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Intercity Direct

Dutch higher-speed train service

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Intercity Direct, abbreviated to ICD, is a Dutch category of higher-speed train service, operating on the HSL-Zuid and connecting Amersfoort Schothorst / Lelystad to Amsterdam Zuid, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal and Breda. Some services cross the border with Belgium, extending to Brussels-South. It is part of NS International.

In December 2013, the former Fyra was rebranded to Intercity Direct.

01History

The Intercity Direct train service uses the HSL-Zuid which went into service 7 September 2009. 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.

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 high velocity with ice and snow. As of June 2013, international Fyra service has been permanently suspended by both Dutch and Belgian railways.

Due to the perceived bad reputation of the Fyra brand, the domestic service rebranded into Intercity Direct as of December 2013.

As of April 2023, ICNG (Intercity New Generation) units have started replacing the locomotive-hauled services. The ICNG trains are capable of operating at speeds up to 200 km/h.

As of December 2024, Intercity Direct will no longer stop at Amsterdam Centraal due to the station's renovation. Instead, the service stops at Amsterdam Zuid and continues to Amersfoort Schothorst / Lelystad.

Traxx locomotive with ICRm carriages ready for departure at Amsterdam Centraal
Traxx locomotive with ICRm carriages ready for departure at Amsterdam Centraal

02Services

Intercity Direct offers the following services:

 Class  Illustration  Type   Top speed   Number   Routes operated   Built 
 mph  km/h 
Class 186 Traxx Locomotive 100 160 NS 65 loco's

NMBS 12 loco's

Amersfoort - Amsterdam - Schiphol - Rotterdam - Breda
Lelystad - Schiphol - Rotterdam

(Lelystad) - Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Brussels

Den Haag - Rotterdam - Breda - Eindhoven

Leased locomotives 2006-2008

NS owned locomotives (186 001 till 186 045) 2014-2016

ICRm (Prio) Carriage 100 160 38 sets (7 or 9 wagons) Amersfoort - Amsterdam - Schiphol - Rotterdam - Breda
Lelystad - Amsterdam - Schiphol - Rotterdam

(Lelystad) - Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Brussels

Den Haag - Rotterdam - Breda - Eindhoven

1980-1988
ICNG Electric multiple unit 125 200 All Intercity direct routes 2016-present
OV-Chipcard card reader for paying the Intercity Direct supplement
OV-Chipcard card reader for paying the Intercity Direct supplement

03Supplement

A supplemental fare is required for any trip on the Intercity Direct that includes the Schiphol Airport-Rotterdam stretch. Single-use supplements cost €3.20 during peak hours and €1.92 during off-peak hours (2026) regardless of the class.

This supplement can be paid by touching an OV-Chipcard or Contactless payment 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, but contain a red "Toeslag" label. A bi-lingual sign indicates for which train the supplement is required. If the supplement was mistakenly paid, touching an OV-Chipcard to the same device within 30 minutes on the same station will cancel the purchase.

Journeys between Schiphol Airport railway station and Amsterdam Zuid, or between Rotterdam Centraal and Breda, can be made without paying the supplement. International tickets for the trains which continue to Belgium include the supplement in their cost.

Watch videos about Intercity DirectExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Intercity Direct, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

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