Prague unveils new-look trains to match trams and buses

Prague's public transport authority PID continues to roll out the new design scheme for the city's fleet of vehicles, and this weekend the first of the city's trains to bear the new look was sent out on the city's rails.

A three-car, two-level CityElfant became the first of the city-operated trains to bear the new red and gray design when it took to the rails on Friday. It will continue to run on the S train lines through Prague and the Central Bohemian region.

The design of the new trains is nearly identical to that seen on the city's new buses and trams, with one small difference: instead of the logo of Prague Public Transit (DPP), they bear the logo of Czech Railways (ČD).

"As part of the modernization of CityElefants, our efforts to unify the appearance of Prague Integrated Transport vehicles continue," Prague Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr states in a press release.

"As the railway is the backbone of transport for connecting Prague and the Central Bohemian Region, it is logical that the new uniform PID design will also be used by trains. The first train is a modernized CityElefant unit, which has undergone, in addition to the new design, other improvements for greater passenger comfort."

While the new look for Prague's tram and metro vehicles may be purely visual, the integrated design across Prague's entire fleet serves a practical purpose for passengers at bus and train stations. At the moment, there isn't a consistent design across city-operated buses and trains. 

But once once the new design is fully rolled out, city-operated vehicles will be easier to quickly identify and passengers will know which vehicles are included in the price of a Prague public transport ticket (or, in the case of long journeys, for an additional surcharge).

"Our goal, of course, is to ensure that all PID vehicles operate with the new design. It will be obvious to passengers at first sight that these are means of transport within the PID integrated transport system," says IDSK Director Zdeněk Šponar, who is responsible for the Central Bohemian region.

"I am, of course, happy for the new design of the modernized CityElefant unit, as this is another step towards a unified PID vehicle design. It is important that this does not come with a high cost for adding the new design, as it was was applied as part of major technical maintenance of the vehicle."

Prague public transport vehicles will be gradually updated with the new design over the coming years. They won't be decommissioned specifically for the new paint job, but rather have it added when the vehicles undergo scheduled repairs in an effort to save on the cost of updating the vehicles.

"After trams and buses, the new design will also be applied to the trains, especially to the primary train lines that include modernized CItyElefant units," says Petr Borecký, Councilor for Public Transport in the Central Bohemian Region.

"However, the addition of charging docks, Wi-Fi internet, and new seat upholstery is more important than the new design.”

Over the next three years, all of Prague's CityElfant vehicles will be outfitted with modern ETCS signalling equipment, which becomes mandatory throughout the EU by 2025. In addition to interior modifications that include WiFi installation and charging docks, the vehicles will also be updated with the new design as they go in for upgrades.