My Experience with České dráhy 🇨🇿 Vs US Amtrak Passenger Rail (Prague, Czech Republic)
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- Опубликовано: 31 авг 2022
- Today I share my experiences with České dráhy 🇨🇿 Vs my experience with Amtrak Passenger Rail. I made this video in Prague Czech Republic. I specifically discuss a recent trip I took from Prague to Pilsen on a Pendalino and compare with a few trips I took in the United States including the California Zephyr.
Thanks for watching my video and tell me about your experiences in the Comment Section.
Follow me on Instagram at: / thepragueexpat
I too love those old trains, type "motoracek", the one or two coach trains, real nostalgia!!!
Same with the trams. I like some of the older trams better than the new ones. I like the plastic seats as they are easier to clean and easier to spot something you dont want to sit in 😀Also just the classic tram design are just nicer to look at then the big boxy modern trams
Where from in Michigan? I’m from Moravia living in Traverse City !
@@Tykeian grand haven. Traverse city is a very nice place to live!
@@Tykeian where In Moravia?
@@ThePragueExpat0 than you just must visit the tram museum in Prague, great, great old trams in a new condition they store there!!!
Don't miss it!!!
Czechs love to complain, most czechs never traveled another country by train or maybe few closest. As person who works on railway I must say that there is a big improvement, many modern trains, renovated stations, sometimes small stations still run even if it doesnt make profit. Yes there are still old trains but its really expensive to modernise all the different train lines and most trains can work more than 30 years :D With delay its still good, people must realise that state run and private companies must get their time table for the same rails and cargo trains as well, while being transport hub in Europe, also accidents ocures every day but they are mostly solved really quick. Thanks for great video and comparison, love ur vids!
Thanks you! Thats some interesting insight coming from someone who works on the railway. I think you have my son's dream job, he loves the trains so much here and its something he never experienced in America.
I actually was traveling by train a lot in Poland, Portugal and Latvia and only here you have 300 minutes delayes and constructions and buses instead of trains on half of routes. I never saw such mess and delayes in other country. Even when I was going to Croatia by train, we arrived with only small delay, most of delay was created before we left Czechia.
I see also improvement about how trains and stations look like, but speaking about delays and reliability of train transportation, it's worse and worse every year. Here in Nymburk region, we have buses for like 5 year with short periods of time when train is actually going as it should.
@@Pidalin It is good to mention that there is big reconstruction going on on our rails. So most of the delays has cause in this process which is inevitable if we want to have modern rails. So patience brings roses to quote Czech saying.
@@variacenavsiav9945 But there is always big reconstruction, it will never ends. They finish something, trains are going few months and then buses again, I am just losing faith in train transportation in this country.
I "made a mistake" and traveled a lot by belgian trains. Like, why can they have the good stuff and we can't? 🙃
I can only speak for myself, but while I don't travel on trains often, in my opinion, České Dráhy got much much better over the past decade - I remember riding in these old green express train cars ( actually the same type as can be seen at 7:55 ), they were kind of rusty, had awfull toilets, these like fake leather seats and laminate walls, as well as other things such as heaters or lights were not working often.
One time I remember riding with the school at night or late evening in the winter ( it was like a ,,škola v přírodě'' type of trip ), the coach we were in was so so bad, the lights were barely working and the heaters were broken, we were freezing in the dark in a train for quite a sizable part of the trip. I think we later moved to another car.
It got so much better over the years, trust me. The train cars got rebuilt, things look nice and are working well nowadays, we even get new trains and train cars from time to time. My only complaint would be that the new cars don't have windows that you can open and look from during the ride - I loved doing that as a child and I do so even now when I got a chance.
We Czechs love to complain, but we often forget or don't know how good we have it.
Maybe the complaining creates the change that has made it better over time. Nobody complains about trains or buses in the US and so they never significantly improve. Im not even going to get into Greyhound buses in the US because nobody should have to take them.
The first time I took trains here was in 2013 and I remember being surprised that even then they were better than the ones I took in the US.
