Fyra rebranded as "Intercity Direct"

[radamfi]

The half hourly express Fyra service between Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam and Breda will be rebranded as "Intercity Direct" from the start of the new timetable on 15 Dec.

There will no longer be a supplement between Rotterdam and Breda. The supplement between Schiphol and Rotterdam will remain, and can be added to the OV-Chipkaart at the relevant platforms at the stations Intercity Direct stops at.

 

[jopsuk]

Fyra brand to buried in the same pit as the hopeless bespoke rolling stock?

 

[wattman]

That is correct

Also the website http://www.fyra.com is now down

 

[ChiefPlanner]

My one trip on the new Fyra HS stock can be described as "deeply unimpressive" ....no offence to NS - but a bit of a mistake.

 

[radamfi]

My one trip on the new Fyra HS stock can be described as "deeply unimpressive" ....no offence to NS - but a bit of a mistake.

At least you can claim to be one of the very few ever to use that train. There are no replacement high speed trains on order.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

At least you can claim to be one of the very few ever to use that train. There are no replacement high speed trains on order.

I was also the first (I think) - to travel on one last December using a free FIP coupon - the friendly staff at Amsterdam CS had to phone around to see what the validity / surcharge was. About 6 Euro I recall.

 

[MK Tom]

There's a lot of suing going on over this at the moment... AnsaldoBreda asking for technical details and being denied them, SNCB, NS and Ansaldo all suing for damages?

Interesting that this is the same manufacturer behind the crappy T69 trams that Midland Metro are replacing after a whapping 14 years of service.

 

[Manchester77]

And manchester's T68As which too will have had 14 years!

 

[radamfi]

NS are buying TRAXX locos for use on the high speed line.

http://www.railcolor.net/index.php?nav=1405330&id=5714&action=dview

The Dutch Railways have decided to order 19 new Traxx MS locomotives (DE/AT/BE/NL configuration) for its passenger services that will include the high speed line (HSL-Zuid) in the Netherlands. Loco-hauled trains will be the short term alternative for the long planned domestic services that should have been running with the now troubled V250-trains from AnsaldoBreda. These are now topic of a dispute between NS and the Italian manufacturer.

Delivery of the 19 new machines is planned for the end of 2014. They will be operated on the relations Amsterdam – Rotterdam (as of December 2014) and The Hague - Eindhoven (as of december 2015) via the HSL. The new name for these trains will be most likely Intercity Direct. This name replaces the Fyra brand next week. Their top speed will be 160 kph.

The Traxx MS is already approved for both the Dutch conventional rail network and the HSL. Maintenance will be done at Watergraafsmeer workshop, near Amsterdam. There they have already plenty of experience with the type, as they are already maintaining the similar locomotives that are being leased from Alpha Trains and Macquarie Rail.

 

[HSTEd]

100mph loco hauled stock on a high speed line?

Thats absurd.

 

[radamfi]

100mph loco hauled stock on a high speed line?

Thats absurd.

But I guess that's the best they can do at short notice. Hopefully there will be 200+ km/h trains ordered eventually.

 

[davetheguard]

I was also the first (I think) - to travel on one last December using a free FIP coupon - the friendly staff at Amsterdam CS had to phone around to see what the validity / surcharge was. About 6 Euro I recall.

The only time I travelled on a Fyra-branded service was before the new sets had been delivered (late).

Rotterdam CS to Amsterdam via the HS line in a re-liveried domestic train with a TRAXX loco. I too had to check validity before boarding, and was told "it's a ticket, so it's valid"; the Fyra supplement was being waived (frequent announcements) due to engineering work blocking the old line via Delft.

 

[HSTEd]

But I guess that's the best they can do at short notice. Hopefully there will be 200+ km/h trains ordered eventually.

That press release/news report seems to suggest that the new locomotives have only 160kph top speed.
Which is rather low for such operations on a HSL.

 

[Oscar]

Yes, the 160 km/h locos are what is being ordered now, but NS intends to buy high-speed stock (possibly second hand) towards the end of the decade.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Wonder why they don't hire some TGV PSE sets from SNCF as some of them are now being withdrawn? They may be being withdrawn through age, but they could surely last a few more years especially since SNCF are not ( at this stage ) withdrawing the whole lot.

