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

In 1982, the British Railways Board divided its operations into a number of sectors, through sectorisation; that responsible for long-distance express trains assumed the brand-name InterCity, although many routes that were previously operated as InterCity services were assigned to other sectors; e.g. to services were transferred to the Network SouthEast sector instead.

The brand was discontinued after the privatisation of British Rail in 1997, although it now used by Locomotive Services for its heritage railtour fleet.

Branding

Etymology InterCity derives from the prepositional of the with City giving rise to meaning 'between cities'.

The Inter-City train British Rail first used the term Inter-City in 1950, as the name of a service running between and . This was part of an overall policy of introducing new train names in the post-World War II period.

The name was applied to the business express which ran from London in the morning and returned in the afternoon; it became part of the railway lore of the West Midlands. Its residents always believed that it was the success of this one train that led to the adoption of the name as a British Rail brand in 1966. This belief was supported by the timeline; in 1966, The Inter-City was heading towards its ultimate demise in 1967, when the London-West Midlands main line service was consolidated into the newly electrified route via .

Brand introduction British Rail introduced the Inter-City brand for its long-haul passenger services in 1966. It has also been adopted by countries in Europe.

Sector With sectorisation of British Rail in 1982, most long-haul services became consolidated in the InterCity division, which retained the brand. The division became profitable and one of Britain's top 150 companies, providing city centre to city centre travel across Great Britain from and in the north of Scotland to and in the south of England.

Sub-sectors In 1986, InterCity had the following sub-sectors: Anglia InterCity: Services on the Great Eastern Main Line from to Essex and East Anglia Charter Trains Cross Country: Services between city pairs that used a combination of the various main lines, but usually avoided Greater London; many of these served the Cross-Country Route East Coast Main Line: Services from London King's Cross to Yorkshire, North East England and eastern Scotland Gatwick: The Gatwick Express service between and Great Western Main Line: Services from to the West Country and South Wales, including overnight sleeper services Midland Main Line: Services from to the East Midlands and South Yorkshire West Coast Main Line: Services from to the West Midlands, North Wales, North West England and southern Scotland, including overnight sleeper services to Scotland.

Profit centres By the end of 1992, the sub-sectors had been reorganised into five profit centres: Anglia & Gatwick Express East Coast Main Line Great Western Midland Cross Country West Coast Main Line.

Operations

InterCity operated High Speed Trains (HST) under the brand name InterCity 125, as well as InterCity 225s for the electric high-speed trains operated on the East Coast route. The 125 referred to the trains' top speed in miles per hour (mph), equivalent to 201 km/h, whereas 225 referred to the intended top speed in km/h (equivalent to 140 mph); for signalling reasons, their actual speed limit was the same 125 mph.

InterCity 250 was the name given by InterCity to the proposed upgrade of the West Coast Main Line in the early 1990s. The existing trains operating on the West Coast were intended to be marketed under the brand InterCity 175, again referring to those trains' top operating speed of per hour, although this idea was subsequently dropped.

All InterCity day services ran with a buffet car and the majority ran at speeds of 100 mph or above. If expresses on other sectors were included, there was a period in the early 1990s when British Rail operated more 100 mph services per day than any other country. Special discounted fares, including the Super Advance and the APEX, were available if booked in advance.

Rolling stock

HST services were first introduced in 1976 on the Great Western Main Line between London Paddington, , and . Formations consisted of two first-class Mark 3 carriages, a restaurant buffet and four standard-class, with a Class 43 power car at each end.

Rolling stock used in each sub-sector was as follows:

East Coast – InterCity 125 HST services started in 1977: Typically two first-class, a restaurant kitchen, buffet standard and four standard-class Mark 3 carriages, with a Class 43 power car at each end. These progressively replaced Deltics, which were withdrawn in 1981. Later, as catering needs changed, the restaurant kitchen was replaced by a fifth standard-class coach. InterCity 225 sets comprised a electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer (DVT) operating in push-pull mode; these were introduced in 1990, with electrification completed in 1991. This saw most of the HSTs transferred to the Great Western, Midland and Cross-Country routes, but some remained for the runs to/from Aberdeen, Inverness and Hull.

West Coast – London Euston to used electric locomotives hauling Mark 2 carriages and operated up to 100 mph. One daily round trip extended to as the Cambrian Coast Express until 1991, using diesel locomotives over the unelectrified part of the route. Euston to Glasgow services used Classes 86, and electric locomotives hauling Mark 3 coaches, operated at up to 110 mph. Euston to services used -hauled Mark 2s or HSTs. From 1988, West Coast trains operated in push-pull mode with a DVT at the London end of the train. Before DVTs were introduced, larger fleets of Classes 81–87 were used to haul the trains conventionally. s operated in pairs north of until electrification was completed in 1974.

Midland – Classes 45, and locomotives hauling Mark 1 and Mark 2 carriages. HSTs replaced the locomotive-hauled trains in the 1980s.

