CD Railjet (Czechia/international)

ShowMeTheJourney has anticipated what questions are most often asked about travelling on these Railjet train managed by the Austrian national rail operator, CD

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Virtually all of the route taken by these trains has a maximum speed of 160 km/h (100 mph),

Only when booking the more expensive 'Standard' type of ticket for travel in First Class and Business Class tickets
When travelling in Economy (2nd) Class - and when booking the cheaper types of tickets to travel in First Class, reservations have to be proactively added
Note that there is not charge for adding the reservation on when booking international journeys and journeys within Czechia on the CD website - but a fee is added when booking journeys within Austria on the OBB website.

Aside from the peace of mind of knowing that you will have an allocated seat for the entire journey, opting to reserve has these benefits:

• less stressful boarding
• when travelling in Economy (2nd) class you can ensure placement in a specific 'zone' on the train, Bike, Family and Quiet - this zone is also available in 1st class

Yes - If your preferences include seats at tables, forward facing seats or seats in Quiet zones, you will need to use the seating plan.

No they are not mandatory, but they are available.

The bar/bistro on Railjets sells comparatively good hot and cold food that isn’t extortionately priced, but don’t overly rely on the full range of items being available.
A full restaurant facility is also available - Passengers travelling with 1st or 2nd class tickets can take seats in this restaurant car.

If you will be travelling in First class or Business class you can order food or drink from the catering staff that will pass through the train and have it delivered to your seat - the full restaurant menu is available.

Yes and the sockets are compatible with standard EU plugs.
There are sockets per pair of seats in Economy (2nd) class, but there are sockets per seat in First and Business class.

Yes and it is free to access for all travellers

Yes, when opting to travel in Economy (2nd class) and First class.
To ensure being placed in the Quiet Coach, opt to reserve and then make use of the seating plans - see above.

There are no luggage rules for travel by these trains, though an option for transporting larger items of luggage between Austrian locations, is to use the OBB luggage service and there is also a baggage delivery service between Czech locations.

Yes - and places for journeys within and from Czechia can be researched and booked on the CD website
Journeys within and from Austria can be booked by using the OBB Mobility service.

Yes, but places must be reserved pre-boarding

When booking tickets online for journeys within and from Czechia there will be an option to add ‘a bike’ to your booking, but what won’t be clear is that you will be purchasing or requesting the bike reservation and NOT the bike ticket(s).
The ticket for the bike will need to be booked separately, either online or at the station ticket office.

For journeys within and from Austriaa *places must be reserved pre-boarding. so it makes sense to also opt to add a seat reservation and then choose seats in the Bike Zone.

If you can transport a small dog in a pet carrier it is will be classed as hand luggage and no ticket will be required.

If your dog is too large to be taken in a pet carrier it will need to be muzzled and you will need to book a ticket.

For journeys in and from Czechia there are two flat-rate prices for below and above journeys of 150km.

For journeys in and from Austria the ticket price will vary according to distance travelled.

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, it's best to book tickets in advance on the OBB booking service.
The booking process is similar to booking travel with a bike, you need to add a dog to your ticket
You can't retrospectively add a dog ticket online to your booking, so if you decide to take a dog after you have booked a ticket online, you can buy a ticket for the dog at a station ticket counter.

Czech state railway operator CD took a look at Austria’s premium trains and clearly liked what they saw - as it now has its own Railjets to provide the service on this route; Prague/Praha - Pardubice - Brno - Breclav - Wien - Bruck an der Mur - Graz.
This CD version of the Railjets takes care of most departures, but the Railjets in service with OBB, the Austrian national rail operator are also used on this route.

Internally the CD Railjets are very similar to the Austrian (OBB) Railjets - meaning that they're in the top flight of European trains, both in terms of comfort and ambience.
The luggage space is also comparatively generous so travelling by Railjet is comparatively stress free.

Seats don’t have to be reserved on the CD Railjets, but reservations are highly recommended - particularly in Economy class between May and October (these trains are a magnet for rail pass users)
Reservations are also recommended in all parts of the train except Business Class on Friday and Sunday afternoons/evenings.

Seat reservations are marked on electronic indicators by the seat numbers – see a seat number with no text and the seat will be free for the entire journey.

The bar/bistro on Railjets sells comparatively good hot and cold food that isn’t extortionately priced, but don’t overly rely on the full range of items being available.

A full restaurant facility is available and passengers travelling with 1st or 2nd class tickets can take seats in this restaurant car.

If you’re in 1st or Business class you can order food or drink from the catering staff that will pass through the train and have it delivered to your seat – but it isn’t complimentary.
If you’re not sat at table seat, the menu should be in the pocket on the back of the seat in front of you.