「经济学人」Closely watched trains

The looming end of the Knödelexpress

In recent years the tardy and loss-making operations of Deutsche Bahn have become a symbol of the woes of the German economy. In contrast, Ceske Drahy (CD), the Czech Republic’s profitable and (mostly) punctual national railway, is going from strength to strength. In 2023 it carried 164m passengers, 7m more than in 2022, and invested almost 11bn koruna ($454m) in new trains.

One popular route runs every two hours from Prague to Dresden and Berlin via the glorious peaks, forests and medieval towns of the Elbe valley. In 2024 CD started replacing the route’s EuroCity trains with faster “ComfortJet” models (maximum speed 230km per hour, or 143mph). The new trains boast wireless mobile-phone chargers in first class, better wheelchair access and haptic buttons for the blind. Sadly, they do away with the old-world dining cars that led Germans to call the EuroCity trains the Knödelexpress (dumpling express).

The fare on the Knödelexpress includes typical Czech dishes such as svickova na smetane (sirloin roast in cream sauce) with knedliky (dumplings), palacinky (pancakes) and jablecny zavin (apple strudel), prepared by a chef and served by a uniformed waiter. The dining carriage is furnished with white tablecloths, frosted-glass lamps and red fake-leather seats. The air is of an old-world hospoda (pub) in Prague where time stopped in the early 20th century.

For now the ComfortJets, made by Germany’s Siemens and the Czech firm Skoda, are still using the old dining cars: the manufacturers have not finished the new bistro cars that will replace them. These have 18 seats instead of 30, and employ “a modern kitchen with chilled food technology and a multi-modal convection oven”. They will have none of the Knödelexpress’s charm.

On a recent trip from Prague to Berlin, every seat in the EuroCity’s dining car was taken before the train left the station. Some tables discussed the Knödelexpress’s looming demise. Others traded tips on how to hold costs down by ordering your meal during the Czech leg. Svickova na smetane sets you back €9.10 (around $9.50) if ordered on Czech territory; cross the German border and the price jumps to €13. Fortunately, Hungarian and Polish railways will still run old-world dining cars. The fare may be goulash and pierogi, but the feeling is similar: white tablecloths, and not a sandwich or instant coffee in sight. (Dec 31st 2024)

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