Restored historic train line to connect Berlin with Prague and Vienna
Starting on Tuesday, a new train service will connect Berlin and Dresden with Prague, Vienna and Graz, restoring the historic 'Vindobona' service.
The new connection is a cooperation between the companies Deutsche Bahn (DB), Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Czech Railways (CD), as DB announced on Sunday.
READ ALSO: How the coronavirus pandemic is changing train travel in Germany
According to DB, the train will run on the route of the "Vindobona" express, a connection from Berlin to Vienna via Dresden and Prague which was operated from 1957 to 2014.
The Vindobona - named after the first Roman settlement on the Donau river- was initially known for its trains considered to be extremely comfortable and modern for their time.
Originally, the restored train connection - to be renamed as the "Railjet" - was supposed to resume operation on May 5th. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, the borders to Germany's neighbouring countries were closed.
The Czech Republic opened its borders with Germany and Austria on June 5th, ahead of the EU-wide border open on Monday June 15th. On June 4th, Austria also scrapped controls at all land borders, except Italy.
The new Railjet train. Photo: DPA
"By the end of June, we will resume international long-distance traffic to all countries. This is a further step towards normality," said DB long-distance transport boss Michael Peterson.
The new Railjet service means that there will be an additional early morning connection from Berlin to Dresden and a new late connection in the opposite direction, bringing the number of journeys between the two cities to 30 a day.
The trains will be maintaining their historical comfort with, among other things, on-board gastronomy, power connections and free Wifi, according to Peterson.
In 2018, the previously longstanding Berlin-Vienna overnight train also made a comeback, transporting passengers from the German capital to Austrian capital in 10 hours.
READ ALSO: Beloved overnight trains to come back on track in Germany
Comments
See Also
The new connection is a cooperation between the companies Deutsche Bahn (DB), Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Czech Railways (CD), as DB announced on Sunday.
READ ALSO: How the coronavirus pandemic is changing train travel in Germany
According to DB, the train will run on the route of the "Vindobona" express, a connection from Berlin to Vienna via Dresden and Prague which was operated from 1957 to 2014.
The Vindobona - named after the first Roman settlement on the Donau river- was initially known for its trains considered to be extremely comfortable and modern for their time.
Originally, the restored train connection - to be renamed as the "Railjet" - was supposed to resume operation on May 5th. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, the borders to Germany's neighbouring countries were closed.
The Czech Republic opened its borders with Germany and Austria on June 5th, ahead of the EU-wide border open on Monday June 15th. On June 4th, Austria also scrapped controls at all land borders, except Italy.
The new Railjet train. Photo: DPA
"By the end of June, we will resume international long-distance traffic to all countries. This is a further step towards normality," said DB long-distance transport boss Michael Peterson.
The new Railjet service means that there will be an additional early morning connection from Berlin to Dresden and a new late connection in the opposite direction, bringing the number of journeys between the two cities to 30 a day.
The trains will be maintaining their historical comfort with, among other things, on-board gastronomy, power connections and free Wifi, according to Peterson.
In 2018, the previously longstanding Berlin-Vienna overnight train also made a comeback, transporting passengers from the German capital to Austrian capital in 10 hours.
READ ALSO: Beloved overnight trains to come back on track in Germany
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.