Iris (train)

The Iris was an express train that linked Brussels Midi/Zuid in Brussels, Belgium, with Chur station in Chur, Switzerland.

Introduced in 1974, the train was operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB), the Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), the French National Railway Corporation (SNCF) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS). It was named after a flower, the Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus), which was widespread in the Zenne/Senne valley, where Brussels is located.

Initially, the Iris was a first-class-only Trans Europ Express (TEE). In 1981, it became a two-class InterCity (IC), and on 31 May 1987, it was included in the then-new EuroCity (EC) network. , the Iris was one of two EuroCity train-pairs running daily between Brussels and Switzerland; the other was the Vauban.

History
The eastbound service was cut back to Brussels–Basel in December 2011; in December 2013 the latter was also cut back to start in Basel.

The service was discontinued on April 3 2016, alongside the introduction of a high-speed TGV service to Strasbourg.