EuroCity (EC) is an international train category and brand for European inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness.[1][2] Each EC train is operated by more than one European Union or Swiss rail company, under a multilateral co-operative arrangement, and all EC trains link important European cities with each other.[3]
The EuroCity label replaced the older Trans Europ Express (TEE) name for border-crossing trains in Europe. Whereas TEE services were first-class only, EuroCity trains convey first- and second-class coaches.[2] The EuroCity schedule was designed with train pairs running one train in both directions,[clarification needed] thus resulting in a more frequent service than the TEE, which normally ran only once a day.