The partial preservation of the Knudelexpress route to Prague is reported.
Traditional Knödel Express Dining Cars to be Phased Out on Prague-Berlin Route
The popular Knödel Express train, connecting Prague and Berlin, is set to undergo modernization, marking the end of the iconic train for this route. However, the traditional dining cars from the Knödel Express will continue to operate on several Czech domestic connections and international services, albeit with some changes.
Currently, traditional Czech dining cars operate on EuroCity services between Prague and Berlin, but these will be phased out in the coming months as České dráhy replaces all rolling stock on this route with modern ComfortJet carriages that offer a bistro car rather than the traditional dining car with chef-prepared meals.
The departure times for these trains from Prague Main Station are 10:28, 16:28, and 20:28 respectively, with arrival times in Prague Main Station at 11:27, 15:23, and 05:23 respectively.
It is unclear which other domestic Czech connections will continue the traditional dining car service. However, the new trains and connections emphasize modern dining cars rather than the traditional restaurant car experience.
The Baltic Express night trains from Prague to the Polish Baltic coast maintain couchette cars and service through late September 2025, but these are couchette sleeping cars rather than traditional dining cars.
In a positive development, the new international service from Prague to Copenhagen via Berlin in 2026 will be served by modern ComfortJet trains, including a dining car with oven-heated meals.
Prague’s City Council has approved a high-speed rail initiative including a dining car offering traditional Czech dinner experiences, which may imply continuation on some domestic lines, but concrete route names or details are not specified in the sources.
Michal Krapinec, the head of České dráhy, hinted at the continuation of some familiar service in a press release, but the specific services from the Knödel Express that will continue in the Eurocity trains were not specified. The other trains on the Prague-Berlin route will be served by Comfort-Jets.
The new trains will have room for around 100 more passengers and will also accommodate more bicycles. The change will be implemented from July 26, as confirmed by the railway company.
The Euro-City connection EC 172/173 Hungaria, composed of Hungarian carriages, will also continue to operate. In the opposite direction, the trains EC 171, EC 379, and EC 259 will operate, with departure times from Berlin Main Station at 07:15, 11:16, and 00:16 respectively.
The arrival times in Berlin for these trains are 14:43, 20:43, and 00:57 respectively. The press release mainly praised the qualities of the new trains, but did not provide details on the specific domestic connections where the traditional dining cars will be used in the future.
- In the future, the traditional dining cars from the Knödel Express may continue to operate on some domestic Czech connections, as suggested by Prague's City Council's high-speed rail initiative.
- The new international service from Prague to Copenhagen via Berlin in 2026 will feature a dining car offering oven-heated meals, a departure from the traditional chef-prepared meals found in the Knödel Express dining cars.
- Despite the phasing out of traditional dining cars on the Prague-Berlin route, the Euro-City connection EC 172/173 Hungaria will continue to operate, composed of Hungarian carriages that do not include traditional dining cars.
