Iris (train)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(1974–1981)
InterCity (IC)
(1981–1987)
EuroCity (EC)
(since 1987)
 TEE Iris departing from Zürich HB, 1979 | |||||
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Trans Europ Express (TEE) (1974–1981) InterCity (IC) (1981–1987) EuroCity (EC) (since 1987) | ||||
| Status | Withdrawn | ||||
| Locale | Belgium Luxembourg France Switzerland | ||||
| First service | 28 May 1974 | ||||
| Last service | 2 April 2016 | ||||
| Current operators | NMBS/SNCB CFL SNCF SBB-CFF-FFS | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Brussels Midi/Zuid Chur / Basel SBB | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Train number | EC 96/97 | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||
| Electrification | 15 kV AC, 16.7 Hz (Switzerland) | ||||
| |||||
The Iris was an express train that linked Brussels Midi/Zuid in Brussels, Belgium, with Chur station in Chur, Switzerland.
Introduced in 1974,[1] the train was 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 was 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]
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 was discontinued on April 3 2016, alongside the introduction of a high-speed TGV service to Strasbourg.[4]
