Vienna - Berlin: day+night train from dec 2018

[provodnik]

With the cancellation of the "Metropol"-night train (Budapes/Vienna - Berlin) by MAV (Hungarian Railways, they had the commercial responisbility for the train on the German section) in dec 2017 Vienna lost it's last direct train service to Berlin.
The direct daytime service via Prague was abandoned in dec 2014 with the introduction of the 2-hourly railjet-takt Graz - Vienna - Prague.

From dec 2018 there will be again two direct train services Vienna - Berlin:
a daytime ICE-train via Nuremberg - Erfurt
a ÖBB nightjet train via Bohumin - Wroclaw


More details:
https://twitter.com/zugreiseblog/status/989459119403929600
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/...zug-im-ice-von-berlin-nach-wien/21254188.html

 

[gordonthemoron]

is the daytrain an ICE-T? I thought all services using Nuremberg-Erfurt-Berlin NBS were ICE3s?

 

[43096]

I thought all services using Nuremberg-Erfurt-Berlin NBS were ICE3s?

There are plenty of ICE1 sets using the Nürnberg-Erfurt-Leipzig/Halle NBS as well.

 

[gordonthemoron]

well ICE1s are faster than ICE-Ts

 

[gordonthemoron]

The southbound Nightjet seems a bit early departing Berlin

 

[provodnik]

ICE 3 and ICE 1 are not certified for running in Austria. Only ICE-T.

 

[JonathanP]

Only the limited stop Berlin - Munich services are in the hands of ICE3 sets. After all, DB only has a limited number, with which they also have to operate the Cologne - Frankfurt services. The slower Berlin - Munich services are in the hands of ICE-T sets, and as mentioned ICE1 sets are also used on the new line.

My understanding is that although the ICE1s have a higher top speed, in practice the -T's can traverse the new high speed line faster because the 1's just don't have enough power to reach top speed on the relatively steeply graded line.
(The long term plan is apparently to shorten the 1's so they can keep up with more modern stock, just like we are doing with HSTs)

I am impressed with the new plan. I expected that ÖBB would do something to restore the direct connection, but I didn't expect a completely new route via Poland, also restoring a direct daily link between Berlin and Wroclaw(one possible reason for the mismatched departure times).

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The route via Bohumin and Wroclaw was actually the first railway route between Vienna and Berlin.
It opened in 1848, while the more direct route via Prague and Dresden started in 1851 (the shortest route eventually being via the Franz Josefs Bahn to Prague).
I'm not sure there was ever a through route via Nuremberg before.
The overall journey time today is about 7h45 via Erfurt and the HSL, and 8h30 via Prague (plus connecting time).
There's still considerable scope to speed up the route via Prague, with a variety of improvements at the drawing-board stage.

 

[Cloud Strife]

The southbound Nightjet seems a bit early departing Berlin

It's because it goes a very strange way around, and it will have to connect with other coaches on the PL/CZ border at around 1am.

 

[provodnik]

Vienna - Berlin via Bohumin - Wroclaw is just 6 km longer than via Brno - Ceska Trebova - Praha.

The southbound timetable is determined by the train Prague - Breclav - Berlin, which shall convey coaches from Berlin+Warsaw to Budapest.

Routes of direct Vienna - Berlin trains in the past:
Wien - Breclav - Brno - Ceska Trebova - Praha - Decin - Dresden - Berlin
Wien - Passau - Regensburg - Nürnberg - Saalfeld - Leipzig - Berlin
Wien - Breclav - Brno - Havlickuv Brod - Praha - Decin - Dresden - Berlin
Wien - Gmünd - Praha - Decin - Dresden - Berlin
Wien - Passau - Regensburg - Hof - Leipzig - Berlin
Wien - Breclav - Bohumin - Opole - Wroclaw - Legnica - Frankfurt(Oder) - Berlin
Wien - Znojmo - Jihlava - Havlickuv Brod - Kolin - Nymburk - Vstetaty - Decin - Dresden - Berlin (I think this was the route witrh the shortest distance, but not the fastest route)
Wien - Laa - Brno - Ceska Trebova - Praha - Decin - Dresden - Berlin


And in the future:
Wien - Breclav - Bohumin - Opole - Wroclaw - Zielona Gora - Frankfurt(Oder) - Berlin
Wien - Passau - Nürnberg - Erfurt - Halle - Berlin

 

[30907]

The southbound Nightjet seems a bit early departing Berlin

True, but only a few minutes different (both ways) from the old timings - against that, it's a significant saving in total train mileage and especially on DB where the access charges are highest.