Train categories in Europe

Railway companies in Europe assign their trains to different categories or train types depending on their role. Passenger trains may be broadly split into long-distance and local trains; the latter having average journey times of under an hour and a range of less than 50 kilometres. Goods trains have their own train types. The names of these train types has changed continually in the course of time.

A train type is not essentially a trademark name. However there are trademark names that are also used as train types (e.g. CityNightLine, Cisalpino, VogtlandExpress).

European long-distance/high-speed rail brands

Name	Abbreviation	Region
Alaris	ALS	Spain
Alfa Pendular	AP	Portugal
Alta Velocidad Española	AVE	Spain
CrossCountry	XC	United Kingdom
EuroCity	EC	Various European countries
Euromed		Spain
Eurostar	EST	United Kingdom/France, United Kingdom/Belgium
Frecce		Italy
Fyra	FYR	Netherlands, Netherlands/Belgium
Intercity-Express	ICE	Germany, Austria, Germany/Netherlands, Germany/Switzerland, Germany/Austria, Germany/France, Germany/Denmark, Germany/Belgium
Railjet	RJ	Austria, Austria/Hungary, Austria/Germany, Austria/Switzerland
Train à Grande Vitesse	TGV	France, France/Switzerland, France/Germany, France/Italy, France/Luxembourg, France/Belgium, France/Spain
Trenhotel	TH	Spain, Spain/Portugal, Spain/France, Spain/Switzerland, Spain/Italy
Thalys	THA	France/Belgium/Netherlands, France/Belgium/Germany
X 2000	X2	Sweden, Sweden/Denmark

Austria

Long-distance (Fernverkehr)

• Railjet
• OBB-Eurocity
• OBB-InterCity
• Eurocity
• Intercity
• D-Zug

Local (Nahverkehr)

• Regionalzug
• RegionalExpress
• Schnellbahn

Germany

• ICE (Intercity-express)
• ICE Sprinter
• Intercity
• Eurocity

• City Night Line

• Regional-Express
• Regionalbahn
• S-Bahn

In 1953 the Deutsche Bundesbahn had the following categories

Fernschnellzug (F) / Fernschnelltriebwagen (Ft)

Schnellzug (D) / Schnelltriebwagen (Dt)

Eilzug (E) / Eiltriebwagen (Et)

Städteschnellverkehrszug (S) / Städteschnellverkehrs-Triebwagen (St) / Städteschnellverkehrs-Schienenomnibus (Sto)

Nahschnellverkehrszug (N) / Nahschnellverkehrs-Triebwagen (Nt) / Nahschnellverkehrs-Schienenomnibus (Nto)

Personenzug (without any abbrevation) / Triebwagen (T) / Schienenomnibus (Pto)

Switzerland

• Intercity
• Intercity-Neigezug
• InterRegio
• RegioExpress
• Regio
• S-Bahn

Private operators (Austria, Germany and Switzerland)

Name	Abbreviation	Role
Arriva-Länderbahn-Express	alex	alex Interregio replacement IR 25 Munich–Oberstdorf/Lindau and Munich - Regensburg - Schwandorf - Hof (Saale) / Prague der Länderbahn, equates to the InterRegio service, but may be used with local fares or Bayern and Schönes-Wochenende tickets
CityNightLine	CNL	Night train in D, A, CH, DK, NL
Harz-Berlin-Express	HBX	Veolia long-distance trains
InterConnex	X	Veolia Verkehr long-distance services, equating to the Interregio trains
Lausitz-Express	LX	Connex Sachsen long-distance services
metronom regional	MEr	Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft local passenger trains stopping at all stations
Mitfahrzug		IGE long-distance services
Vogtland-Express	VX	Vogtlandbahn long-distance trains

Belgium (NMBS/SNCB)

InterCity (IC)

A train connecting Belgium's major cities. These trains stop at the most important stations only, sometimes crossing national borders as well.

InterRegio (IR)

A train connecting Belgium's major cities with smaller cities. These trains generally skip smaller stations. Comparable to German Regional-Express

Piekuurtrein/rush-hour train (P)

Additional scheduled train service that is limited to times at which the demand for a certain route is at its highest. The number of stops varies between trains.

