Czechia’s Pendolino sets 200 km/h record on Prague - České Budějovice line
Czech Railways set a new record for passenger services on Sunday. A Pendolino tilting train reached 200 km/h on the Prague–České Budějovice line, the first time a passenger tain has been allowed to break the long-standing 160 km/h limit.
Train travel enthusiasts bought their tickets for Sunday's highly-publicized train ride weeks in advance. It was the first time a train in Czechia was authorised to exceed the 160 km/h operating limit that has long constrained domestic services. Following infrastructure upgrades and the purchase of trains capable of running at 200km/h, Czech Railways is planning to gradually introduce speeds that are common in many European states.
Even so, the transition to fast rail will take time – even on the Prague-České Budějovice line, which opened a new chapter in fast rail travel. For the present, only two stretches of the line – Votice to Sudoměřice u Tábora and Soběslav to Doubí – have been engineered and approved for 200 km/h tilting operation. Elsewhere, the route remains capped at lower speeds.
The higher speed limit shortens the journey between the two cities by 18 minutes. Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Czech Railways hailed it as an important step forward in introducing fast rail travel around the country.
Czech Railways newest investment – the ComfortJet trainsets, paired with Siemens Vectron locomotives – are designed for 230 km/h. The company has already begun operating its new ComfortJet fleet on international routes, with further sets entering service in 2025–26. Once deployed on upgraded corridors with full ETCS Level 2 signaling, they too will be able to run at 200 km/h.