Thats a crazy story riding in the dark with no heat. Thanks for tell me these stories.
Czech here. As a kid I've barely ever used the trains except for school trips and I was always so sad I can't use them more. Now I am at a university that's on the other side of Czech Republic from my home time and it takes me around 6 hours by train to travel between those and I can't be happier. It's true that delays can be really stressful but I was never really too delayed in the past year. My absolute favorite part is then looking at all the different combinations of trains I can take and trying different fun and exciting routes through the state.
My absolute favorite trains are InterPanters. they are super comfortable and really smooth, I'm always so happy when I see them.
Since making this video I have had so many comments about different routes and trains I should use at some point. I am excited for the next trip I will take which I believe will be Ostrava in a few days. Im looking forward to many train trips around the country and hopefully to Croatia at some point on one of the sleeper trains. Thanks for the comment!
InterPanters are pretty decent. They have a lot of electrical outlets. I also feel that there's less delays than there used to be and that they've gotten better at organizing stuff around them. A big plus in on itself is a Můj Vlak mobile app. When you can always get a fresh info on what's going on, the delays are suddenly much less stressful.
I use the suburban train to commute daily to Prague. I have used the S trains thousands of times and overall I have a good experience. I grew up with all the people around me complaining about Ceske drahy, but after visiting neighbouring countries I feel like out train system is not that bad (expect the fact that we dont have high speed rail).
I have never been on a high speed train so I guess I don’t know if I’m missing out. I am fine with reading a book or listening to a podcast and having it take more time
Officially, the Pendolino is considered to be a high speed train, cause it's going faster than 200 km/h.
@@linksrepublikaner Thanks for the correction!
@@linksrepublikaner But in the Czech republic pendolino can go only 160 km/h, because 160 km/h is the highest track speed in Czech republic. So it's not high speed train in Czech republic.
I travel almost every day. I study abroad so I travel basically by a train. Also I have a half of my family living separately and when visiting them, I also take train. I gotta say CD have been trying their best for the past few years and you get to see many improvements when you travel on daily base. It is not over, still there are many many old coaches and trains, but we will get rid of them. When you mentioned that Pilsen, you might have seen many new trains and the railway on the main station is pretty good. Probably Pendolino is the best one, but train named RailJet in collaboration with Austrian ÖBB comes very close:) Also I forgot to mention our new InterJet that goes from Prague to Cheb via Pilsen or another hour via Ústí nad Labem and Carlsbad. Have experienced and was pretty smooth and fine. Thanks for the video. I like these kind of videos.
Thanks yeah I thought the Pendalino was newer as I was recommended by a friend to take it because it was newer but someone commented its actually from 2004. Many trains that are almost 20 years old in the United states look very old as I think the maintenance must be better here because the interior and exterior looked so good.
I need to take the interjet as its come to my attention that is the newer train than the pendalino.
I will look into the RailJet I havent done research on that train yet.
:) thanks for the nice comment
Nice to see Podbaba railway station on RUclips :) I use České dráhy several times a month. As a non-driver I'm very satisfied with the public transport both in Prague and the country in general.
Yeah I kind of regret buying my car. It is good to go to remote places like hikes or if I want to do a spur of the moment trip somewhere and it gets good gas milage but I dont use it nearly as often as I thought I would.
The problem with the old trains in czechia, which you have mentioned is that they are no other alternatives, because nowadays no company makes cheep one wagon trains. A lot of tracks in czechia have service with the small train every 2 hours, because there live about 1000 people around the entire track and it is not worth it putting large electric 4unit train on them
I was surprised that the train from Pilsen dont have a huge delay. Between Beroun-Prague there is old track with low capacity and it is very problematic, so lot of trains have 20 or more min. delay. Thankfully there is very close to start of building giant 30km tunnel from the hearth of the Prague to countryside behind the Beroun. It will boost capacity masively and abslotely destroy the travel time from current 45min to just 12min between Prague and Beroun.
