 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(November 2022) |
The InterRegio is a train service seen in some European countries. Mostly they are trains that run "from region to region", as best described by Swiss Federal Railways.
| | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(November 2022) |
The InterRegio is a train service seen in some European countries. Mostly they are trains that run "from region to region", as best described by Swiss Federal Railways.
In Belgium, InterRegio (IR) trains were slower than the fast IC trains, and usually called at more stations along a route. Their journey was usually not as long as IC trains, but still traveled further than the local (L) trains.
Most IR trains had hourly frequencies, some having only services every two hours (although this is mostly true only for weekend services).
All trains in Belgium shared the same cost structure, so taking an IR train cost the same as an IC or L train for the same route. The only difference lay in the number of station stops they called at.
In December 2014 the InterRegio was withdrawn, InterRegio lines were either converted to InterCity or local train or cancelled completely.
The InterRegio in Switzerland was first introduced in 1997. They replaced some of the former fast trains with their own identity (InterRegio).
InterRegio trains are now very commonplace in Switzerland. The abbreviation is IR in a 45°-edgy font, white letters on red.
The ICN runs as an InterCity train but sometimes with halt frequencies in the same manner as an IR (Geneva/Lausanne-St. Gallen/Basel route) and sometimes as IC trains (Basel-Chiasso). When ICN services first began on 28 May 2000, the ICN was placed as an InterRegio train.
As of the December 2023 timetable change, [update] the following InterRegio services exist, operated by SBB CFF FFS, BLS and SOB:
: Bern – Burgdorf – Olten 
: Bern – Biel/Bienne 
: Bern – Neuchâtel – La Chaux-de-Fonds 
: Basel SBB – Lucerne – Arth-Goldau – Locarno 
: Bern – Burgdorf – Olten – Zürich HB – Chur 
: Zürich HB– Zug – Arth-Goldau – Göschenen – Locarno InterRegio trains were also commonplace in Germany from 1988 to 2003. They travelled and mainly connected regions in Germany. Most of the InterRegio lines have been replaced by InterCity lines; a few were replaced by the newly established Interregio-Express (IRE) type. However, Interregio-Express lines belong technically to the short distance train category, and tend to be shorter. InterRegio trains were very popular as they could be used without supplement - DB scrapped them, hoping customers would trade up to InterCity (IC) or Intercity Express (ICE) trains, a policy that was only partially successful, and then only when the SparPreis brand of tickets were introduced.
The InterRegio system was also introduced to the Danish railways in the early 1990s and became an alternative to the InterCity services, with no seat reservation required. However, unlike other countries, InterRegio trains in Denmark only operates on Fridays and Sundays, to support the heavy flow of passengers that travel on those days. These InterRegio services also have fewer stops than the InterCity services, which goes against the original InterRegio concept of long-distance trains with more local stops. There are no specific rules for the composition for these trains, and both old and new material has been used for InterRegio services.
In Poland, interREGIO trains were introduced by Przewozy Regionalne (PR) in spring of 2009, the first IR train connecting Białystok with Warsaw. The fare is similar as TLK-branded fast trains of PKP Intercity.
In the beginning these trains operated mostly on Fridays and Sundays along the routes: Wrocław-Kraków, Kraków-Przemyśl, Poznań-Olsztyn, Poznań-Warsaw and Bydgoszcz-Warsaw. Since June 2009 there are more interREGIO trains on routes; most of them are available through the whole week, some of them only on weekends. More routes were introduced, some of which are especially made for students, like Kielce-Częstochowa-Wrocław.
InterREGIO in Poland mostly uses older electric multiple units (usually ED72, EN71 and EN57), with newer units on some routes (ED73 and ED59 between Warsaw and Łódź, 14WE between Kraków and Warsaw). Some IR trains are serviced with single- and/or double-decker cars and locomotives.
As of 1 January 2009 [update] , all IR trains in Poland are second class-only, even though PR's regulations include a first-class fare for interREGIO trains and in service are first-class coaches, yet declassified.
Since 1 September 2015 IR trains are only on routes Łódź – Warszawa and Ełk – Grodno (Belarus), due to company's economics and restructuring. [1] The rest were withdrawn or replaced by Twoje Linie Kolejowe express trains.
Szczekociny rail crash
On 3 March 2012, the Szczekociny train collision occurred, with 15 deaths and 50 injured
The InterRégió trains were introduced in Hungary on 12 December 2009. InterRégió trains run mainly on regional lines, but their function is national as well. The trains operate along the lines Sárbogárd–Szekszárd–Baja and Kecskemét–Baja–Dombóvár. InterRégió trains use air-conditioned MÁV 6341 DMU-s which were built by the Russian Metrovagonmash.
Portugal's national railway company Comboios de Portugal operates some Interregionais, which before 2001 were known as "Directos" or "Semi-Directos". These trains offer a faster option than regional trains but slower than intercity trains. They operate along the lines Porto-Régua-Pocinho, Figueira da Foz-Porto-Valença, Porto-Coimbra, Lisboa-Tomar, Lisboa-Caldas da Rainha and Caldas da Rainha-Coimbra.
