The Most Modern ComfortJet Trains Arriving at the Czech Railway Network. They Could Serve Passengers Still before the Summer Season

Already before the summer season, the first passengers could ride on the board of the ComfortJet train, which is the most modern long-distance train of České dráhy. České dráhy counts on their first deployment in operation on the Prague – Bohumín and Bohumín – Prague – Františkovy Lázně lines, for the time being in a temporary eight-carriage train configuration without a control car and a dining car. Currently, steps are underway to hand over the first trainset produced by the consortium of the Siemens Mobility and Škoda Group companies to the ownership of České dráhy. A total of 180 carriages, including control cars and dining cars, will make up altogether 20 nine-carriage trainsets with a seating capacity of 555 seats and a top operating speed of 230 km/h, which are to represent the new “flagship” of the České dráhy’s long-distance rolling stock. In the upcoming years, the carrier will use them on the most important international lines to Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna or Budapest.

The ComfortJet trainset has been tested today also by Martin Kupka, Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic, and Michal Krapinec, Director General of České dráhy.

“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 the board of trains is something what can further increase people’s interest in travelling by train,” says Martin Kupka, Minister of Transport, after his first ride on the board of ComfortJet, continuing: “In addition, ComfortJet with its maximum speed of 230 km/h represents a modern trainset which České dráhy 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 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. We will put them into service for the first time on selected connections on the Prague – Bohumín line and then Bohumín – Prague – Františkovy Lázně line. For the time being, the units will be operated in a temporary train configuration without a control car and a dining car. However, passengers will not be without the possibility of buying refreshments onboard the train. A dining car will be coupled to the trainset and it will be a carriage of the classical construction from the existing rolling stock of České dráhy. 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 with more modern types with air conditioning, Wi-Fi and other equipment which are to be released from the rail traffic lines newly operated by the ComfortJet units,” says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of České dráhy.

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.

“Investing in a high-quality, fast and reliable rolling stock is the way of how to bring new customers to railway transport and offer a sustainable mode of travelling. That is why I am highly pleased that today we are presenting the first ComfortJet trainset, which is designed for speeds of up to 230 km/h and which offers a number of comfort features. Passengers will be able to walk freely in a barrier-free way through the trainset, visit the restaurant compartment with its modern kitchen, entertain their children in the children’s cinema area or charge their electric bikes in the compartment reserved for 12 bicycles. During the journey, they can expect an improved signal quality thanks to an innovative window technology, adjustable comfortable seats, wireless charging of mobile phones in the first carriage class, USB sockets for charging electronics and other services, such as an on-board information and reservation system. I believe that travelling by the new trains will be an enjoyable experience. We are fully focused on the production of additional trainsets, for which we have currently produced about one third of the carriage bodies and which will be coming to the tracks gradually until 2026,” says Roman Kokšal, Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Mobility CZ.

“Our group is a traditional supplier of trains not only for the Czech railway network, and we are proud to be a part of another significant milestone in the history of the Czech railway transport. For us, ComfortJets represent a significant combination of two companies from the industry which can work together to shape the mobility of the future and modernise rail transport in the Czech Republic and Europe. Thanks to this, the new vehicles can be described as through and through European – they are being built in several places in Europe, and they are able to be operated on the railways regardless of state borders. As far as the current production is concerned, there are currently 16 carriages in various stages of work in progress in our manufacturing plant in Ostrava and more will be arriving soon,” says Tomáš Ignačák, President of the CZ&SK and Central East Regions and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors at Škoda Group.

Key characteristics of the ComfortJet trainsets

• Modern, non-traction reversible nine-carriage train unit with a control car,
• Front control car of the 1st carriage class, inserted carriage of the 1st carriage class, inserted carriage with a dining compartment and the 2nd carriage class compartment, inserted multi-purpose carriage of the 2nd carriage class (children’s movie, wheelchair passenger spaces, etc.), 4 inserted carriages of the 2nd carriage class, end carriage of the 2nd carriage class (bicycle transport compartment),
• 99 seats in the 1st carriage class, 456 seats in the 2nd carriage class,
• Dining compartment with 18 seats and a possibility of buying hot or cold meals and other refreshments during the journey, with a modern kitchen with chilled food technology and a multi-modal convection oven for heating meals, a coffee machine, a beer tapping system and a dishwasher for environment-friendly reusable dishes,
• Large-space air-conditioned interior,
• Pressure-tightness of the entire trainset (especially important when travelling at higher speeds) to protect passengers from pressure surges and thus ear discomfort when passing through tunnels or meeting trains going in an opposite direction, while helping to create a quiet and clean interior for a long time,
• End carriage with a possibility of a frontal passage to possible supporting carriages,
• Internal accessibility, including wide permanently open inter-carriage gangways, automatic sliding doors between compartments and boarding areas operated by an optical sensor,
• Push-button operated boarding doors and a selective unlocking system for the boarding doors, which allows the doors to be centrally closed and locked against opening before the train starts to go and unlocked after the train has stopped (on the platform side only),
• Ergonomic adjustable seats in the first carriage class in a 2+1 configuration with leather covering and in the second carriage class in a 2+2 configuration with textile covering, the seats are situated behind each other (aircraft configuration) as well as opposite each other (vis-à-vis),
• Folding tables at the seats behind each other and fixed tables between the seats in the configuration opposite each other,
• Overhead shelves for normal luggage and racks for large luggage,
• Individual reading lights integrated into the luggage shelves in both the 1st and 2nd carriage classes,
• Wireless mobile phone chargers in the 1st carriage class,
• 230 V sockets and USB C-type connectors for the power supply of passengers’ portable electronics,
• Innovative window technology to allow mobile phone signals to pass more easily into the trainset while maintaining the thermal insulation properties of the glass, retractable sun blinds in the windows,
• Wireless data Wi-Fi network for the internet connection,
• Entertainment and information on-board portal,
• Electronic audiovisual information system with LCD monitors and an electronic reservation system,
• Wheelchair accessible travel solution including 3 wheelchair spaces for passengers with impaired mobility, wheelchair accessible toilet, electric lifting platforms for wheelchair boarding/deboarding and sockets for recharging electric wheelchair batteries, folding tables for wheelchair passengers,
• For the blind and partially sighted passengers, the train is equipped with haptic buttons and Braille signs,
• Children’s cinema, children’s board game in designated areas, a folding counter for changing baby nappies, places to store prams,
• Storage space for 12 bicycles (including sockets for the charging electric bike batteries) and large luggage,
• At one end, the unit is equipped with a traditional UIC interface which allows connection and passage to other cars of the conventional construction,
• Approved for operation in the Czech Republic as well as surrounding European countries (Germany, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Denmark),
• Fire protection system and an emergency brake override system to enable operation in very long tunnels, such as the Koralm Tunnel (32.9 km), Semmering Base Tunnel (27.3 km) or Fehmarn Belt Tunnel (17.6 km),
• Possibility of operation on high-speed lines,
• The ComfortJet units will be operated with the Siemens Vectron locomotives with a maximum speed of 230 km/h as a standard.   

The delivery of the first modern ComfortJet trainsets is a part of a record-breaking renewal of the rolling stock of České dráhy, which is to take place during this year. This year České dráhy will receive almost 140 new electric, diesel and non-traction units and electric locomotives. If you count each carriage and train unit cell separately, this means approximately 440 individual vehicles. Converted to seats, we will put into service more than 22,000 comfortable seat places in air-conditioned and wheelchair-accessible trains with on-board Wi-Fi and other handy systems forming a part of the 21st century travelling.