I didn’t know they are going to build this tunnel! That is good information to know. Maybe I was just lucky the days I travel to Pilsen, I had never taken that trip before. Usually when I use the train I’m going to Hradec.
Also, there is plenty of space in those old trains compared to how big it is from outside. In new trains, there is very little space.
My best worst ČD story is when I was travelling from home to school in December 2019 and a strong snow storm hit. The power lines got covered in ice and as a consequence the main railway between Prague and Brno got shut down. We got stuck for about 7,5 hours. Sunday evening is a rush hour, so there were thousands of people stuck in many trains lined up behind each other in both directions. Great time.
Wow that is rough. How long was your train stuck?
Well, Pendolino is not really a new train, it is from 2004. We have much more recent InterJet trains here in Pilsen.
Wow not a new train at all. Thanks for the correction! For the next trip I will try and take an InterJet then :)
You can find them on IC trains on line Prague - Cheb.
@@nataliejurikova9536 Thanks Natálie!
You're welcome.
@@ThePragueExpat0 And city elefant which you have in preview picture is even older, it's from 90s
American cites were not built after invention of car they were demolished after invention of car.😢
Hi, Daniel,
Sir_Mac here, as always!
I will divide my post into nubmers, so it is easier for you to follow and reply...
1) Timestamp 7:01 - that view into nature immediately reminded me of Star Wars - Episode IV or V.
2) I am sure your wife will confirm my words and you can do some decent (re)search into the topic, but the railway network of the Czech Republic is impressive, but back in 1990, it was even more impressive, a lot of tracks was cancelled from 1990 till today.
3) You definitely should try / use bus / coach transportation, and surprisingly now I am not talking about modern buses / coaches, which have two floors / decks, but I am specifically talking about buses from the brand KAROSA. Although they are pretty old buses / coaches, they have been modernized (A/C, etc.) and because they don't have two floors / decks, like double-decker, they are pretty comfy and you have a luxurious space for your legs when sitting... which you don't have in the modern buses / coaches, unfortunately. I travelled myself with modernized KAROSA bus / coach from Rakovník to Praha (it took approx. 80 minutes) and every seated passenger was like a king with the space for the legs. You should discuss the bus / coach thing with your wife, because it is possible, that there is no KAROSA operated at the moment, but there are definitely successor brands of it.
4) Similar point as the "2)" is - tramway network in Prague is pretty impressive and it becomes larger every 5 years a bit, but again, if you compare the network, how does it look nowadays with the situation pre-1974, when the metro was opened to the public, you will be surprised how much the network is reduced at Prague center and south-east parts of Prague.
Because Buses are so bad in America, we have Greyhound Buses, which are a really bad way to get around the US I never really looked at taking buses here. That is a good idea to try that out sometime.
Thats interesting that the network is even smaller than the 90s. It has always worked so well for anywhere Iv wanted to go. My wife's hometown/village is extremely small but the train drops us off about 1km from her Parent's. Yeah I'll ask my wife about it.
Also thanks for the history on the tramway network. In case you might be interested a couple years ago I was in Portland Oregon and we noticed Portland has some Skoda Trams in its network.. it was cool to ride trams there and see they are pretty much exactly the same as some of the new model trams in Prague now.
I think Amtrak can be hit or miss, the Downeaster from Boston to Maine is very reliable and comfortable. What I enjoy about Czech trains are the numerous locomotive-hauled classic formations with coaches and dining cars all around the network. I agree with your general conclusion and Czech trains are solid, also for daily, repetitive commutes, not just the occasional trip.
I have travelled by train through 12 European countries, all of them on the west. Its true that tickets are more expensive, but other countries have high speed rails which are much faster than normal rails. And in othere countries the trains are more punctual but its true they have problems as well. The best trains are (I would say) in Switzerland. Always on time, clean, I can only reccomend.
I took a train from Milan Italy to Zurich once and I would say that was the best train trip Iv ever been on. It was indeed punctual and clean and then the sightseeing from the train was so good.
