Autumn 2021. In theory we could travel to other continents, but destinations we had in mind such as Japan or the United Kingdom were impossible to plan ahead. Instead we organised a rail trip to Eastern Europe, travelling to Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg. By travelling to Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Austria, we explore an area which was in the (not too distant) past bonded together by the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and by Austria-Hungary.

To travel from Prague to Bratislava, we chose RegioJet and their business class product. Sampling RegioJet is particularly relevant as European Sleeper is joining forces with RegioJet to operate a night train service between Ostend, Brussels, Berlin and Prague.

RegioJet uses Eurofima coaches bought from the Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB. Some of these have Swiss SBB-CFF-FFS heritage as wall.

The Eurofima coach, or European Standard Coach (French: Voiture Standard Européenne), is a passenger car designed for use on international railway routes in Europe. It was commissioned by the European Company for the Financing of Railroad Rolling Stock (French: Société européenne pour le financement de matériel ferroviaire) (Eurofima).

It is or was used by ÖBB, SBB, Deutsche Bahn (DB), Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) in Italy, SNCF in France and by NMBS / SNCB in Belgium. In Belgium we call them I6!

Overall production was 10 prototypes, followed by 500 coaches ordered in 1973 and delivered in 1977.

Products

RegioJet has several classes or products.

1. Business. Comes with free drinks, a closed coupé and roommates who you expect to behave.
2. Relax. Open version of business.
3. Standard. Which standard.
4. Kids compartment in standard.
5. Standard-ASTRA. Standard but with own screens and entertainment. 
6. Low-cost. Very basic.
7. Their sleeper cars.

The ASTRA coaches were especially made by ASTRA in Romania for RegioJet. The ASTRA coaches are actually French Corail coaches SNCF uses, made under license in Romania.

Business

So we chose business. The compartment has four comfortable seats with power outlets. The seats recline. Obviously there’s a tablet for eating or computing. 

There’s ample leg room and space between the seats. So no, we weren’t alone but our roommates did behave. As a matter of fact, it was us who made the most noice and moved about most. Sorry for the disturbance. 

A stewardess came regularly to hear if we wanted something. Water, Sekt, juices, tea and coffee were included in the price. Food not, but the stewardess takes your order and brings your food. 

The prices are low, especially for cake. 

Outside the bubble

Outside our ‘business bubble’ life on board wasn’t as pleasant. Our train departed Prague with four out five toilets out of service. It also seemed the air conditioning wasn’t working in the low-cost coach. 

But besides those inconveniences, the ride was smooth and uneventful.

Resources

• RegioJet.
• Wikipedia.
• Rail Ninja.

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• Brussels – Amsterdam – Berlin – Prague RegioJet / European Sleeper night train service delayed.
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2021 Rail Tour of Imperial Europe

1. POTSDAM 2021 | Schloss Sanssouci.
2. 1945 Potsdam Conference’s Cecilienhof Palace.
3. Potsdam 2021.
4. REVIEW | InterContinental Berlin.
5. BERLIN 2021 | Pergamon, ‘Das Panorama’.
6. BERLIN 2021 | Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace.
7. BERLIN 2021 | The Bundestag in the Reichstag.
8. Berlin 2021.
9. By train from Berlin to Gdansk via Szczecin.
10. Stopover in Szczecin.
11. REVIEW | Restauracja Ritz in Gdańsk.
12. REVIEW | Holiday Inn Gdansk.
13. GDAŃSK | Museum of the Second World War.
14. GDAŃSK | European Solidarity Centre or Europejskie Centrum Solidarności.
15. A walk through Gdańsk.
16. Gdańsk 2021.
17. POLAND | PKP Intercity Gdansk to Wroclaw via Warsaw.
18. Wrocław Museum of Architecture.
19. The Dwarfs of Wrocław.
20. Wrocław.
21. Poland 2021.
22. By train from Wroclaw to Karlovy Vary.
23. Karlovy Vary.
24. REVIEW | Hotel Imperial Karlovy Vary.
25. Czechia’s Great Spa Town of Europe Františkovy Lázně.
26. CZECHIA | Pilsen Historical Underground Tunnels.
27. CZECHIA | Pilsner Urquell Brewery Tour.
28. CZECHIA | Pilsen.
29. CZECHIA 2021 | Cheb and its castle.
30. Hotel room for one.
31. By train from Karlovy Vary to Prague via Pilsen.
32. Czechia 2021.