Vilnius - Berlin by Train - part 3: Empty “Berlin-Warszawa-Express” Eurocity Train in First Class

[@karmesindryade]

One of the best things in Polish and Czech trains is the dining car, where they usually actually cook the meals instead of just putting a plastic bag in a microwave. I love dining cars - they are the best things in train travel.

[@bernardbouzon5499]

You can add slovakia

[@brstoffel]

Thank you for this video. I love your style … no narration or music … just audio of what we would hear if we were along for the ride. Excellent.

[@TravelALBERT]

I made a lot of films between Berlin and Poznań, so it's nice to see how you did the film. It looks great!!!

[@ignacypaderewski2685]

Super strange to see this train empty, I took it quite a few times before the pandemic and it was almost always full

[@realtimecartravel]

On the contrary, I prefer an open seating railcar like the one you had here in First class. A seated compartment is way more uncomfortable and inevitably involves stepping on the feet and looking at the faces of the passengers in front of you all way long unless you travel in an empty car.

[@LMB222]

The best parties are in compartments.

[@doc7austin]

@LMB222 haha; esp. if you know the other people in the compartment

[@yasunari65]

Definitely one of my wish-list trips, to go (maybe Rotterdam) - Berlin - Warsaw - Vilnius - Riga - Tallinn - Helsinki - (maybe Oulu). I hope train line will connect the Baltic countries instead of bus. I remember one time I traveled from Paris to Warsaw March of 2017. At the time I was planning on the route, I was considering taking the sleeper train from Berlin but it got discontinued. So I traveled via Vienna instead and took a Polish Sleeper named "Chopin". I had the deluxe compartment with shower but there was no water in the shower! I took a NightJet from Vienna to Dusseldorf on my return trip and the shower did work. I just traveled from Stockholm to Palermo on different trains last month. The Italian sleeper from Rome to Palermo that went on a ferry was definitely one of my highlights.

[@mikeporecki9946]

Wow, I have to say that empty Warsaw/Berlin train is a miracle. And it’s price. I travel that route only in the summer. It’s always packed, expensive and delayed 😂

[@KUBUTECH911]

Great video, about one of the most important rail corridors in our country. During 2023 on the Id12-4 (CMK) trains will be operating up to 200 km/h due to modernization. If we talk about "Husarz" locomotives, which means the Polish variant of the Siemens EuroSprinter family of multisystem locomotives, the correct mark of those locomotives is not EU-44 and even not EU44, but the ES64U-D, because technically, those locomotives are certified as ES64U4-D. Those locomotives are marked by EVN on a driver`s cabin and on the side of the chassis. If they have EU44 markings, that means that they are only branded with them for example when there is an advertising veneer. Ahhh, before I forget. When you use the Polish markings (to be specify - markings of PKP Series) which are defining the traction (electrical, diesele or steam) and purpose of the locomotive (passanger, freight or universal) like EU45, ET22, EN57 (and so on) they do not have "-" between the letters and numbers. The only place where you use "-" is when you adding the inventory number of the vehicle. So the EU-44 is not correct, the EU44 and EU44-001 are correct. Certain rules apply when describing rolling stock. ;)

[@SeverityOne]

You know what I like most about this three part video? That you were actually able to make it. I remember the Cold War very well. 35 years ago, there were some rumblings in Poland with the Solidarity labour union, and previously, martial law, but very few people had expected what would happen in 1989. These days, we get to complain that the Germans are checking passports despite Schengen. I remember crossing the Dutch-German border when we went on holidays, and oh boy, those German border guards really loved to check your passports and luggage and whether you have a permit to carry your lap dog over the border. (Belgian border guards, that was a different story.) Another take-home for me about all those travel videos that I watch is that we really should have some sort of European agency that decides which trains can go where, instead of each country having the ultimate say in this. Because for some reason, it's like Germany keeps popping up as the ones who are being a bit difficult. As for not accepting payment cards in the 21st century, that's just crazy. Last month we went to my native Netherlands to see family around Christmas, and the only two times I paid cash was for taxis that weren't Uber. Everywhere else I paid with either my phone or by card, like I do at home in the Mediterranean.