I dont think Iv ever been on a high speed rail train before even though I have been on trains in France and the Netherlands so I dont know what Im missing I guess. In all my travels in Europe I also found the French to be the least likeable.
I took the Acela train from Washington DC to NYC once. Not only was it expensive, it was delayed, and then stopped on the tracks after about 2 hours and just sat there for over an hour. Never again. It's a tossup for me when going to Plzen if I take the train or studentagency bus. If I'm leaving from the Kosire area, I take the bus. If I'm leaving from the centre, then the train. I usually take a taxi back. You can negotiate a taxi in Plzen for about 800-1000 czk to Prague- which is worth it to me after a long day trip to Plzen. Oh, you should check out Rokycany some time. It's a neat little town with a nice square.
I had always heard those trains on the East Coast are the most reliable ones! Sad to say but I never went to Washington DC.. I always wanted to see some of the museums there but the one time I tried they all shut down for the government shutdown in 2013.
My son loves the trains so its always worth it for him. What do you like to do in Plzen? Thanks for the recommendation on Rokycany I will look it up. It looks like my next trip/video will be to Ostrava. Any recommendations in Ostrava?
@@ThePragueExpat0 I lived in the DC area and went to university there. Even the metro is terrible at times. Acela had no end of problems. Flying the mid Atlantic isn't much better, though, so I would just drive to NYC when I would go. Even for flights from JFK, I would rent a car and drive to JFK, instead of taking a plane from DC. I have a GF in Plzen, so go to hang out if she has to work the next day and can't come to Prague. The thank you America/Liberation celebration in May is always a must go to event in Plzen. You see more American flags in Plzen than in many towns in the USA during 4th of July. Plzen is an interesting city to wander. It's like a smaller, working class version of Prague. Check out the clock at the puppet theatre in Ostrava, and there are some mining related things- like Landek and Vitkovice. Oh, I think there's a miniatures park kids would like, as well.
@@stevemcgowen Yeah I want to go to the Liberation celebration. That would be fun. Iv seen the reenactment videos as my wife wants to go. I dont know why we havent gone before.
Thanks for the recommendations for Ostrava.
@@ThePragueExpat0 NP. There was a cool news story years go about the Liberation festival- Not sure if links work on YT, but search RUclips for 5PM MON RETURN TO PILSEN CONVOY OF LIBERTY
@@stevemcgowen Yeah my wife was showing me this news story a few months back only on the Czech News. The re enactment is very detailed and choriagraphed.
That video reminds me my father in law actually owns an American military jeep from WWII. He is an expert in restoring old vehicles and he builds and sources replicas and originals and sells the parts worldwide. With that business over the past 30 years hes amassed a personal museum of classic cars and historical vehicles. He owns a skoda that was owned by the founder of skoda. Maybe I will make a video about it at some point but he is very secretive about where his warehouse is located.
I don't much like newer traincars, because I like the privacy and space of coupé (a 6-seat compartment). So the bus-like style of openspace is the one main thing I really dislike. Otherwise, I saw a lot of quality improvement to happen in over 30 years of my rides on various Czech trains. Thankfully most traincars of 810 line were modernized. I still remember the petrol stench some cars had in winter, when the heater was up, while I rode to the school.
Also, toilets in the old fast-train cars never overflowed, since all waste was dumped into the train rack. :-) You pressed-down a pedal and could see a running rails through toilet bowl.
I can definitely see that the newer trains dont have as much privacy. I didnt think of that. :D You can see what anyone is doing around you and sever seats ahead of you as well.
Yeah I have been hearing several stories in the comments about problems during winter on the old trains.
I don't feel like having any privacy in coupé (unless I'm alone there of course). Those "open plan" are more anonymous as I don't have to look at three other people during the trip :) Of course, when I'm traveling with bunch of friends and beers, coupé is the top choice. But for daily commuting? No, thanks.
0:30 WOW, so you have already been in Pilsen? Glad you enjoyed my hometown ☺
Yeah just went for the first time last week! I hope to go to the liberation festival next year.