Lokale trein/local train (L)

Local trains usually connect larger cities, but will stop at (nearly) every station along the way. Similar to German Regionalbahn

CityRail (CR)

Suburban train connecting towns and cities around Brussels. Stops at (nearly) every station.

Tourist train (ICT)

Additional scheduled train service that is limited to times at which the demand for a certain touristic destination is at its highest. The number of stops varies between trains.

Extra train

Additional train service, used in case of exceptionally good weather to accommodate more passengers on routes to the coast or in case of special events such as concerts.

Eurocity (EC)

International train meeting certain quality criteria.

International train (INT)

Regular international train.

Thalys (THA)

High-speed trains to Germany, France and The Netherlands. (operated by SNCF, DB, NS and NMBS)

TGV

High-speed trains to France. (Operated by SNCF)

ICE

High-speed trains to Germany. (Operated by DB)

Eurostar (EST)

High-speed trains to France and the UK. (operated by SNCF, NMBS and Eurostar UK Ltd.)

Croatia (Hrvatske Željeznice)

Eurocity (EC)

international high-class service express trains

Intercity (IC)

national and international express trains

Intercity Nagibni (ICN)

national express trains using tilting DMUs

Brzi vlak (Brzi)

literally "fast train", lower class national and international long-distance trains stopping in larger towns

Ubrzani vlak (Ubrz)

literally "accelerated train", local trains skipping some stations, at the same tariff as regular local trains (putnički)

Putnički vlak (Putn)

literally "passenger train", local trains stopping at every station

Czech Republic (České dráhy)

SuperCity (SC)

highest-standard trains requiring reservation, made of modern tilting-train units operating on both national and international routes

Eurocity (EC)

higher-standard international trains, consisting of new or modernised cars of several rail companies and stopping at selected stations only

Euronight (EN)

international sleeper trains

Intercity (IC)

the highest category of national trains, with carriages and stopping frequencies comparable to the EC trains

Express (Ex)

faster trains linking regions, mostly faster and more comfortable than the R trains

Rychlík (R)

the lowest category of longer-distance train, usually quite slow and with old carriages

Spěšný vlak (Sp)

local trains stopping on selected stations only

Osobní vlak (Os)

local trains stopping at every station

Finland (VR Group)

Name	Abbr.	Role	Typical route length / stopping interval (km)	Typical maximum speed (km/h)	Onboard services	Rolling stock
Allegro	AE	International high speed train between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg, Russia.	400 / 100	220	1st class, 2nd class, restaurant car, non-smoking	KT Class Sm6 tilting electric trainsets
Pendolino	S	High speed train between major hub stations. Some trains stop more frequently, similar to the InterCity trains (see below).	200-700 / 50-200	200-220	Business class, 2nd class, restaurant car, smoking room	VR Class Sm3 tilting electric trainsets
InterCity	IC	The backbone of Finnish long distance trains, mainly serving trunk lines radiating from Helsinki and stopping at major stations.	200-900 / 50-100	140-160	Business class, 2nd class, restaurant car, smoking room	Locomotive hauled, single and double deck cars (manufactured since the 90s)
InterCity2	IC² (or IC2)	Like the InterCity trains (see above), but on shorter routes and fewer onboard services.	200-300 / 50-100	160-200	Business class, 2nd class, sales trolley, non-smoking	Locomotive hauled, double deck cars (mnf. since the 2000s), push-pull operation planned
Express (daytime)	P	Operates mostly outside the trunk lines.	200-500 / 50-100	120-140	2nd class, restaurant car, usually smoking room	Locomotive hauled, older "blue" cars (mnf. before the 90s)
Express (nighttime)		Nighttime sleeper trains between Helsinki and Finnish Lapland and International sleeper train "Лев Толсто́й/Tolstoi" between Moscow, Russia and Helsinki.	1000 / 50-200	120-140	Business class/First class, 2nd class, restaurant car, sleeping berths, smoking room, car-carrier wagons (Lapland trains only)	Locomotive hauled, mixture of older and newer Finnish cars (Lapland trains), Russian cars (Moscow train)
Regional	H	Trains on routes with relatively few passengers, trains stopping at every station.	200 / 10-50	120-160	2nd class, non-smoking	Electric multiple units / Diesel railcars / Locomotive hauled with older "blue" cars
Commuter	Route letters (see note below)	Commuter trains in Helsinki region. Some trains stop only at the largest suburban stations, but others stop at every station similar to the German S-Bahn trains.	20-100 / 2-10	120-160	2nd class, non-smoking	Electric multiple units, some rush hour trains are locomotive hauled with "red" cars from the 80s

