Iris was an express train that linked Brussels Midi/Zuid in Brussels, Belgium, with Chur station in Chur, Switzerland. Introduced in 1974, the train was 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 was named after the Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus), a flower widespread in the Zenne/Senne valley where Brussels is located.
Service History
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, the Iris was one of two EuroCity train-pairs running daily between Brussels and Switzerland; the other was the Vauban.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Service type | TEE (1974–1981), IC (1981–1987), EC (since 1987) |
| Status | Withdrawn |
| Locale | Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland |
| First service | 28 May 1974 |
| Last service | 2 April 2016 |
| Operators | NMBS/SNCB, CFL, SNCF, SBB-CFF-FFS |
| Termini | Brussels Midi/Zuid ↔ Chur / Basel SBB |
| Frequency | Daily |
| Train number | EC 96/97 |
Route and Discontinuation
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 was discontinued on 3 April 2016, alongside the introduction of a high-speed TGV service to Strasbourg.
Related: SNCF TGV Iris 320
A separate entity, the SNCF TGV Iris 320, is a modified TGV train operated by SNCF International as a dedicated track recording train for high-speed railways. It can run at 320 km/h (199 mph) and consists of two power cars and eight trailer coaches, forming a 160-metre-long laboratory. Converted from former SNCF TGV Réseau passenger train number 4530, it is used primarily to monitor the entire French high-speed LGV network every 15 days, as well as other main lines in France operating above 160 km/h, and the HSL 1 high-speed line in Belgium. It also surveys the Channel Tunnel and High Speed 1 in the United Kingdom.