@@ThePragueExpat0 Hope you will make it, it's really huge festival. :)
Old trains are created since 1950s to 1990s or 1980s, it was produced by ČSD (Československé Státní Dráhy) and refurbished by ČD (České Dráhy)
Those images at 6:55 are so appealing and surreal it looks like its from some AAA game :)
haha. Yeah I guess if youv ever lived there you take it for granted. You go from the landscape of the desert you see in that picture in Utah (think Arches National Park) to wooded snowy peaks in just a few hours of driving ( or in the case traintravel). Those pictures dont include the feeling of how bad it is to sleep on that train for even one night constantly getting woken up by the bumpy train ride. If they built a nice comfortable train it could be such a huge tourist attraction because the views in California, Utah, Colorado are so good.
@@ThePragueExpat0 Yeah, I think I would go through those negatives if I could see the scenery :) Not just bikes made nice video "Why Passenger Trains Suck in Canada" I think most historic factors would be similar for USA. And there are not only passenger horror stories with ČD but also infamous corruption scandals in this company while this would be much less problem in private sector. Downsides are everywhere :) But what surprised me was that freight transfer has priority. I would suppose it be exactly opposite but it seems root from car oriented culture...
@@siloton Yeah the freight companies bought up a significant amount of the track in the US and they make their money on the freight and very little renting out the track to Amtrak so yes I remember sitting on the track for 2+ hours in Iowa (cornfields all around) while the freight trains were passing us and regretting not just taking a plane back. Im glad I did it as its a once in a life trip most Americans never take but 3 days no shower, bad sleep and bad food I was glad when it was over. I guess the longer Im here maybe I will start to notice more of the things that are wrong with the railway here. :)
Around 2010 ČD didn't use an obligatory booking system gór the Praha - Ostrava track and there weren't enough trains for the people who wanted to go which lead to nightmarish scenarios like people sitting on every available surface (I sat on my hiking backpack every time but once I rode in the bathroom🙄). Luckily after the private companies' trains began operating, things got a lot better and ČD had to step up their game everywhere. Now I'm travelling with my kids and I nearly always have a good experience.
Wow riding in the bathroom! It’s a good thing they fixed that as that sounds like a serious safety issue.
@@ThePragueExpat0 it's important to find the right balance between capitalism and socialism because both extremes bring trouble.
@@afiiik1 I definitely agree with that. US capitalism has breed monopolies and it’s destroying the middle class to the point we’re there is such a big difference between the rich and poor people are getting restless. Crime and instability is on the rise. The problem is maintaining a good balance for a long time.
Again > I enjoyed this video too. 🙂 Thanks for posting. I wonder > are there any panhandlers over there > depends on where you are in the US > sometimes several > sometimes none. On trains > here in Alabama USA > NO commuter trains or subways > depending on what city you might live in - city buses (which I would NOT want any of my family to have to depend on)
Yeah city buses are terrible in most of the US. And yes inter city trains are non existent in most places I’ve lived in US. Thanks for watching
Last year I rode the California Zephyr from Omaha to Reno. On the way back home I rode from LA to Albuquerque on the Southwest Chief. Amtrak especially West of the Mississippi is always. I arrived late in Reno and Albuquerque. Next year, I'll probably be in the upper Midwest. Chicago is a good hub for Wisconsin and Michigan.
The southwest route would be a beautiful ride to take. You from Albuquerque? I visited there last year for the first time and liked it a lot.
@@ThePragueExpat0 No I reside in Panama, but usually go to the Midwest a lot.
4:18 local here .. Honestly, not having a problem and having max 15-20 min delay is total majority / standard.
Those "horror stories" are really rare and in comparison to other countries ČD is really great value for money, clean and punctual. Not always but almost always. I cannot complain a bit.
Yes, I experienced once or twice like a big mess because of big delay but ... I mean... in 10 years twice a bad experience is drop in a bucket. Those big delays are mostly because of construction works which are necessary anyway and it then cause the whole system to make delays also around other corridors so ... understandable.