NOTE: Long distance trains are identified (in passenger information systems) by train number prefixed with the train type abbreviation (e.g. "IC² 177"). However, the Helsinki region commuter trains are identified by their "route letters" only (e.g. "K") and usually do not show their train number to passengers at all.

France (SNCF)

The SNCF use a different system of trains categories, based on politics wishes and commercial trademarks. Categories do not necessarily match with distance.

TGV

National or international services by high speed trains with supplementary fare, totally or partially on high speed lines. Similar to the ICE.

LUNEA

Night service

CORAIL TEOZ

National services on main lines with supplementary fare, never on high speed lines. Similar to the Intercity. There are no CORAIL TEOZ trains between two cities already linked by TGV on a similar itinerary.

CORAIL INTERCITES

National services, ever on main lines and/or secondary lines without supplementary fare. Similar to the InterRegio or the Intercity (Paris - Caen - Cherbourg and Paris - Rouen - Le Havre). Have been used to be called Train Inter Regional, but is obsolete.

TER (TRAIN EXPRESS REGIONAL)

These trains are financed by administratives regions and don't reflete precisely a category, a TER route can be anything from 10 miles to more than 250 miles long. Some TER routes are longer than TGV ones.

Regional or national services, on main lines or secondary lines without supplementary fare. Used to be similar to the S-Bahn (many stops from a big city on a short distance, neighbourhood service), the Regional or RegioExpress, but can be also similar to the InterRegio-Express or Intercity (Interloire Nantes - Orléans) and the InterRegio (Orléans - Lyon, Toulouse - Clermont-Ferrand).

Some special regional trains called TERGV (merged TER and TGV). In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, important cities have to be linked to the main city Lille in less than one hour. The TERGV consists in TGV trains for regional service, the only one with a supplementary fare. These trains use the high speed lines (LGV) to link quickly Dunkerque, Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer (non-exhaustive list), essentially for business workers. The TERGV is similar to a kind of regional ICE.

There are also TER²⁰⁰, iC TER and INTERLOIRE

Hungary (MÁV)

Eurocity

international luxury trains

Intercity

trains mainly in national services on important long-distance routes with air conditioning, restaurant car and seat reservation

Expressz

fast train with compulsory seat reservation (only summertime)

Gyorsvonat

express trains on long-distance routes with standard rolling stock

Sebesvonat

Eilzug equivalent

Zónázó

RegionalBahn equivalent

Személyvonat

Regionalzug equivalent

EURegio

state-subsidiarised international stopping trains near the Austrian border, connects Győr to Vienna and Wiener Neustadt to Graz via Sopron, Szombathely and Jennersdorf

Interrégió

This trains make connections with Intercity trains from smaller towns. Air conditioned, allowed to travel with bike or wheelchair.

RegionalExpress

ÖBB REX trains serve the Vienna-Ebenfurth-Sopron-Deutschkreutz line

Italy (Trenitalia and others)

Categories without * are of Trenitalia.

International quality services

These trains are long international services generally with reservation mandatory. They are operated by different companies such as Thello (Italy-Paris).

• EuroCity
• EuroNight (night services)

SVI (Società Viaggiatori Italia, a company of SNCF) has TGV as category.

