Eurocity

EuroCity, abbreviated as EC, and meaning "EuroCity express" or "EuroCity express train", is a cross-border train category within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains allocated to the lower-level "IC" (InterCity) category, EC trains are international services that meet 20 criteria covering comfort, speed, food service and cleanliness. Each EC train is operated by more than one EU (or Swiss)-based rail company, under a multilateral co-operative arrangement, and all EC trains link important European cities with each other.

The EuroCity label replaced the older Trans Europ Express (TEE) name for border-crossing trains in Europe. Whereas TEE services were first-class only, EuroCity trains convey first and second class coaches. The EuroCity schedule was designed with train pairs running one train in both directions, thus resulting in a more frequent service than the TEE, which normally ran only once a day.

The criteria EuroCity trains are required to meet include the following:

In 1993 it was decided that EuroCity trains must complete their journey between 6:00 am and midnight. The night services are operated as EuroNight since 23 May 1993.

Originally, all EuroCity trains carried names, and many still do, continuing the practice started with the luxury trains of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The names are printed on brochures showing the times of arrival and departure at every stop and details of the journey; these are placed on the seats by the train staff. A few trains have used the names of the earlier Trans Europ Express or InterCity trains that they replaced on the same route, for example Iris for Brussels to Zürich. The names were mostly related to the cities and region the trains served and chosen from historical or mythological figures, geographical and botanical names or regional products. In 1991, the decision was made to name the EuroCity services after famous Europeans, which in some cases resulted in the renaming of existing services, e.g. the EC trains between Germany and Denmark.

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