Nice 👌
Thanks David!
Hello from Czechia :)
Welcome to the channel 😃
The beer its great
Fr-
Ppl are nice
100%
Hi, I'm also from Michigan living here in Czechia. What part of Michigan are you from? I've lived in Southwest Michigan.
Hi Katerina, Iv been subscribed to your channel for awhile! I’m from Grand Haven
@@ThePragueExpat0 Oh wow, I lived in Grand Haven for 6 years as a child, 1st through 6th grade. Lovely place to live. I then lived in Holland for 10 years and New Buffalo since 1999. If you and your family are ever down in České Budějovice, give me a holler, we can meet for a drink. :)
@@CzechingWithKatrina I know Holland really well.. at one time I wanted to go to Hope College.
České Budějovice is so nice. I will definitely let you know next time we are in town. Same goes for you if your in Prague 😀
@@ThePragueExpat0 I actually got my social work degree from Hope College. I watched your video today on the student loan relief. I paid off $34,000 in student loans. I'm also not happy about Biden's plan. :(
@@CzechingWithKatrina Yeah that video got on some peoples nerves but those are my beliefs. What people dont say is that many of these people with 6 figures of student loan debt took out larger loans than they needed so they could live in the best student housing, go on Spring Break and order food out all the time. Tax payers should not be responsible.
Hey bud, do you use a cell phone camera for your videos and if not, what do you use? Also which program would you recommend for editing videos?
Yeah still use my iPhone 11 I think it is. Iv set a goal when I hit 1000 subscribers I will buy a legit camera. Probably a Sony zv-1. For editing I use Apple iMovie which is free on any Mac. I have no intention to buy a more advanced editing software at this time. Hope that helps.
I know people on pc use adobe premier. Iv been using Mac for a long time so it’s what I’m most comfortable with.
@@ThePragueExpat0 cool ,thanks so much for the pointers. I'm going to stick to my phone and see what'll happen. I keep saying later and later lol . I'm going to check out adobe premier and create studio looks cool and easy to use but I don't think I want to pay for anything yet as I am merely dipping my foot in the water. 🤣Your videos are getting better and better, keep up the good work!
@@krastycz1810 thanks man. I am actually filming a video right now. I will give you a couple more ideas/tips when I get home.
@@ThePragueExpat0 thanks! Keep up the good work.
I was going to link you to skillshare but RUclips blocks all links to other web sites. With skillshare they give you a month for free and it’s full of how to courses on learning how to use a camera. How to edit. How to structure a video. All you really need is a month as well. In that month I took a dozen courses all for free and canceled before the month was up.
👍👍👍
This is like comparing night with day. ČD 10, Amtrack 3
I have plenty of experience with both.
Yeah I have met alot of Czech people who complain about it here. They don’t know what they have.
@@ThePragueExpat0 You just described the Czech mentality, complaining about literally everything without realizing how it is elsewhere in the world.:-)
@@honzavlcek4021 haha Its good to be critical so things get better over time, especially about infrastructure. In America people dont criticize this kind of stuff at all.. most are to worried about social issues while the infrastructure gets farther and farther behind.