 

[radamfi]

Wonder why they don't hire some TGV PSE sets from SNCF as some of them are now being withdrawn? They may be being withdrawn through age, but they could surely last a few more years especially since SNCF are not ( at this stage ) withdrawing the whole lot.

Would there be voltage issues doing that? Is it easy to convert the TGVs to run on the different Dutch and Belgian voltages?

 

[30907]

There might be signalling/ATP compatibility issues but PSE sets are dual-voltage anyway.

(Though I'd forgotten the difference between NL and BE... be nasty if someone tried.)

 

[HSTEd]

Don't SNCB use 3000V rather than 1500?

Or am I just imagining that?

 

[radamfi]

Don't SNCB use 3000V rather than 1500?

Or am I just imagining that?

Yes, Netherlands use 1.5 kV, Belgium 3 kV.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It's not that difficult a conversion to do is it? Given that any hired in sets would be given an overhaul anyway?

It's not even an unfamiliar process or stock type either... think of the Thalys PBKA sets...

 

[Mediarail.be]

2 pictures for the Fyra Brussel-Amsterdam :

http://mediarail.be/UE_Grd-axe_AMS-BRU-04/BRU-AMS-Fyra 06.htm

and

http://mediarail.be/UE_Grd-axe_AMS-BRU-04/BRU-AMS-Fyra 07.htm

Mediarail.be

 

[EWS 58038]

The plan is to integrate the services within the Mainline concession.

As from December 15 all NSHispeed coaches for the Amsterdam-Brussels service will be refurbished (again). In the meantime all loco hauled trains by NSR will be replaced by EMU's and also send for the refurbishment. From summer 2 experimental ERTMS DVT's will be constructed from 2 of the refurbished coaches. Testing these DVT,s will be done during night time periods and later within revenue earning services.

If successful (however prohibitory expansive to make a DVT. Out of a 30 year old coach) up to 25 DVT's might be build for pull-push services using the HSL.

Amstefdam to Breda will remain the 2 tph frequency.
Amsterdam to Rotterdam will be introduced with a 2 tph frequency as well, offering 4 trains per hour on this section.

Alse the Amsterdam - Brussels train will use the HSL but has a rather odd route making the journey even longer, but will be serving more destinations as Breda, Noorderkempen and Brussels Airport.

By 2016 all 270+ coaches will be used on trains using the HSL.

And yes, 160 km/h isn't fast. But the time gained on Breda to Amsterdam at 250 instead of 160 km/h is a mere 5 minutes and after the Fyra debacle NS isn't keen to much more experimenting. Furthermore... The company lost hundreds of millions in this adventure already.

From 2018 new trains will be tested. These trains should be able to operate at 200 to 225 km/h replacing ALL loco hauled HSL services and use the other 200 km/h lines as well.

 

[Mediarail.be]

Very interressant ! And what news about the private service Den Haag-Brussel by Arriva ?

 

[EWS 58038]

They requested paths for both Netherlands and Belguim but were denied any slot as they don't have any coaching stock at the moment.

It is very silent, but I recently spoke to a reliable source who told me they are working on that part and are now in the process of rolling stock procurement.

 

[317666]

The plan is to integrate the services within the Mainline concession.

As from December 15 all NSHispeed coaches for the Amsterdam-Brussels service will be refurbished (again). In the meantime all loco hauled trains by NSR will be replaced by EMU's and also send for the refurbishment.

Interesting, does that mean the NSR loco hauled trains will move to NS HiSpeed after refurbishment, or will they stay with NSR?

 

[EWS 58038]

Interesting, does that mean the NSR loco hauled trains will move to NS HiSpeed after refurbishment, or will they stay with NSR?

NSHispeed as an operator does no longer exist. It has been taken over by NSR. But all loco hauled services will cease and be replaced by EMU's. Services using the HSL will be the only loco hauled trains left (apart from the train to Berlin)