InterCity (British Rail)

brand-name of British Rail

InterCity (or, in the earliest days, the hyphenated Inter-City) was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services (see British Rail brand names for a full history).

InterCity
A High Speed Train power car and Mark 3 carriage in InterCity swallow livery at Penzance
Overview
Franchise(s)Not subject to franchising (1966 – 1996)
Main Region(s)All
Other Region(s)All
Fleet size180
Stations called at190
Parent companyBritish Rail

Privatisation

change

After the privatisation of British Rail, InterCity trains were divided up into several franchises. The Caledonian Sleeper are transferred to ScotRail, now First ScotRail.

Divisions Original Franchise Currently
East Coast GNER Then passed to National Express East Coast
West Coast Virgin Trains Then passed to Avanti West Coast (owned by FirstGroup and Trenitalia)
Midland Midland Mainline Then passed to East Midlands Trains
Great Western Great Western Trains Renamed First Great Western. Also operates Night Riviera from London to Penzance
Gatwick Express Gatwick Express Merged into Southern and now a sub-brand
CrossCountry Virgin Trains Then passed to CrossCountry
Great Eastern Anglia Railways Then merged into National Express East Anglia