Czech railway system is very dense. And it means there is always something happening..Also there is snowball effect, trains are having only necessary time for break and are used again. As well trains are connected, to transfer passengers, they wait each other. Everything causes snowball effect. Problem is design of railway, which is mostly from pre-WW I. but only modernised. But capacity is not enough, one problem causes ten others. At least I can say České Dráhy does a lot. They control and flexibily solve problems quickly, inform passengers, app is great, you know location of trains, delays, causes on track. So you can plan in advance. Comparing to lots of countries, Czech republic is over average. People tend to compare with high speed railway systems in Germany, France, Japan...but it is separate thing, it is like compare trains and airplanes. Czech Republic doesn't have high speed railway, yes, we should, connect to Europe more closely. But the local and intercity system works pretty well
The train at 4:40 has fan name Orchestrion (a music machines from late 19th century, before spreading of gramophones.) The name is an intersection of former poor quality, when the machine stopped and needed to be kicked in a certain place to connect the cold joints
&
of the popular TV show Chalupáři - Cottagers, where the main character just had an orchestrion in the house, and device was responding to the kick :D
haha I hadnt heard that nickname or fan name for this train. It reminds me of a lawn mower I had when I was a kid that we would kick to start up out of frustration or hope to connect the cold joints :)
Also I hadnt heard of this show Chalupáři
Yeah. Pendolino is modern as fuck :D its only 23 years
try the new interjet
Thanks for the recommendation. I would definitely like to
The main difference is that Amtrak is more of a tourist attraction, I don't think anyone uses it for a regular commute like here... Plus with a frequency of 1 train a day it is almost impossible to go for a round trip within one day, like it is common here in CZ...
Good point. RUclips has glamorized the trip between San Francisco and Chicago as a touristy thing even though its really uncomfortable. If they put more money into it they could charge alot more.
I use both for similar reasons personally. From my perspective I use it here for trips or to see friends or my wife's parents.. same as I used Amtrak.
When train is late, it's not fault of České Dráhy (sometimes is, but mostly not), it's fault of owner of infrastructure, which is Správa Železnic. It was one company in the past, but now, České Dráhy only operates trains like other private companies, they don't own rails and they can't do anything with that when there is some problem. If you don't know what companies operate trains you want to use, ask for "one ticket" which is universal ticket valid for all companies.
Thanks I did not know about this company Správa Železnic till now. This I guess is similar to in the US.. when Amtrak is late it is not their fault as they dont own the tracks either. Freight companies have bought up most of the tracks in the US so they dont care if Amtrak trains are ontime or not.
Thanks again! this was new information to me
@@ThePragueExpat0 Well, most of terrible problems on our rails started in moment when they splited ČD to ČD and SŽ, because head doesn't know what heel is doing now. But since we have even other companies (private) now, it was probably logical step, if state owned train company even owned all infrastructure, they could make problems to private companies on purpose or something and also, we have competitions for who will be operating those routes now, ČD mostly wins because it's mostly only one company which has enough trains and background to operate all those village trains, but many of such routes were actually given to private companies, but mostly not in Prague and central bohemian region, but when you visit south bohemia, you will see a lot of village trains operated not by ČD. Before they created "one ticket" thing, it was really terrible mess and we all hated it, now it's ok, you just buy one ticket and don't care what company is going there.
Amtrak private or public? I think it's complicated, actually partly held by the federal government and partly by some of the big freight railroads also having a share in Amtrak.
The Czech railway system is not particularly fast (there are no high speed lines) but it makes up for that in density, the country is full of branch lines that would have been closed in a lot of other countries.
But what's wrong with old trains as long as they are kept in good shape? Railway rolling stock is built for lifespans of 40 years or even more. There is nothing wrong with that, when it's regularly going through modernization/refurbishment. It would be wasteful to throw away trains well-suited for their purpose just because they're old.
My experience with Amtrak from Chicago to Kalamazoo wasn't that good. I was booked into a Horizon car with broken airconditioning. So I spent most of the time in the Amfleet café car which was ... early 1980s I guess? Defective aircon, I have experienced that in many countries so it's nothing new.
Thanks for the correction that Amtrak is partly owned by the State.
Agreed no point in throwing away old trains if they are in good shape. I watched a documentary on youtube some time ago that said some European countries sell old trains to Balkan states sometimes so they wouldnt get thrown away.
And interesting to hear of your experience on Amtrak to Kalamazoo. What were you doing in Kalamazoo?
@@ThePragueExpat0 I met a friend who used to live in that region and we drove to Nebraska to see the solar eclipse in 2018. (I60, long boring highway ... but good company)
I'm sure there are better experts on the ownership structure of Amtrak.