High-speed trains

• Frecciarossa
• Frecciargento
• .italo (* NTV)

Long-distance services

• Frecciabianca: trains running once every hour or two hours on the most important long-distance routes (replaced most Intercity on main lines as of 13 December 2008)
• InterCity
• InterCity Notte (night services)

Others:

• Eurostar Italia: 6 trains (ETR 460) linking Rome with Ravenna and Reggio Calabria
• Espresso (E o EXP): 2 trains linking Turin with Bari

Regional and local trains

These categories are also used by regional railways (generally isolated from national railway network). These trains are financed by administratives regions:

• Metropolitano: for line 2 of Naples "metro" and line Cagliari-Decimomannu in Sardinia
• Suburbano, suburban commuter services, the Linee S in Milan

• Regionale: basic local train, equates to German Regionalbahn
• Regionale Veloce (RegioExpress for railway Merano-Malles managed by SAD and for railway Brescia-Edolo managed by Trenord): local or interregional train stopping at few stations

Circumvesuviana (Naples area)

Circumvesuviana (a group of narrow-gauge railways connecting towns to the south-east of Naples) has a special classification: accelerato, diretto and direttissimo. Diretto is also used by Società Subalpina Imprese Ferroviarie for the cross-border railway Domodossola–Locarno.

Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen)

Fyra

High-Speed train currently running between Amsterdam and Breda

Internationale trein (international train)

train class in cross-border traffic between the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany (Intercity to Berlin) and other European countries

Intercity

national train, links the cities with fixed-interval services

Sneltrein

Express train, similar to the German Regionalexpress or Eilzug, the train class is gradually being replaced by "downgraded" IC trains

Stoptrein

stops at all stations, the basic local train service, similar to the German Regionalbahn

Sprinter

stops at all stations and runs mainly in conurbations, similar to the German S-Bahn. The Sprinter is gradually replacing the stoptrein.

In 2012 only three levels will remain: Fyra - Intercity - Sprinter.

Poland (PKP and others)

EuroNight (EN)

high quality night train; operated by PKP Intercity

EuroCity (EC)

international luxury trains on the most important long-distance routes, must be reserved on domestic routes, up to 160 km/h; operated by PKP Intercity

Ekspres InterCity (EIC)

luxury trains in national services on the most important long-distance routes, must be reserved, up to 160 km/h; operated by PKP Intercity;

Tanie Linie Kolejowe (TLK)

fast trains on inter-regional routes; must be reserved in 1st class; operated by PKP Intercity

RegioEkspres (RE)

fast comfortable trains on inter-regional routes; same fare as in InterRegio; 1st and 2nd class, with facultative reservation (available in the Internet ticketing system only); currently only on two routes: MEWA Szczecin - Warszawa - Szczecin and MAZOWSZE Poznań - Warszawa - Poznań. Both are operated by Przewozy Regionalne. Not to be confused with German RegionalExpress for this is a different product. There is also one RegionalExpress connection Dresden Hbf - Wrocław Główny (1st and 2nd class) operated by DB Regio

InterRegio (IR)

fast trains on inter-regional routes; no reservation; cheaper than "TLK", but usually with lower standard, 2nd class only; operated by Przewozy Regionalne

RegioPlus

semi-fast local passenger train missing out several stops, mainly used for commuter services, 2nd class only; operated by Przewozy Regionalne

Regio (R)

local passenger train, 2nd class only; Formerly called "osobowy" and often confused; operated by Przewozy Regionalne.

Osobowy (os.)

local passenger train, 2nd class only; operated by Arriva RP (consortium of Arriva and DB Schenker Rail Polska), Koleje Dolnośląskie and Koleje Mazowieckie

Szybka Kolej Miejska

S-Bahn in Tricity (operated by PKP SKM) and Warsaw (operated by SKM Warszawa)

Portugal (Comboios de Portugal - CP)

Alfa Pendular (AP)

Tilting trains, speeds up to 220 km/h. Used on the main North/South line. Fast trains, only stopping at the end destination or one or two major intermediate cities. Surcharge payable.

Intercidades (IC)

Fast trains, speeds up to 200 km/h. Used on main lines, stopping only at main towns.

