Czech Railways defends new bistro car concept

The Czech railroad has defended its decision to replace the existing dining cars on the Prague-Dresden-Berlin route with new bistro cars. The current plan is to complete the changeover to the new "ComfortJet" trains on this route in the course of October, said railroad spokesman Filip Medelsky in Prague. "The new trains and restaurant cars offer greater comfort, better service and will enable faster journeys and shorter travel times in the future," the spokesman explained.

Higher speed

With a maximum speed of 230 kilometers per hour, the new cars meet the latest requirements from Germany, the Czech railroad spokesman added. However, the old WRmz815 dining cars, which were manufactured in 1997, could only travel at a maximum operating speed of 200 kilometers per hour, according to the spokesperson. The "Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten" newspaper first reported on the imminent end of the old dining cars by the end of October.

The new bistro cars reportedly have 18 seats and a "modern kitchen" in which chilled food is prepared and cooked using a so-called convection oven, a combi-steamer. "Passengers will still have the opportunity to enjoy an excellent schnitzel or a Bohemian sauerbraten and a freshly tapped beer," promised railroad spokesman Medelsky. In first class, food and drinks are also served at the seat. Critics of the modernization nevertheless complain that the food is no longer cooked directly on the train, as used to be the case with some of the dishes.

Old dining carriages remain

The last chance to travel between Berlin and Prague in an old dining carriage will be offered for a short time on the EC 170 and EC 171 trains with the name "Berliner", according to the spokesperson. If you want to enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere with cozy red seats, white tablecloths and the iconic ball lamps later on, you will have to plan a longer journey: the old dining cars will not be scrapped, but will instead be used for long-distance services within the Czech Republic and on routes to Poland and Slovakia.