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Originally Posted by Slartibartfas
I have heard of the Pendolino but actually I have never seen one in Vienna. I just know that the train connections to all new EU memberstates are pretty bad. The connection to Bratislava for sure is at least. The rail line towards Prague would also need a modernization I guess.
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I just had a look at the map, and saw Pendolino travels directly from Prague to Wien via Brno. If you can get to Bratislava by car in less than 1 hour, then it must take less by a train traveling at 200km/h. I estimate it could take 30 minutes or less.
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Originally Posted by Slartibartfas
Anyway, I looked at the ÖBB homepage and the faster connections there were 4 hours long. For roughly estimated 300 km thats not an extremely fast connection in fact. An thoroughly upgraded 200 km line should manage a travel time of not more than 2 hours for express trains. A true high speed line could manage it in somewhat 1 and a half hour.
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4 hours to Prague by high speed train is too much. It should take less than 3 hours. By highway, Wien is 70km away from Bratislava, by air distance its only 50km.
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Originally Posted by Slartibartfas
I guess the reason why no central European high speed network is in the make is because its so fractured with all this small countries and no ambition so far to join up forces for this aim. The potential from a geographic point of view might be there however.
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The problem was there were 4 different railway companies, and 3 different power systems. Now that OBB bought Hungarian railways, its "only" 3 railway companies. Since OBB overpaid for the Hungarian railways, it is unlikely that it will make more acquisitions soon, and we don't want to sell ours anyway
. People are tired of selling state run companies to foreign companies since most of the time it means increased costs.