Interregional (IR)

Semi-fast trains, speeds up to 120 km/h. Used on main lines, stopping at main towns and some smaller towns.

Regional (R)

Stopping trains, speeds up to 120 km/h. Used on main lines, stopping at all stations.

Urbano / Suburbano

Commuter trains. Used in or around the major cities.

Comboios Internacionais (Internacional, IN)

International trains to Madrid, Vigo and Hendaye / Irun

Romania (Caile Ferate Romane - CFR)

Current

Regio (R)

Local trains, stopping every station, speeds up to 120 km\h.

• Regio Express (RE) - 1st and 2nd class cars
• Regio - mainly 2nd class cars
• Regio Urban/Suburban (RU/RS) - commuter trains, mainly 2nd class cars

InterRegio (IR)

Semi-fast trains, usually for long distances, speeds up to 140 km\h, stopping at the main stations and some smaller towns.

• InterRegio - longer distance trains than Regio, only stop in stations where connections to other destinations are available
• InterRegio Night (IRN)- sleeping services assured, frequent stops, may include cars from foreign operators and/or autoracks

InterCity (IC)

Fast trains, speeds up to 160 km\h, stopping on major cities.

• InterCity/EuroCity (IC/EC) - national and international services, stopping in important stations only
• EuroNight (EN) - night services of the IC/EC
• InterCity Night (ICN) - sleeping services assured, important stops only, may include cars from foreign operators and/or autoracks

Former

Personal (P)

Local trains, stopping every station, speeds up to 120 km\h.

Accelerat (A)

Semi-fast trains, usually for long distances, speeds up to 140 km\h, stopping at the main stations and some smaller towns.

Rapid (R)

Fast trains, speeds up to 160 km\h, stopping on major cities.

Intercity (IC)

Same as Rapid, fast trains, speeds up to 160 km\h, but with fewer stops.

Euronight (EN)

Night trains, fewer stops only on major cities, speeds up to 160 km\h.

Slovakia (ZSSK)

Eurocity (EC)

high quality, usually long-haul international services between Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany. Surcharge payable when travelling with domestic ticket

InterCity (IC)

high quality trains providing only air-conditioned carriages, mostly domestic services (several trains are available to Vienna - closing since 2010 timetable - and Hungary). Reservation always necessary when travelling between Bratislava hlavná stanica and Košice, surcharge payable when travelling with domestic ticket

EuroNight (EN)

high quality night train

Express (Ex)

this category is used for trains which operate as EuroCity in other countries, but failed to qualify for EuroCity in Slovakia due to high quality standards given by ZSSK. However, there is also high quality domestic express service from Banská Bystrica to Bratislava (Ex 530/531)

Rýchlik (R)

"fast train" - trains for longer routes, usually stops at all towns en route, but not at villages

Regional Express (REX)

international local train stopping at few stations; semi fast, Slovakia/Austria

EURegional(ER)

border-crossing local train stopping at few stations (but more than Regional Express); semi-fast, Slovakia/Austria

Zrýchlený vlak (Zr)

semi fast train

Osobný vlak (Os)

stopping train, serving all stations

Slovenia (Slovenske železnice [SŽ])

InterCity Slovenija (ICS)

serve large stations only, equivalent to ICE in Germany and Austria, using tilting trains

InterCity (IC)

serve larger stations across the country, usually using push-pull trains or DMUs

International Train (MV)

similar to InterCity, but serves other countries, especially Croatia

Regional Train (RG)

similar to InterCity

Local Train (LP)

stopping train, usually using EMUs and DMUs

Spain (RENFE)

AVE

High speed trains, speeds up to 300 km/h

Routes:

• Madrid-Ciudad Real-Puertollano-Córdoba-Sevilla
• Madrid-Ciudad Real-Puertollano-Córdoba-Puente Genil-Antequera-Málaga,
• Madrid-Guadalajara-Calatayud-Zaragoza-Huesca
• Madrid-Guadalajara-Calatayud-Zaragoza-Lleida-Tarragona-Barcelona
• Madrid-Segovia-Valladolid
• Sevilla-Barcelona
• Málaga-Barcelona

