coppercapped
Established Member
In the UK there was never any single definition of 'InterCity'.
'Inter-City' started out as BR's catchy, media-friendly, phrase meaning 'express train' and it in turn had evolved from the 'Inter City' named train running between Birmingham Snow Hill and Paddington. The advertising for the newly electrified West Coast main line in the mid-1960s was "City to City: Heart to Heart" and it was a small step from that to 'Inter-City'.
When BR was re-organised into business sectors 'InterCity' became the name of the sector operating the long distance, high speed passenger services. As the Government of the day said it would not subsidise BR's commercial activities - and the long distance train services were classified as 'commercial' BR lopped off all those bits of the 'InterCity' operation that were not profitable.
So the only correct definition of 'InterCity' in the later BR period covers those long distance, high speed services that were profitable according to the accounting standards of the time.
It had nothing to do with average speeds, length of station stops or whether or not refreshments were offered or type of rolling stock.
'Inter-City' started out as BR's catchy, media-friendly, phrase meaning 'express train' and it in turn had evolved from the 'Inter City' named train running between Birmingham Snow Hill and Paddington. The advertising for the newly electrified West Coast main line in the mid-1960s was "City to City: Heart to Heart" and it was a small step from that to 'Inter-City'.
When BR was re-organised into business sectors 'InterCity' became the name of the sector operating the long distance, high speed passenger services. As the Government of the day said it would not subsidise BR's commercial activities - and the long distance train services were classified as 'commercial' BR lopped off all those bits of the 'InterCity' operation that were not profitable.
So the only correct definition of 'InterCity' in the later BR period covers those long distance, high speed services that were profitable according to the accounting standards of the time.
It had nothing to do with average speeds, length of station stops or whether or not refreshments were offered or type of rolling stock.
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