[@amitchaudhry1027]

You have raised three issues. 1. Checking at German borders might have increased due to the influx of ukranian refugees who are easily crossing into poland due to war crisis. 2. The routes should be decided on the basis of smallest and busiest and eventually profitable route. A European network of railways is required. All the trains prices should be competitive whether state or private trains. The train here is empty and a huge loss on exchequer of polish government.

[@SeverityOne]

@@amitchaudhry1027 Um, no, I merely juxtaposed the Iron Curtain against the Schengen area. The contrast is that we're complaining about the Germans checking passports, whereas in the past you'd be shot - apart from the fact that Germany was still divided at the time. I also don't particularly care about profitability. It's public transport, after all. My point here is that the Germans and French and everybody else gets to decide what locomotives and trains get to run within their borders. It's a long and tedious process, which stands in the way of cross-border travel.

[@adamzieba8364]

@@SeverityOne I think the problem with cross-border running of locos stems from technical issues like differences between countries in railway signalling, radio systems for communicating with train drivers, required shapes and sizes of pantographs on electric locos, railway electricity (voltage, AC or DC) etc. For some routes ETCS (European Train Control System) is needed too. Railways in Europe have fewer unified rules and technical requirements than air or road transport. And in most cases a train drivers certification/licence from one country is not automatically valid in another.

[@SeverityOne]

@@adamzieba8364 Yes, you're right about that, but those differences are abused, too. Certain countries are just not very keen on having other operators. There's a big difference between France and Spain, for example.

[@jakubkapturzak559]

@@amitchaudhry1027 the train is run on commercial basis - the government doesn’t spend a penny. The trains from the previous parts of the journey were subsidized.

[@margarethiggins9124]

Have to say that I love the background music at the beginning reminds me of a Christmas song 🌲🎶 xx

[@arco6128]

Hi, Thank You for this feed, as well as for many others. You have a talent and style

[@maciekwr]

Great video! Would love to see one day one from Warsaw-Lublin line.

[@arijitpiyu]

Amazing vlog. Don't know how they are running the trains with such a least number of passengers. In India, vacant intercity train like this, is a dream.

[@avegromek]

Pendolino's operating speed on cmk is 200 km/h, pkp maxed out 293 km/h on it during testing. In 2025-26 it supposed to be ready for 250 km/h speeds but they won't go beyond that i've read

[@jimholder6656]

Another truly superb video -- many thanks!

[@toddsholtis4470]

Great vlog, i like the food you had! Also the prices seemed very reasonable! I think the First Class seats looked not too comfortable.

[@wouterpaap9343]

Very interesting and informative as allway, thanks. I tried to find information about the timetable of this connection and see: there is a dayly direct connection from Vilnius to Krakow Glowny, of course traveling via Warszawa. It is the IC 143, leaving Vilnius at 12:10 and arriving in Warszawa Centralna at 20:13. Must be a wish come true for you and both Poland and Latvia.

[@andrzejmaranda3699]

doc7austin’s DreamlinerCentral: this whole journey - from Vilnius to Berlin - was VERY INTERESTING FOR ME!

[@wotan20]

Two things surprised me greatly about this video: 1) How empty the train was. Question: Why PKP didn't reduce the number of 2nd class wagons from 5 to 2? 2) Agreeing with doc 7, I couldn't see any advantage to first class. Indeed, the seats in the 2nd class compartment look more inviting and comfortable, than the open seat arrangement in the 1st class wagon.

[@anthonycubadugosz109]

Your film is probably one of the last on Warsaw Midline (Cross-City Line). In 2020 the big constructions have started from Warsaw West Stastion, and ending this step, next year the whole section from Warsaw West, via Central, Srodmiescie to Warsaw East, will be closed to about 2026/27, tunnel and bridge over Vistula included, these two will be built again in new technology, and stations completely rebuilt and renovated

[@johnmehaffey9953]

I love the way you present your posts very clearly done and very informative plus I must say that the more I see of polish trains the more I’m impressed it kinda reminds me of the DB carriages of the late 70,s and early 80,s , great post

[@spacer62]

Interesting. Thank you, I travelled this section (Berlin-Warsaw) quite often in the late 70s/early 80s. Then, the travel time was about 8 hours.

