The First Pendolino of České dráhy Appeared in the Czech Republic 20 Years Ago

Twenty years ago, during the night of 18-19 June 2003, the first Pendolino unit arrived at the territory of the Czech Republic. Despite initial difficulties, Pendolino train sets have become the most reliable trains with high availability. The deployed units travel on average about 950 kilometres per day. The trains, with their elongated front part, high speed and new services, have shown Czech passengers the future of the railway passenger transport and taught them to travel longer distances by train again.    

The Pendolino was different from all existing trains in the Czech Republic. These train sets were the first real high-speed trains on our railway network with elongated aerodynamic “nose”, low carriages with narrow windows and created a new Czech railway instantaneous speed record of 237 km/h. It is still valid, even though České dráhy operates faster trains and locomotives today. The unusual appearance and the record-breaking fast connection between Prague and Ostrava have become a symbol for comfortable and fast rail travel. As a result, the Pendolino has also been featured in many interviews, songs, films and other works of art. It even starred in the “Bond” film known as Casino Royale.

Their introduction into operation was associated with various problems, but after their elimination they became the most reliable trains with high availability. On average, one Pendolino train set travels about 950 kilometres per day. The longest performance is represented by a pair of SC Pendolino Košičan trains, with the unit covering 1,358 kilometres in a single day. Each of the Pendolino train sets has travelled more than 5 million kilometres since its entry into service. The 680.002 unit leads the way with more than 5,655,703 kilometres, which would be equivalent to roughly 7 round trips from Earth to the Moon. Alltogether, all of České dráhy’s Pendolinos have covered almost 39 million kilometres and transported more than 18 million passengers.

E-shop, Wi-Fi, the fastest connections in the Czech Republic and transport to the airport

For the first time, the Pendolino train sets were put into operation with passengers in December 2004 on the Prague – Děčín railway line. A year later, it began operating on the Prague – Ostrava railway line as SuperCity (SC) Pendolino trains. In the following years they were also running from Prague to Františkovy Lázně, Vienna, Wiener Neustadt, Bratislava or Žilina. Now it runs mainly between Prague and Ostrava and also serves such connections as Bohumín / Ostrava – Prague – Františkovy Lázně / Karlovy Vary and SC Pendolino Košičan (Prague – Ostrava – Košice).

In addition to a new design, unusual in the Czech Republic until that time, new services for passengers appeared on the railway as well. For the first time on the railway in the Czech Republic, passengers could buy tickets via an e-shop, refreshments and drinks were included in the price, and Pendolinos were also the first České dráhy trains equipped with an on-board Wi-Fi network and an infotainment portal. The new trains also linked rail and air transport for the first time in the Czech Republic, when they were marked as “Flights at Zero Height” with the CSA OK codesign symbols and the corresponding flight numbers. A direct connection between railway stations (first Praha-Holešovice and later the Praha hl. n. railway station) and Václav Havel Airport in Prague-Ruzyně was also introduced.

The Pendolino train sets have been serving the fastest connections in the Czech Republic since the beginning of their operation. This is also true at the present time during the repairs on the line Prague – Ostrava, when there are some reserves due to closures in travel times. In the 2024 timetable, it is assumed that the speed will be accelerated again and that travel times between Prague and Ostrava will reach around 3 hours with a travel speed (including stops, starting, braking and slower sections) of around 120 km/h. The record short travel times and new services have brought new passengers from cars and even planes onto the Ostrava – Prague route. Top artists, managers, top politicians and sportspersons use the Pendolino trains for their travels. It has also been the official means of transport for several major sporting events, including the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships held in Prague and Ostrava.

In 2017/2018, all Pendolino units were modernised. This mainly concerned the interior and service improvements. For example, new seats were installed, the information system was upgraded for better passenger orientation and the units were newly equipped with a children’s cinema for the youngest passengers.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

It is a less known fact that the railway workers originally named the seven Pendolino train sets after seven fairy-tale dwarfs: Šmudla, Prófa, Kejchal, Rejpal, Stydlín, Štístko and Dřímal (Dopey, Doc, Sneezy, Grumpy, Bashful, Happy and Sleepy). The locomotive which moves them in the depot in Prague during shunting operations is called Snow White.

Pendolinos of the 680 class are designed for a maximum speed of 230 km/h and have a power output of 4,000 kW. They are equipped for operation on 3 kV DC, 25 kV 50 Hz AC and 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC power systems. Unique is the tilting technology of the carriage bodies, which compensates for the unpleasant centrifugal acceleration acting on the passengers when passing through the curve. Thanks to this technology, Pendolinos can travel through curves at 30 to 40 km/h higher speeds and offer shorter travel times compared to conventional trains.

Three generations of Pendolino trains have been developed to date. Railways in Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Portugal, Great Britain, Spain, Slovenia and Greece have purchased them. They also run to Germany. Other types of trains in Germany, including ICE units, also use the Italian box-tilting technology. The latest generation of Pendolino train sets, but without tilting technology, also runs in Poland.  

Product pages: www.cd.cz/scpendolino