Intercity Direct
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Intercity Direct is a high speed train railway within the Netherlands, connecting Amsterdam Central to Schiphol, Rotterdam Central and Breda. Intercity Direct replaced the Fyra brand as of December 2013.
History
The Intercity Direct train service uses the HSL Zuid high-speed railway line which went into service 6 September 2009.[1] An hourly domestic service branded Fyra by operator NS Hispeed was started on 7 September 2009 between Amsterdam and Rotterdam using TRAXX-locomotives and ICR-carriages. Initially the service was hourly and weekdays only. On 12 April 2010 service expanded to Saturdays and Sundays. As of 4 October 2010, frequency increased to twice hourly. Service was extended to Breda on 3 April 2011.[2]
An international service also known as Fyra between Amsterdam and Brussels started 9 December 2012 using V250 rolling stock of AnsaldoBreda. From 17 January 2013 this service had to be pulled due to undercarriage damage caused by ice and snow. As of June 2013 international Fyra service has been permanently suspended by both Dutch and Belgian railways.[3]
Due to the perceived bad reputation of the Fyra brand, the domestic service rebranded into Intercity Direct as of December 2013.[4]
Services
Intercity Direct offers the following services:
- 2 trains per hour: Amsterdam Centraal – Schiphol – Rotterdam Centraal – Breda
- 2 trains per hour: Amsterdam Centraal - Schiphol - Rotterdam Centraal
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| Class 186 Traxx | 
|
Locomotive | 100 | 160 | ? |
Amsterdam - Schiphol - Rotterdam - Breda, |
|
| ICRm (Prio) | 
|
Carriage | 100 | 160 | ? |
Amsterdam - Schiphol - Rotterdam - Breda, |
|
A supplement is required for travel on the Intercity Direct for the Schiphol - Rotterdam stretch. As of 2014 single use supplements cost €2.30 regardless of the class.[5] This supplement can be paid by touching an OV-Chipcard to a "supplement pillar", which can be found on platforms from which Intercity Direct trains depart. These pillars are similar to OV-Chipcard validation machines, containing a red "Toeslag" label. A bi-lingual sign indicates for which train the supplement is required. For journeys between Schiphol and Amsterdam Central, and between Rotterdam Central and Breda, no supplement is required. If the supplement was mistakenly paid, touching an OV-Chipcard to the same device within 30 minutes will cancel the purchase.
References
- ^ "NS Hispeed launches HSL-Zuid services". Railway Gazette International. 7 September 2009.
- ^ "Fyra shuttles run through to Breda". Railway Gazette International. 11 April 2011.
- ^ "End of the line for Amsterdam-Brussels FYRA High Speed Train". AmsterdamTips.com. 4 June 2013.
- ^ "Fyra brand extinguished". Railway Gazette International. 14 November 2013.
- ^ supplements Intercity Direct | ns.nl
External links
- Intercity Direct on the NS website
- Public transport route planner
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