Alvia

Trains capable of operating in both high-speed and conventional lines, speeds up to 250 km/h

Routes:

• Madrid-Palencia-León-Oviedo-Gijón
• Madrid-Palencia-Santander
• Madrid-Burgos-Bilbao
• Madrid-Burgos-Vitoria-San Sebastián-Irun
• Madrid-Logroño
• Madrid-Pamplona
• Madrid-Albacete-Alicante
• Madrid-Huelva
• Madrid-Jerez de la Frontera-Cádiz
• Barcelona-Vigo
• Barcelona-Bilbao
• Alicante-Madrid-Gijón

Altaria

Trains which use different locomotives in high-speed and conventional lines, speeds up to 250 km/h

Routes:

• Madrid-Ronda-Algeciras
• Madrid-Antequera-Granada
• Madrid-Murcia-Cartagena

Euromed

Operates in the Mediterranean coast, speeds up to 220 km/h

Routes:

• Barcelona-Valencia-Alicante

Alaris

Tilting trains operating in conventional lines, speeds up to 200 km/h

Routes:

• Madrid-Albacete-Valencia-Castellón-Gandia
• Barcelona-Valencia-Alicante

Talgo

Tilting trains in high-speed and conventional lines, link Madrid with other capital cities

Routes:

• Madrid-Orense-Vigo-Pontevedra
• Madrid-Orense-Santiago de Compostela-La Coruña
• Madrid-Cáceres-Mérida-Badajoz
• Madrid-Almería

Arco

Conventional trains, link Barcelona with other capital cities

Routes:

• Barcelona-Mérida-Badajoz
• Barcelona-Sevilla
• Barcelona-Málaga
• Barcelona-Granada
• Barcelona-Almería
• Barcelona-Murcia, nowadays it's classified as a Talgo

Trenhotel

Night services

Routes:

• Madrid-Lisbon
• Madrid-Paris
• Barcelona-Paris
• Barcelona-Zürich
• Barcelona-Milan C.le
• Lisbon-Irún
• Barcelona-Cádiz
• Barcelona-Málaga.
• Barcelona-Granada
• Barcelona-Vigo
• Barcelona-Gijón

Media Distancia

AVANT, also called lanzaderas. Land trains that use the high speed. Madrid-Toledo Madrid Pta. Atocha-Ciudad Real-Puertollano Madrid Chamartín-Segovia-Valladolid Sevilla-Málaga Cádiz-Sevilla-Córdoba-Jaén Barcelona-Lleida Catalayud-Zaragoza

Middle distance services, speeds up to 160 km/h

Routes: all over continental Spain

Cercanías

Short distance services in metropolitan areas, speeds up to 120 km/h

Areas (clockwise): Madrid, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Valencia, Murcia/Alicante, Málaga, Cádiz, Sevilla, Oviedo/Gijón, Santander, Bilbao, San Sebastián Cercanías de Zaragoza

Former Soviet Union

Passaschirski (пассажирский)

express train, very largely sleepers only, must be reserved

Elektro-/Diesel-Pojesd powyschennoj komfortnosti (электро-/дизель-поезд повышенной комфортности)

fast passenger train, sometimes also with 1st and 2nd class, sometimes must be reserved

Elektro-/Diesel-Pojesd (электро-/дизель-поезд)

Local train, 3rd class only

United Kingdom

See List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom.

Former Yugoslavia (Successor companies of the JŽ)

Eurocity

international high-class trains

Intercity

trains used on national and international services on important long-distance routes

Intercity nagibni

Croatian Railways tilting train

Poslovni voz/vlak

Intercity - similar to express trains, usually 1st class only

Brzi voz/vlak

Express trains on long-distance routes, national and international

Zeleni vlak

Former Slovenian express multiple-unit connexions, also cross-border

Ubrzani vlak

semi-fast (like German Eilzug)

Putnički voz/vlak, Lokalni voz

Regional train stopping at all station, usually multiple unit trains

See also

Sleeper trains in Europe