At a special event in Amsterdam, SNCB Europe and NS Hispeed proudly presented Fyra, the new high-speed train for the Brussels-Amsterdam route.

Michel Jadot, director of SNCB Europe and Michiel van Roozendaal, director of NS Hispeed, unveiled the name of the high-speed train that will run between Brussels and Amsterdam: the Fyra.

 

 

The high-speed train that travels at up to 250 km/h will go into service on the Amsterdam – Schiphol – Rotterdam – Antwerp – Brussels and Amsterdam – Schiphol – Rotterdam – Breda route.

The high-speed train on show today built by AnsaldoBreda in Italy is a prototype. This means that the exterior is complete but the inside is fitted with measurement and test equipment. Test runs will start on the HSL-South in the Netherlands and the L4 high-speed line in Belgium in the near future. Tests will be carried out under contract to AnsaldoBreda who will remain the owner of the train during the test programme. Following completion of the test programme the train will go back to AnsaldoBreda in Italy to be fitted out.

 

 

 

SNCB and NS Hispeed have 19 high-speed trains between them (3 and 16 respectively). The fact that it is TSI compliant (Technical Specifications for Interoperability) means this high-speed train is the first that can be operated on the entire European Union network. Depending on the test results from TSI and ERTMS (the train protection system chosen for Europe), it is anticipated that the high-speed trains will go into operation on the Amsterdam-Brussels route one year after the start of testing. When the high-speed line first comes into use, temporary rolling stock (Traxx locomotives and ICR coaches) will run on it for an initial period at a speed of 160 km/h.

 

In Fyra, NS Hispeed and SNCB offer the customer both speed and comfort. The train journey from Amsterdam to Brussels - city centre to city centre - will take just 1 hour 46 minutes, while the journey from Rotterdam to Schiphol will take 20 minutes. Customers have the option of purchasing tickets online. Follow developments as they happen at www.fyra.com, www.nshispeed.nl and www.sncb.be