RIC coaches

[StephenHunter]

How many of the 1970s RIC coaches are still in service?

 

[Gordon]

How many of the 1970s RIC coaches are still in service?

Where?

There are certainly some in service in Switzerland - although rebuilt as open stock so no longer the original RIC compartment interior.

 

[StephenHunter]

Where?

Europe in general.

 

[MarcVD]

Type I6 in Belgium. 80 built, 15 to be scrapped for sure (those that were rebuilt into couchette cars), most others will be extensively rebuilt, program just started. As far as I know, original design with separate compartments will be kept, which will make them a very rare species in Western Europe.

 

[NicholasNCE]

Coaches complying with the RIC (Regolamento Internazionale delle Carrozze) have been built very recently, notably the WLABmz sleeping cars for the Russian Railways by Siemens (2011-2015) and the Bmpz/Bpmz coaches for RegioJet and Astra Transcarpatic by Astra Vagoane.
The standard is nevertheless being superseded by the TSIs.

 

[class387]

Type I6 in Belgium. 80 built, 15 to be scrapped for sure (those that were rebuilt into couchette cars), most others will be extensively rebuilt, program just started. As far as I know, original design with separate compartments will be kept, which will make them a very rare species in Western Europe.

Interesting that they will be rebuilt. Belgium refurbs seem to keep original layouts (hence keeping the bench seating on the AM80s etc.) so I'm not that surprised that the compartments are kept, though it is good to hear - do you have any pictures? Also, any idea what services they work - will it just be peak time relief trains or will they have regular workings?

 

[Please Explain]

Interesting that they will be rebuilt. Belgium refurbs seem to keep original layouts (hence keeping the bench seating on the AM80s etc.) so I'm not that surprised that the compartments are kept, though it is good to hear - do you have any pictures? Also, any idea what services they work - will it just be peak time relief trains or will they have regular workings?

BeLux Trains is your friend: www.beluxtrains.net , look under I6 in "by rolling stock". They are currently used on an out and back run from Brussel to Luxembourg -(Monday-Friday), IC 2107 07h33 Brussel Zuid-Luxembourg in the former path of EC 91 Vauban and a corresponding return working in the evening. On Sundays, they run with M6 cars on IC 2112 12h33 Brussel Zuid-Luxembourg in the former path of EC 97 Iris, again with a corresponding return working in the evening. They were also used on a few IC BeNeLux turns to Amsterdam until recently to cover for unavailable NS ICr cars.
Yes, they are in my opinion the best Eurofima cars running. The current interior is very nice but is well worn and the refurbishment now needed to keep them going. I was surprised to hear about this refurb earlier this year on the NMBS/SNCB Facebook page, -(you can find a link to that on MarcVD's profile page), as Marc had previously posted that the entire fleet was going to be scrapped, so it came as most welcome news that they have now been given a reprieve, sadly barring the voitures couchettes..

Btw Marc, do you happen to have any new info on the Austria Express this year? I remember you said that rail promo were hoping to run it again this season but it would not be using the I6 couchettes. -merci

Also, why the RIC designation? Ive never heard of that term before to describe Eurofima cars, only UIC.

 

[MisterT]

RIC = Regolamento Internazionale del Carrozze
UIC = Union Internationale des Chemins de fer

RIC is the standard for the coaches, UIC is the union that currently sets the standards.

 

[MarcVD]

I am not sure that this is true - but I heard some info saying that they could be used for Bruxelles to Luxembourg trains after next summer, when the Arlon to Luxembourg portion of line is repowered in 25kv, replacing the AM96 sets, that are DC only. To be taken with a grain of salt, of course.

Would be good, in my opinion. If you can't make the line fast, at least make it confortable...

 

[30907]

I presume we are discussing the now-classic "Western" European UIC type Z coaches (he says, having read it up on Wikipedia) which I've also seen described as Eurofima (from their financing)?

AIUI (and a check on www.vagonweb.cz seems to confirm), the substantial number of coaches sold on by OeBB to Regiojet and CD were to RIC standards.

ALEX have recently taken delivery of some ex-Trenitalia cars for Munich-Prague which must also be RIC but I don't know their date.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Would be good, in my opinion. If you can't make the line fast, at least make it confortable...

I do agree - that is essentially the Chiltern Railways business model, is it not?

 

[Gordon]

I presume we are discussing the now-classic "Western" European UIC type Z coaches (he says, having read it up on Wikipedia) which I've also seen described as Eurofima (from their financing)?

I thought the opposite, that the OP was referring to UIX X coaches. The SNCB I6 mentioned above is not a UIC X, but a UIC Z (aka VSE aka Eurofima). Eurofima were the new generation of open coaches, designed in early 1970s and delivered in the late 70s. What I believe are the 'RIC' coaches are the UIC X built in the 1960s, eg the Swiss ones in service from 1964 - and always known as 'RIC'. These had the 'German' style compartments with reclinable individual seats with separate back rests. The Swiss called them RIC because it enabled them to be easily distinguished from the internal-only EWI and EWII.

.

 

[StephenHunter]

I'm referring to the UIC X-Z types, yes.