Iris (train)
TEE Iris departing from Zürich HB, 1979.
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| Overview | |||||
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| Service type |
Trans Europ Express (TEE) (1974–1981) InterCity (IC) (1981–1987) EuroCity (EC) (since 1987) |
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| Status | Operational | ||||
| Locale |
Belgium Luxembourg France Switzerland |
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| First service | 28 May 1974 | ||||
| Current operator(s) |
NMBS/SNCB CFL SNCF SBB-CFF-FFS |
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| Route | |||||
| Start | Brussels Midi/Zuid | ||||
| End | Chur / Basel SBB | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Train number(s) | EC 96/97 | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||||
| Electrification | 15 kV AC, 16.7 Hz (Switzerland) |
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| Route map | |
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The Iris is an express train that links Brussels Midi/Zuid in Brussels, Belgium, with Chur station in Chur, Switzerland.
Introduced in 1974, the train is 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 is 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. As of 2015[update], the Iris was one of two EuroCity train-pairs running daily between Brussels and Switzerland; the other was the Vauban.
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 is slated to be cut in two in Strasbourg sometime in 2016, when a TGV service Brussels–Strasbourg will be introduced.
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