The Interregional service is operated by CP Regional using CP 2240 EMU-s, Spanish rented CP 592 DMU-s and locomotives CP 2600 with Arco coaches bought to Renfe in 2020 and refurbished by Comboios de Portugal.
The IC 2000 is a double-deck push-pull train in Switzerland and is run by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) as part of its InterCity service. Top speed is 200 km/h. The train set can be composed of up to 10 coaches and provides close to 1,000 seats, according to SBB. In 1997-2004, the consortium, made up of Schindler Waggon, Pratteln and Alstom delivered 341 coaches to SBB, of which about 320 coaches are still in use as of December 2009.
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains generally call at major stations only.
The Voralpen-Express (VAE) is a named train connecting small to medium-sized cities and villages in Central and Eastern Switzerland, carrying this name since 1992. It is operated by Südostbahn (SOB) and runs every hour as an InterRegio (IR) between St. Gallen and Lucerne, bypassing Zurich. Its name derives from the fact that it traverses the Prealps.
Lucerne railway station is a major hub of the rail network of Switzerland, in the city of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne. It is a terminal station serving domestic and international traffic on several rail lines, and is situated in a city centre and waterfront location on the south side of Lake Lucerne.
The Südostbahn – commonly abbreviated to SOB – is a Swiss railway company, and a 1,435 mmstandard gauge network in Central and Eastern Switzerland. It resulted from the merger of the original SOB with the Bodensee–Toggenburg railway (BT) at the end of 2001.
Rail 2000 is a large-scale project of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) established in 1987 to improve the quality of the Swiss rail network for the New millennium. It includes measures to accelerate a number of existing connections and the modernisation of rolling stock. The federal government decision to support the project in 1986 was approved by a referendum in 1987. In 2004 the first phase was completed consisting of around 130 projects with a budget of around CHF 5.9 billion.
Rapperswil railway station is located next to the old town and harbour of Rapperswil in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. It is the largest of four active railway stations in the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona. Rapperswil railway station is situated on the north shore of Lake Zürich at the northern end of the Seedamm, which separates the Obersee from the main body of the lake.
Zürich Airport railway station is a railway station serving Zurich Airport in Switzerland. The station is located underneath the Airport Centre, the main ground-side passenger terminal of the airport, which is in the canton of Zürich and the municipality of Kloten.
Arth-Goldau railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and municipality of Arth. The station is located in the centre of the village of Goldau, which forms part of Arth.
Brunnen railway station is a railway station serving the resort of Brunnen, in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and municipality of Ingenbohl. It is located on the Gotthard railway, and is served by long-distance trains as well as by commuter and suburban trains.
Thalwil railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Thalwil in the Swiss Canton of Zürich. The station is located on the Lake Zurich left bank main line and the Thalwil–Arth-Goldau railway, part of the Zurich to Lucerne line. To the Zurich side of the station, the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel diverges from the original lakeside line, whilst on the Lucerne side is the junction point where the Zurich to Chur and Zurich to Lucerne lines diverge. Thus all trains on both lines must pass through the station.
Zug railway station serves the municipality of Zug, the capital city of the canton of Zug, Switzerland.
Pfäffikon SZ railway station is a junction station serving Pfäffikon, the principal town of the municipality of Freienbach, in the canton of Schwyz (SZ), Switzerland. The station is situated at the northern edge of the town, between the town centre and Lake Zurich.
Altdorf railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Uri and municipality of Altdorf. The station is situated on the Gotthard railway north of its crossing of the Alps, and is the most southerly station before that line splits into the older route via Erstfeld and the original Gotthard Tunnel, and the newer route via the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The station was reconstructed between 2019 and 2021.
Lenzburg railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Lenzburg in the Swiss canton of Aargau.
Baar railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Zug, situated in the municipality of Baar. The station is located on the Thalwil–Arth-Goldau railway and is an intermediate stop for InterRegio trains from Zürich to Lucerne and on Zürich S-Bahn line S24. It is also the northern terminus of the Zug Stadtbahn S1 line.
Frauenfeld railway station is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Thurgau and municipality of Frauenfeld. The station is located on the Winterthur–Romanshorn railway line, and is the terminus of the narrow-gauge Frauenfeld–Wil railway line.
The Zürich–Zug–Luzern Railway (Zürich-Zug-Luzern-Bahn) is a former railway company that built railway lines in the Swiss cantons of Zürich, Zug and Lucerne from the 1860s. It was absorbed by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in 1902. Its lines now form the Zürich–Zug railway and the Zug–Lucerne railway.
Rotkreuz railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Risch-Rotkreuz, in the Swiss canton of Zug. It is located at the junction of the standard gauge Rupperswil–Immensee and Zug–Lucerne lines of Swiss Federal Railways.
The InterCity are mainline trains in Switzerland connecting the country's major agglomerations, the range of services of which is located between InterRegio (IR) and EuroCity (EC). These trains are generally equipped with air-conditioned equipment, a CFF restaurant or a CFF bistro, a mini-bar service, a quiet area and a business area in 1st class as well as a family area or, occasionally, a family car in 2nd class.
