Czech Railways updates its fleet

Train cars older than 40 years will be destroyed or renovated

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The opinions expressed in this discussion do not necessarily represent those of The Prague Post.

#1 Posted by

Ian Dowie
Sep 23, 2009 9:44 pm CET

I understand modernisation; but some of these carriages were very 'classy'. The ones that had been kept with loving care and repair; pictures, nice seats. The line that hugs the Vltava going north, although a mainline, was pure poetry in a good old train. Other classic beauty routes could do with saving 1 or 2 for nostalga. You won't destroy the old romantic in me, save some for tourism; well worth every penny, or euro, or kopec. .The new 'sterile' automated doors might confuse my senile old brain, please save a few.

#2 Posted by

Peter Andrews
Sep 17, 2009 7:46 pm CET

>>But, here where it takes 5 hours on the "Super Express" Pendolino to get to Vienna as opposed to a much shorter drive,

The fast trains to Vienna only take four hours. I would far rather take a train than a car, because then I can get some work done during the journey. In any case, I doubt that one could drive it in much less then four hours, including rest and petrol breaks.

#3 Posted by

Paul Margulies
Sep 17, 2009 5:11 pm CET

"The Czech Republic has an excellent railway network, yet many selfish people still pollute the environment by driving - even along routes where there is a direct train connection."

Being an old FerroEquinologist, I'd almost agree with you about the driving, except for the problem that the "direct connections" don't really exist to a great extent here, and when they do, the travel time is 50% or more higher.

In Japan where the trains are frequent, modern and fast they run at capacity. But, here where it takes 5 hours on the "Super Express" Pendolino to get to Vienna as opposed to a much shorter drive, it becomes harder to entice people out of their beloved gas guzzlers.

#4 Posted by

Ian Dowie
Sep 17, 2009 4:27 pm CET

I will miss these old trains; some had nice pictures in the carriages; even a smoking carriage. Just bumping through bohemia; stopping at countelss stations, cheap tickets. The times they are a changing...

#5 Posted by

Peter Andrews
Sep 17, 2009 3:30 pm CET

This sounds a good idea. How about a 200% tax on petrol to pay for it? The Czech Republic has an excellent railway network, yet many selfish people still pollute the environment by driving - even along routes where there is a direct train connection.