1981) InterCity (IC) (1981–1987) EuroCity (EC) (since 1987) |
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| Status | Operational | ||||
| Locale | Belgium Luxembourg France Switzerland |
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| First service | 28 May 1974 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | NMBS/SNCB CFL SNCF SBB-CFF-FFS |
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| Route | |||||
| Start | Brussels Midi/Zuid | ||||
| End | Chur / Basel SBB | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Train number(s) | EC 96/97 | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||||
| Electrification | 15 kV AC, 16.7 Hz (Switzerland) |
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The Iris is an express train that links Brussels Midi/Zuid in Brussels, Belgium, with Chur station in Chur, Switzerland.
Introduced in 1974,[1] the train is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB), the Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), the French National Railway Corporation (SNCF) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS). It is named after a flower, the Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus), which was widespread in the Zenne/Senne valley, where Brussels is located.
Initially, the Iris was a first-class-only Trans Europ Express (TEE). In 1981, it became a two-class InterCity (IC), and on 31 May 1987, it was included in the then-new EuroCity (EC) network.[2] As of 2015[update], the Iris was one of two EuroCity train-pairs running daily between Brussels and Switzerland; the other was the Vauban.[3]
History
The eastbound service was cut back to Brussels–Basel in December 2011; in December 2013 the latter was also cut back to start in Basel.
The service is slated to be cut in two in Strasbourg sometime in 2016, when a TGV service Brussels–Strasbourg will be introduced.
See also
- History of rail transport in Belgium
- History of rail transport in Luxembourg
- History of rail transport in France
- History of rail transport in Switzerland
- List of EuroCity services
- List of named passenger trains of Europe
References
Notes
- ↑ "Summer services, 1974" (changes due to take effect). Thomas Cook Continental Timetable (March 29–April 25, 1974 edition), p. 465. Peterborough, UK: Thomas Cook Publishing.
- ↑ Thomas Cook Continental Timetable (May 31–June 30, 1987 edition), pp. 472, 475. Thomas Cook Publishing.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Bibliography
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (German)
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (French)
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (Italian)
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (German)
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
- Rail.lu: Iris – images of the train
 Trans Europ Express trains |
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- Pages with broken file links
- Articles that mention track gauge 1435 mm
- Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2015
- Articles with German-language external links
- Articles with French-language external links
- Articles with Italian-language external links
- EuroCity
- International named passenger trains
- Named passenger trains of Belgium
- Named passenger trains of Luxembourg
- Named passenger trains of France
- Named passenger trains of Switzerland
- Railway services introduced in 1974
- Trans Europ Express