Great Western – InterCity 125s from new, which replaced Class 50s, which in turn, replaced s. Other services were also operated by Mark 2 carriages hauled by Class 47s and 50s; later these were transferred to Network SouthEast and replaced by diesel multiple units.

Great Eastern – Class 47 diesel locomotives hauled Mark 1 and Mark 2 carriages before electrification of the route beyond was completed in the mid-80s. Class 86 electric locomotives were introduced to haul trains from to from May 1985, with through electric trains reaching by 1987. Mark 2 Driving Brake Standard Opens were cascaded from Scotland in the early 1990s, so that trains could operate in push-pull mode. Some routes transferred to Network SouthEast, leaving Norwich and the London- boat trains with InterCity.

Cross Country – Some routes were operated by InterCity 125s, but with only one first-class carriage and standard-class seats in the buffet car replaced the restaurant. Other routes saw Mark 2 carriages hauled by Class 47 diesel locomotives. Services operating north of Birmingham on the West Coast Main Line switched to electric traction using Class 86 and 90 locomotives; DVTs were not used.

Gatwick Express – This service used originally dedicated electric multiple units, as part of the Southern Region. Prior to being transferred to InterCity, the service ran from , calling at , (sometimes via ), , to . The service was transferred to InterCity in 1984, with electro-diesel locomotives hauling Mark 2 coaches and a modified driving motor carriage, in push-pull mode; the service then only served London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.

Sleepers – Originally consisted of Mark 2 or Mark 3 seating coaches with Mark 1 sleeper cars. Mark 3 sleeper cars replaced the Mark 1s in the early 1980s; DVTs were not used. The Night Riviera service (Paddington-Penzance) was hauled by Class 47s, while the Euston-Scotland sleepers were usually hauled by Class 86, 87 or 90 electric locomotives as far as and . The sections north of Edinburgh were hauled by Class 37 or 47 diesel locomotives to/from Aberdeen and Inverness, while the section to/from was hauled by Class 37s. The London Euston to service worked on the same basis with a change from electric to diesel at . The service to Holyhead saw locomotive changes at .

Fleet details Class Image Number Power Carriages Notes Class 08 Diesel Shunter N/A Class 09 38 Class 31 Diesel Locomotive Used on Summer Saturday specials Class 37 308 Used on Scottish sleepers in pairs with generators van. Used on Cambrian Line. Class 43 197 High Speed Train Around 8 as part of InterCity 125 sets Class 47 512 Diesel Locomotive N/A Class 50 50 Never carried InterCity livery in service, but now carried by 50031 Class 73 12 Electro Diesel Locomotive Used on Gatwick Express services Class 82 8 AC Electric Locomotive Class 83 13 AC Electric Locomotive Class 86 100 Class 87 36 Class 89 1 Class 90 15 Class 91 31 9 as part of an InterCity 225 set Class 99 15 Ship N/A Class 370 3 AC Electric Multiple Unit 14 Part of the APT project Class 488 29 Coach 3 + 1 Class 73 Used on Gatwick ExpressClass 48910GLV1 Mark 1 Coach Coach Mark 2 Coach Mark 3 Coach 848 Mark 4 Coach 314 Mark 3 DVT 52 Driving Van Trailer Mark 4 DVT 32

Train formation

Formations of HST and push–pull train sets would always place the driving van at the London end of the train, then two or three first-class carriages, restaurant and buffet car, and five standard-class carriages; the locomotive would always be at the country end of the train. The only exception was the London to Norwich route; as Crown Point TMD lies to the south of Norwich station, the locomotives worked from the London end as this facilitated easier locomotive changing at its home depot, if necessary. Operating trains in push-pull mode eliminated the requirement to attach locomotives at terminus stations, in order to turn the trains around; this also saved maintenance costs and reduced the number of locomotives and carriages needed to operate services.

Main destinations

East Coast Main Line London Kings Cross, Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark North Gate, Retford, Doncaster, Hull, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Dunbar, Edinburgh, Glasgow Central, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen, Inverness.

West Coast Main Line London Euston, Watford Junction, Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central (opened 1982), Rugby, Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe, Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Stockport, Manchester Piccadilly, Runcorn, Liverpool Lime Street, Chester, Llandudno Junction, Bangor, Holyhead, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Carlisle, Motherwell, Glasgow Central.

Great Western Main Line London Paddington, Reading, Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Bath Spa, Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads, Weston-super-Mare, Newport, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Port Talbot Parkway, Neath, Swansea, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St David's, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Totnes, Plymouth, Bodmin Parkway, St Austell, Truro, Penzance.

Midland Main Line London St Pancras, Luton, Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Leeds, York, Scarborough.

Cross Country Route Penzance, Truro, St Austell, Plymouth, Totnes, Paignton, Torquay, Newton Abbot, Exeter St. David's, Taunton, Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway, Cardiff Central, Newport, London Paddington, Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton, Brighton, Gatwick Airport, Reading, Oxford, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay,