Rolling stock • Railcar • Belgium • SNCB • I10
Summary:In the mid‑1980s, the advanced modernization of rolling stock at SNCB in Belgium argued for the withdrawal of the oldest coaches from international services. This led SNCB to study a new series of coaches in its “I” (international) family, intended to replace the older I2 and I4 coaches that were still operating on certain international trains. The I10 coach, based on the UIC‑Z diagram, was presented by its manufacturer BN in May 1987. They were introduced on the Ostend–Brussels–Liège–Cologne route, as well as on other, longer‑distance international services. No longer needed following the arrival of the I11 coaches and later the M6 and M7 sets for domestic service, SNCB put the I10 fleet up for sale, part of which was purchased by the new Dutch entrant Go‑Volta.
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Key points
◼️ UIC‑Z loading gauge from the 1980s ;
◼️ Originally built for SNCB international services
General overview
In the 1970s, SNCB had introduced the VSE coaches—nicknamed “Eurofima” because of their financing—on the Ostend–Brussels–Liège–Cologne route, in order to modernize this major axis between London and Germany, which at the time had no tunnel. The compartment‑based VSE coaches proved less than ideal during the morning and evening peaks, when passengers often had to stand in the side corridor. More capacity was therefore needed, and the timing was favourable: at the end of the 1970s, the historic railway companies opted for a long‑distance coach design in a “coach‑style” layout, with seats arranged on either side of a central aisle. SNCF thus created the Corail coach, while Deutsche Bahn introduced its Bpmz series and successors.
SNCB therefore chose, in its studies, a similar design that would provide more seating capacity per train: this is how the I10 coach was born. On 14 May 1987, the BN factory in Bruges presented the first coach. By 1988, part of the fleet was already in service, to the satisfaction of Belgian passengers who, at the time, could use the Ostend–Cologne “international” trains with a domestic ticket or season pass (which was not permitted on the Brussels–Mons–Paris route, however).
It is interesting to note that the I10 coaches were the culmination of a broader range that never materialized: the I7, I8 and I9 projects were abandoned, which is why SNCB’s nomenclature jumps chronologically from I6 to I10. The I11 coaches would later succeed them as the last long‑distance coach project, just before the arrival of high‑speed rail. The I10s were also the last to adopt the orange C1 livery, which had been chosen in the 1970s for the VSE coaches (classified as I6 at SNCB). Another distinctive feature is that, to reduce design costs, certain components – such as windows, interior doors and curtains – are sourced from the M4 domestic service carriages.
| TRAIN TYPE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Family name: | i (International) | |
| Class: | I10 | |
| Manufacturer: | BN Bruges (now Alstom) | |
| Train type: | Coach (without motorisation) | |
| Sector: | Longue distance (international) | |
| Operator(s): | SNCB/NMBS (†) GoVolta (2026) |
|
| First service: | June 1987 | |
| TECHNICAL | ||
| Lenght: | 26,40m | |
| Maximum speed: | 160 km/h (upgrated to 200km/h on certain coach) | |
| Traction system: | no | |
| Electric system(s): | no | |
| Pantograph: | no | |
| Braking system(s): | – | |
| Track gauge: | 1,435mm | |
| TRAIN CONFIGURATION | ||
| Formation: | Independent railcar | |
| Seats First: | 66 | |
| Seats Standard: | 86 | |
| Restaurant car: | 3 converted into dining cars (WR) | |
| Bar car: | 1 converted into disco-bar (SR3) | |
| Total seats: | – |
The I10s were increasingly sidelined with the arrival of the I11 coaches, and especially with the introduction of high‑speed services and the end—starting in 2002–2003—of SNCB’s traditional international traffic. They were then used for peak‑hour reinforcement trains in Belgium and for a few charter services. With no further use following the massive arrival of the M6 and M7 coaches from the 2010s into the 2020s, the I10s were quietly put up for sale, and the Dutch alternative operator GoVolta acquired part of the fleet for its services launched in March 2026.
Technical details
To reduce study costs and avoid multiplying sub‑series, SNCB opted for a unified bodyshell design A11 and B11: 26.40 m in length, with 11 windows and two access platforms, both in first and second class—an approach that diverged from standard UIC criteria. The I10 belongs to the UIC‑Z diagram. The only difference compared with SNCF’s Corail coaches or DB’s Bpmz coaches is that all seats are arranged face‑to‑face rather than partially in rows. This results in “groups of four,” a configuration that is no longer particularly appreciated today.
SNCB had planned for part of the I10 fleet to operate far afield, notably on the EuroCity Vauban Brussels–Basel–Milan. Of the 95 coaches ordered, 35 were fitted with air‑conditioning instead of forced‑air ventilation: these were exclusively second‑class coaches, as SNCB assumed that the 15 first‑class coaches would remain on the Ostend–Cologne route. This gives us the following breakdown:
| SERIES DETAILS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| I10 A no-clim (A11t) | I 10 B no-clim (B11t) | I10 B clim (B11t) | |
| Year built | 1987/1988 | 1987/1988 | 1987/1988 |
| Number of cars built | 15 | 45 | 35 |
| First class seats | 66 | – | – |
| Second class seats | – | 86 | 86 |
| Weight | 40,55 t | 40,75 t | 42,45 t |
| Speed max | 160 km/h | 160 km/h | 160 km/h 200 km/h since 2009 |
| Bogies | FIAT Y02705 | FIAT Y02705 | FIAT Y02705 |
| Area distribution under SNCB/NMBS | International traffic | International traffic | International traffic |
| Classification and numbering under SNCB/NMBS | 51 88 11-70 001 to 015 | 51 88 21-70 001 to 045 | 61 88 21-70 046 to 070 |
2026
To launch its first train service, the Dutch startup GoVolta secured at the end of 2025 the acquisition of 13 I10 coaches from SNCB, all of them non‑air‑conditioned. An option is on the table to purchase 40 additional coaches to expand its operations. In February 2026, these coaches were transferred to the Brouwer Technology BV workshops in Blerik, the Netherlands, where they are to receive the livery of the new operator. Brouwer Technology is the actual owner of the vehicles.
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Rolling stock • Railcar • Belgium • SNCB • Lexical