The popular “Dumpling Express” on the Prague–Berlin route is history – from now on, new on-board restaurants will take over on all services. The old dining carriages, however, remain in use on other routes across the Czech Republic.
On Sunday, the last Dumpling Express (Knödelexpress) departed – from Prague towards Berlin and returning on Monday. The excellent catering service will continue even without white tablecloths on the new trains. The old carriages of the train sets no longer meet the requirements for speed and comfort on the modernised routes, where trains travel at up to 230 km/h.
The Familiar Carriages Remain in Use
The sets that were previously used on cross-border services to Germany are being reassigned to domestic express routes. For example, on the R18 Slovácký Expres line between Prague and Luhačovice, the second-class compartment carriages will now be used. On the R20 Labe route from Prague to Roudnice nad Labem, a new first-class carriage will be introduced. The WRmz815 dining carriages (Knödelexpress) are being relocated to Bohumín and will operate on trains on the Ex1 Prague–Ostrava–Bohumín line.
New ComfortJets with On-board Restaurants
The new trains allow speeds of up to 230 km/h, whereas the previous carriages were only designed for 200 km/h. This speed is insufficient for the connecting routes from Berlin to Hamburg and the extension to Copenhagen. In addition, the new carriages are fully accessible and feature wireless charging stations for mobile phones in first class.
ComfortJet in All Directions
The Czech Railways (ČD) see the ComfortJets as the backbone of cross-border long-distance services in the coming years. In addition to Germany, the new trains will also operate on services to Villach in Austria, Bratislava and Budapest, and as far as Copenhagen in Denmark.