Regarding used rolling stock: both České dráhy and RegioJet have bought a lot of coaches ex-ÖBB which can now be found in a variety of trains. German railways sold quite a bit to Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. It is good that there is a market for second-hand trains (but I also think that some railways were too fast in giving away their old coaches so they don't have enough reserves in case of technical problems or higher demand).
Have you ever tried Regiojet?
No, I took one of the buses from the same company once to Cesky Krumlov. I will in the future. I have been getting alot of recommendations from this video. Have you taken Regiojet and did you like it?
@@ThePragueExpat0 Regiojet has really core fans like Apple or something, they always speak about how amazing it is, but in fact, better class trains from České Dráhy are mostly better. Better ČD trains have real restaurant wagon, you can just sit there and have a beer or lunch, like real lunch, not something in plastic box eaten by plastic fork like in regiojet trains. And when you go to Croatia with RegioJet, sleeping wagons are like from museum.
@@Pidalin Either way at some point I would like to take a RegioJet sleeper to Croatia. That sounds like fun.
My wife has the same opinion as you on RegioJet.. she doesnt undertand what the hype is about and thus we always just use České Dráhy
@@ThePragueExpat0 it is more fun than you actually need, especially when you share your coupe with some drinkers 😀
Oh yeah, the original pilsner
Yeah the best Pilsner Iv ever had. Any other Pilsners you like?
If you want an intresting train ride go from Olomouc to Branná the track is really steep its intresting how they got the rails here🤔, and also you forgot the fact 95% of the rail system in czech republic is electrified
Thanks for the recommendation!! Also I did not know this statistic that 95% is electrified. Thanks man
haha also just looking at your videos. I grew up on Thomas the Tank Engine. That was my favorite show when I was 4-5 years old.
that "electrified" part is not right... it may be like 50% but 95% is only Switzerland and few others
95%? No way. Real percentage is 32% :-)
@@samyacoub4858 sorry
I don't know what are you talking about I miss Czech subtitles😁 but I hope you are satisfied with Czech Railways.
I need to hire someone to write czech subtitles for me. Thanks and I am :)
@@ThePragueExpat0 This is a great! Thank you.
My American fiancé traveled here around 6 times by train and he kept complaining every time... Takes 2+more hours than by a car to get anywhere, it's extremely loud (especially when braking), bumpy, dirty, smelly, crowded...
haha Im sorry to hear he has a problem with it. He is going to have a bigger problem with trains in America if he ever travels a substantial distance with them. The trains here from my experience are less bumpy and dirty. Trains are maintained better here IMO. He can also always rent a car but its way more expensive.
@@ThePragueExpat0 I think he's going to avoid trains without trying... we're going to live in west coast US and he owns a car... it was just fun time on vacation visiting me in CR haha
@@mynuttyme Nice good luck to you in the US! Where on the West Coast?
@@ThePragueExpat0 thanks! We're going to be in Arizona 😄 very spread out and the only train I saw there was a cargo train going along Route 66 so we would not even be able to take a train most of the time.
I'm just happy for you that you don't see the trains here as bad... And good luck living here!
I na from Czech Republic
where?
"České Dráhy" are not to blame for the delay , in most cases, the Railway Administration is to blame (Správa Železnic)
Thanks. Yeah not enough people know that České Dráhy isnt responsible for the management of the tracks and flow of traffic. My wife didnt know that.
Technically Amtrak doesnt own the tracks in America either... well only a small percentage.
Vlaky v USA nemůžeš porovnávat s Českou Republikou, už jenom z důvodu velikosti obou států. V Česku se staví nové tratě až posledních 10 let, do té doby se jednalo o opravy tratí, budov a mostních konstrukcí.
Thanks for commenting! I realize its hard to compare small countries rail with very large countries railroad.
Someone send this vid to Adam Something
Should I know Adam something’s channel? Iv never watched his videos?
Actually now I see the video you are talking about. I will watch that tonight. Thanks looks interesting
Im from czech republic and i fink trains in amerika are not too good as czechian
Thanks for commenting. I agree