[@manmeetsinghmahajan6183]

Amazing trip.

[@richardS2734]

Waouh, what a wonderful report, I really feel relaxed after the end whitch come too early. Many thanks

[@amitchaudhry1027]

Actually the details are at the stations of halting. There is no station from rzepin to Berlin which is a more than one hour stretch. So it was completed immediately after the Frankfurt oder.

[@netrhyda8761]

I like your food choices!! Nice video!!

[@thomasfehlmann4680]

Thanks a lot for this wonderful train report! If this year, finally, there is an in-person conference in Vilnius, I'll take the Suwalki Gap at least for one direction - the other most likely with the ferry Klaipeda-Kiel. And sure, I'll pass at least a full day in Warszawa!

[@oskarsrode2167]

Imagine if there were high speed rail, it could be done in 3h. Faster than gaoing to/from the airport and waiting.

[@ASIFinTRAVEL]

Beautiful documentation.

[@noodleppoodle]

It would be great if one day EU rail transport was harminised and integrated and we could buy international tickets in any country in a simple way like plane tickets

[@LS-Moto]

The EU is trying to unify rail, but its so much work, because countries have different voltage systems, rail systems. I think the best we got in terms of tickets is interrail. Rail is focused very domestically, which is unfortunate. Air travel has the advantage, that they only need airports.

[@alessandrolaspina2856]

Good report. Thanks!

[@szymex22]

Actually sometimes they also run with Vectron locomotives rented by PKP IC. Other locos can’t enter because of different electric system.

[@simonpilk]

You could also have been pulled by a Vectron locomotive as that also is allowed to work in Poland and Germany

[@bernardbouzon5499]

Indeed, I saw pictures of trains with vectron loks. PKP are short of multi systems loks

[@miloszw767]

PKP also rents out a siemens vectron. Which also runs on Warsaw- berlin route

[@therichtershow]

cool train ride, that looked comfortable

[@michaellaudahn]

4:00 Turbokibel? According to Ggl, polish kibel meams loo

[@484442pt]

Yes, that's why they get this nickname: their compressor inlets originally were located next to the open-system toilets and hence spreading the odours around. Modified "turbokibels" are equipped with closed-system toilets.

[@greycliffnative]

I could not find the explanation for it on the net. This is a nickname for modified EN57 but haven't met this name in Poland. It looks like it is rather railway enthusiasts' jargon. Here you can find other nicknames: pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BBargonowe_nazwy_taboru_kolejowego

[@EpicThe112]

Excellent video and when it comes to Polish city names German Travellers on the Berlin Warsaw Train will use German names for Poznan Warsaw and Repezin these are Warschau Posen Reppen. The reason for it is that Polish cities are hard to pronounce for a non-Polish language speaker. This also applies to Kaliningrad Oblast Russia which German speakers call Königsberg. The best option for a single Vilnius Berlin train is that it needs Rafil V VGA which is compatible with Polish SUW 2000 VGA

[@arturwolny1459]

The nickname turbokibel comes from another nickname kibel. Kibel is the common name for a toilet. The nickname kibel was given to the EN57 traction vehicle. Each of its modernization for asynchronous start and other afterburners is a turbokibel. If you already know what a kibel or turbokibel means, then understanding how malicious railway fans are in Poland.

[@vovixs.567]

Why toilet? Do they smell so much compared to other EMUs?

[@dispen275]

@@vovixs.567 " Do they smell so much compared to other EMUs?" YES Original versions had a stupid design flaw (a proof of remarkable communist engineering). The air used for the movement of pneumatic doors was sucked from the toilets. This means that any time doors were used all smells from the toilet were spread inside the whole EMU.

