The Czech Minister of Transport, Martin Kupka, and the Director General of České dráhy (CD), Michal Krapinec, unveiled the new ComfortJet trainset at Prague Central station.
CD says that by summer the train will enter operation on the Prague – Bohumín and Bohumín – Prague – Františkovy Lázně rail routes, being in a temporary eight-carriage train configuration without a control car and a dining car.
The trains are built by the consortium of the Siemens Mobility and Škoda Group under a contract for the supply of 180 carriages, including control cars and dining cars, that will make up altogether 20 nine-carriage trainsets. They have a seating capacity of 555 seats and a top operating speed of 230 km/h.
In 2021, the consortium of Siemens and Škoda Transportation won the tender for the supply of 20 Viaggio Comfort trainsets. Under the EUR 500 million contract, the consortium will deliver the new fleet between 2024 and 2026.
“The new ComfortJet trainset demonstrates what a qualitative leap the rolling stock of our national carrier has been undergoing in recent years. The increasing quality of travelling and services offered on board trains is something what can further increase people’s interest in travelling by train. (…) The modern trainset can operate in the future also on sections of high-speed railways, the preparation of which is progressing in our country and thanks to this development we will further improve the railway connection between our regions and between the Czech Republic and all parts of Europe in the future” the Minister of Transport said after the first ride on the board of ComfortJet.
The train is equipped with USB sockets for charging electronics and other services, on-board information and reservation system, air conditioning system and Wi-Fi. They provide special area reserved for 12 bicycles including charging points for electric bicycles.
“The ComfortJet trainsets are equipped with the most modern elements on the current European railway market and offer passengers the highest comfort for their journeys, regardless of the fact whether they are travelling for business purposes or pleasure. The ComfortJet trainsets will not help only where they will run directly. In connection with the commissioning of dozens of new carriages, we will continue to gradually phase out older carriages and replace them,” the Director General of CD said.
In the upcoming years, the carrier will use them on the most important international lines to Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna or Budapest. At the end of the summer, the first ComfortJet units should also be deployed in a temporary configuration of the Berliner trains heading to the German capital city. ComfortJets will gradually appear also on Vindobona or Metropolitan trains. They will use their maximum speed of 230 km/h from the beginning of their operation, for example, between Berlin and Hamburg, and in the future, they will also be able to use it on other lines, for example on the new Austrian Koralmbahn railway line or on the first sections of high-speed lines in the Czech Republic.
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