Fyra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Service began in 2009
Schiphol Airport,
Rotterdam Centraal,
Breda,
Antwerpen-Centraal,
Brussel-Centraal
Brussel-Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi
NS Hispeed class 186
 | |
 A V250 at Innotrans 2008 in Berlin | |
| Franchises | International joint operation Service began in 2009 |
|---|---|
| Main stations | Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal, Breda, Antwerpen-Centraal, Brussel-Centraal Brussel-Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi |
| Fleet | 19 V250 sets (AnsaldoBreda) NS Hispeed class 186 |
| Stations called at | 10 V250 (expected) |
| Parent company | NS International and NMBS/SNCB |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
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Fyra (Dutch: [ˈfiːraː]) was a short-lived international high-speed rail service between the Netherlands and Belgium using the AnsaldoBreda V250 train. The service used the HSL-Zuid and HSL 4 railway lines to connect Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels.[1] It operated for a mere 6 weeks around the New year of 2013, before continuous technical difficulties forced its suspension. It was permanently halted due to reliability and safety concerns.
The high-profile project was a collaboration between NS International (a joint venture of NS and KLM) and NMBS/SNCB.
A Dutch domestic service also using HSL-Zuid was branded under the same name. Despite using the tracks built for high speed trains the service between Amsterdam and Breda used conventional trains propelled by a TRAXX locomotive. Its name was changed to Intercity Direct to avoid confusion with the failed international service.
The name "Fyra" represents pride, and is derived from the Dutch word fier and the French word fière, both meaning proud. Fyra is also the Swedish word for four, and is said to represent the four important cities which the new trains were intended to serve — Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels.[2]
NS International services started at Amsterdam Centraal station. They comprised two trains per hour to Rotterdam, two trains per hour to Breda and one train every one or two hours to Antwerp and Brussels. All trains stopped at both Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam. Services outside the Netherlands were operated in conjunction with NMBS/SNCB, Belgium's national railway operator.
An hourly high-speed service between Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam was introduced in September 2009. In October 2010 this was increased to a half-hourly service,[3] and in April 2011 the service was extended to Breda. On 29 July 2012 the V250 made its first revenue earning service carrying passengers from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and back. The service to Antwerp and Brussels started on 9 December 2012. The service was temporarily suspended after various major technical difficulties on 17 January 2013.
After the manufacturer had been proven unable to address the issues as contractually stipulated, NMBS/SNCB permanently withdrew the service and cancelled the contract for the delivery of 3 trains on 31 May 2013. NMBS/SNCB sought the refund of its downpayment, and maybe also damages.[4]
Reputation
The Fyra had a poor reputation for reliability. After a month of operations more than 5% of all trains were cancelled and fewer than 45% of them ran to time.[5] In the middle of January 2013 further problems arose: 3 trains were damaged because of ice (among other technical problems). Further commercial service was even forbidden by the Belgian rail safety regulator. This led to several complaints from user associations and tourist information services. Both the Dutch and Belgian parliaments held hearings about the problems[6] during May 2015.
The continuous problems with Fyra caused public outcry in both Belgium and the Netherlands, including accusations in the Belgian and Dutch media that only financial considerations were behind the decision to purchase V250 trains from AnsaldoBreda. Initially the maximum speed requirements were fixed at 220 km/h, which would have reduced the purchase cost per seat drastically. After comparing offers by Alstom (manufacturers of the French TGV) and Siemens (who manufacture the German ICE trains) with that of AnsaldoBreda, however, it transpired that the Italian producer was able to offer a cheaper train with a higher speed of 250 km/h, which ultimately gave the Italian company the edge. The V250's failure in January 2013 and its ultimate withdrawal from service spawned Dutch-language nicknames such as "Spaghetti-boemel" (slow spaghetti train, referring to the Dutch nickname for Italians: Spaghettivreter, "Spaghetti eater") and "ALDI-trein" (ALDI-train) after the German discount supermarket chain. This latter triggered protests from ALDI's management.[7]
