Schengen and the Iron Curtain: rail travel between Vienna and Prague

Twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, passengers travelling by rail between Austria and the Czech Republic get a very different impression, depending on which route they choose. Super-fast trains on one route, disused tracks on the other. The future brings shorter intervals on some lines, and older trains on others. However, the local economy would benefit from the upgrading of cross-border rail links.

Twenty years ago, international passengers travelling by train in Central Europe were all too familiar with the Austrian border station of Gmünd. After all, this was a stop for the proud “Vindobona” train from Berlin to Vienna via Prague. Prior to 1989, the train was used mainly by diplomats travelling through East Germany and Communist Czechoslovakia. The Vindobona wound its way along the old Emperor Franz Josef line from Prague to Vienna, past Konopiště Castle near Prague, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand lived for many years. Until the fall of the Iron Curtain, Gmünd was the first railway station in the West which travellers on their way to Vienna stopped at. However, if you are travelling from Prague to Vienna today, you will see just as little of Gmünd as you will of the Czech border station of České Velenice.

When Europe was divided up after the World War II, this was like cutting up the map for many railway lines. Some existing lines were closed down, and in many places the tracks were removed altogether. The fall of Communism in 1989 marked the start of a revival in trail travel: thousands of tourists from the West swarmed to Prague and other towns in the Czech Republic, whilst Czechs seized the opportunity of being able to travel legally to western countries.

The growing importance of rail transport between Austria and the Czech Republic went hand in hand with increasing investment in the railways, including the Prague – Brno – Vienna line, where international trains like the Vindobona now run. “Czech Railways (ČD) cooperate very closely with Austrian Railways,” confirms their spokesman Petr Šťáhlavský. As proof of this success, he cites the growing volume of passenger traffic as well as joint Czech-Austrian projects such as reduced admission to Vienna’s Albertina Museum for people travelling with ČD.

Back to the year 1989

Whilst the volume of traffic grew on one line, the atmosphere of the Gmünd – České Velenice line soon reverted to that of the time prior to 1989. Travellers had the feeling that they had arrived at a border between two different worlds. Czech Railways (ČD) now send ancient trains to Gmünd, some of which only carry passengers across the border, while others take them only as far as the border spa resort of Třeboň. Generally speaking, the carriages are virtually empty of passengers. The look of the station building in České Velenice is reminiscent of railway travel prior to 1989: Communist border guards in faded uniforms would not seem at all out of place. The Gmünd – České Velenice line was only fully electrified this year.

Shorter intervals and new trains

Today passengers travelling across the border by train from Gmünd have a total of nine trains a day to choose from. The majority of them terminate in České Budějovice, others of them in Třeboň, and a few of them chug only as far as the other side of the border – now a Schengen border. Nowadays there are as few customs officers to be found here as there are direct train connections to Prague. According to Czech Railways, there will at least be a minor improvement to this line in the future: with effect from June 2010, Austrian Railways and ČD will coordinate their timetables on this line better, and trains from Vienna will then terminate in České Velenice. Not far from here, Austrian Railways and ČD will be operating several express trains on the České Budějovice – Linz line, reducing the average journey time between these two regional centres by up to 30 minutes. Further eastwards, on the line from the border town of Znojmo, travellers on the Znojmo – Retz line can also look forward to good news. Following reconstruction work on the Czech side of the border, there will soon be seven direct trains operating between Znojmo and Vienna, drawn by Austrian Railways’ Taurus class locomotive.

Line closed due to lack of financial resources

In the Austrian spa resort of Laa an der Thaya, they can only dream of a train service with the Taurus locomotive between here and Hevlin. The planned resumption of a train service between the two towns never came about, although it would have provided a significant impetus for the economy in this border region. Gertrude Harrer of Laa an der Thaya urban council confirms that the town is calling for the railway border crossing to be opened up to both passenger and freight traffic. “This would be especially important for the Brno – Laa – Vienna line, for visitors to the spa resort, and for our guests wishing to visit the town of Brno,” Gertrude Harrer adds. The fact that, 20 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Laa’s proximity to the border is still important is also confirmed by Iva Findeis, the town’s spokesperson: “At the present time, some 30 per cent of spa guests come from the Czech Republic.” However, according to SŽDC, the Czech railways administration, there is hardly prospect of the line being revived. “Reviving traffic on this line would necessitate investment by both sides,” explains SŽDC press spokesman Pavel Halla. “Construction work has been stopped in view of the financial situation of the Czech Republic and the anticipated high costs.” According to Halla, no date has yet been fixed for the resumption of work.

Fans of Czech Railways’ “Pendolino” tilting train must also expect a setback with effect from 2010. Starting in January, the so-called “SuperCity” train that travels the distance between Prague and Vienna half an hour faster than normal EC trains will only run once a day between the two capitals.