Class ICR (InterCity Coaches)


Picture from the Railfaneurope.net Picture Gallery, click here for the caption.

Number series:

Number built: 78 A, 131 B and 51 BKD
Number in service: 56 A, 112 B, 7 BD, 21 BF, and 32 BDs (January 2009)
Introduced: 1980-1982, 1986-1988
Maximum speed: 160km/h
Length: 26.400m
Weight: 40/41 tonnes
Builder: Talbot (Germany)
Passenger seating: 59 first (A), 80 second (B) or 53 second (BDK)

These are the standard coaches used for InterCity trains. They have been ordered in 4 separate batches. Division is made between national coaches and coaches allowed in the neighbouring countries (Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany).
The coaches are based on the middle coach of trainsets class ICM. The bogies are different, these are of the type Y32. This type is also used for the French Corail coaches. The first class coaches are half open (2+1 seating) and half compartments with 6 seats. These coaches have a telephone. The second class coaches (including the ones with luggage room) are all open with 2+2 seating. All coaches have one wide (1300mm) and one smaller (900mm) set of doors on each side.
Within The Netherlands the coaches are used on the lines Haarlem - Amsterdam - Utrecht - Eindhoven (- Maastricht) and on The Hague - Rotterdam - Breda - Eindhoven - Heerlen/Venlo. For international trains they are used on one train Haarlem - Luxemburg on saturdays and sundays during the summer only. They operate with locomotives class 1800 (renumbered from 1600 in 1999) and class 1700.
In February 2000 a major revision of these coaches has started. They will get airconditioning, new furniture and cables that allow them to be used in pull- pull formations (loc+6B+3A+BD+loc). 22 coaches will be rebuilt to driving trailers for push-pull operations (loc+3B+A+BDs). In December 2000 the first two rebuilt coaches (one A and B) were presented to the press, at the end of 2003 the first trains with the new driving trailers started operating on Zwolle-Arnhem-Roosendaal (IJssellijn) and in early 2004 on Haarlem-Maastricht.

At the end of 2006 the rebuilt was complete, although 10 second class coaches extra are being rebuilt into driving trailer (130 B and 32 Bs in the end). In practice the coaches are used in long (10/11/12-car) push-pull sets. In 2007 the first coaches were adapted for use in the trains over the new high-speed line Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Breda/Antwerp-Brussels. See also the NS Highspeed coaches.
In 2009 there are "long" sets of 10 coaches used on Eindhoven-Schiphol Airport and The Hague-Venlo, and "short" sets of 7 coaches used on Roosendaal-Zwolle. All are used in push-pull mode with locomotives class 1700.