After over 30 years, it’s the end of the line: the legendary dining cars on the Prague–Hamburg route are being replaced by modern bistro cars. This change is due to the higher demands for speed and comfort on the upgraded routes.
The iconic dining cars on the Prague–Hamburg route have reached the end of their service. Known in Germany as the “Knödel Express” (Dumpling Express), the more than 30-year-old carriages are no longer suitable for the higher speeds on the modernised track. They will be replaced by modern bistro cars.
“The transition from dining cars to new bistro cars is part of the gradual introduction of the new long-distance trains, the ComfortJet type. These will, in their final nine-car configuration, also feature new generation dining cars. The change will take place gradually, and we expect it to begin around mid-year, depending on how quickly the new carriages are delivered by the manufacturer,” explained Filip Medelský, spokesperson for Czech Railways (ČD), in an interview with the news portal Novinky.
The new trains will enable speeds of up to 230 km/h, while the old carriages are only designed for 200 km/h. This speed is insufficient for the connecting routes from Berlin to Hamburg, as well as the planned extension to Copenhagen. Additionally, the new carriages will be fully accessible and will offer wireless charging stations for mobile phones in first class.
The end of the dining cars was also reported by British and German media. “Farewell to the Knödel Express: It’s made it into books and the cultural sections of major newspapers. The old dining car between Berlin and Prague will be replaced in 2025,” wrote the German Tagesspiegel in mid-November.
The older dining cars, designated WRmz, will be used by ČD on other routes where their technical specifications are still adequate.
With further deliveries of ComfortJet trains, new dining cars will also be introduced on other international routes from 2026, including Prague–Austria, Prague–Slovakia, and Prague–Hungary. So far, twenty of these carriages have been ordered.