[@hobog]

4:46 I love terrazzo and pavement tiles for soviet architecture, but it seems impossible to keep the floor tiles perfectly aligned. Idk, I've seen a transition crossing from PRC big cities into big cities of HK / TW / RoK / Japan where the pavement tiles are better paved+maintained

[@greycliffnative]

Well... I cannot see any soviet architecture there. Also I was there twice last year and the tiles there are perfectly fitted. I am not sure what are you talking about... :)) Did you mean the tactile paving is uneven? :))

[@NerdX151]

Hopefully this line will return to it's former glory when Rail Baltica is complete. It's very interesting though that PKP is able to run profitable sleeper trains on it's domestic routes, but there is very little demand for a sleeper from Warsaw to Berlin or Hamburg... Travel time should not be an excuse, because there are other european routes with the same length that have no problem operating sleepers (for instance Budapest-Prague and Stockholm-Malmö). I guess it's due to the amount of low-cost busses operating between these two cities.

[@rdrogel]

Actually the EN Jan Kielpura departs from Amsterdam Centraal before cutting it to Cologne(Koln)

[@marcogeurts9881]

The EN Jan Kielpyra doesn't run to Amsterdam Centraal

[@doc7austin]

in 2004 EN Jan Kiepura started from Brussels

[@amitchaudhry1027]

Very nice journey from Lithuania to Germany. The train from warsaw to Berlin was nearly empty. Why the trains frequency will be 6 in number from these two destinations from June 2023. Is this because of winters, that the train is empty now?

[@szymex22]

It was not full but also not too empty when I rode it in December. It could be now empty because PKP has increased their prices

[@amitchaudhry1027]

Thanks. But why 6 trains a day.

[@iRetboRodo]

The Trains are running empty because the Ticket for an EIC has become super expensive. Better to wait for a TLK or a IC Train

[@amitchaudhry1027]

The rail prices should be competitive with other trains and air travel too. Making tickets expensive and empty trains would be a huge loss to the operator eventually

[@iRetboRodo]

@@szymex22 that last part ist also not right. .... Let's take politics aside. If TLK and IC Trains would be not subsidized here so heavy the price would be unbearable.

[@times4937]

State-owned operators operate in their own alternative economic reality.

[@Eurobazz]

Another great video. However, some of your sub-titles left me a wee bit confused.

[@doc7austin]

which ones?

[@Eurobazz]

@@doc7austin One moment caller...

[@educatethechildren]

How was the gingerbread beer? 🍺

[@gediminov8644]

I now will be new train kaunas to worclowo in December

[@thelegotechnicchannel1256]

Has anyone seen this train crowded yet? I feel like it’s always empty.

[@BubblesBub434]

Problem is this train is super expensive imo. Usually a country's train prices correspond quite well with the purchasing power per capita; i.e. most operational costs in train traffic are in personnel, low-wage countries personnel costs less so train fares are cheaper, which is good because otherwise the low-wage population can't afford it. Problem is, the fares on this train are Germany tier. Without advance purchase they can easily cost 70+ euros. So most people that make up potential travel demand on this line literally can't afford this train, or rather, sure they could theoretically spend a significant percentage of monthly income on it, but much cheaper options exist (and so nobody does). PolskiBus / flixbus etc. are consistently full on this relation so the demand is there. Though it's also worth noting the train length and service frequency are nothing to scoff at. I bet if they ran less and shorter trains they'd be full.

[@amitchaudhry1027]

Why the tickets are costly. What purpose it is going to serve with empty train. Moreover in the above vdo it is mentioned that the frequency will be increased.

[@kamilrutkowski2411]

I am confused it was empty... I took this train, but it was June - high summer period - and it was almost full. More often I go from Wrocław to Berlin by Nightjet, and there is also at least medium demand, especially on the PL domestic part.

[@samtrak1204]

Why was the Warsaw hotel only so-so? Bad service or rooms?

[@adamsmith275]

22:03 22:40 ...SADELY...

[@hobog]

27:54 the first class bonus is less awkwardness sharing a compartment with five strangers?

[@basstrip73]

Not everyone is scared of strangers. About 30 years ago almost _all_ trains in Europe were compartment only, 1st and 2nd class, and nobody had a problem with it. In some countries, e.g. Switzerland, surveys show a significant majority of passengers still prefer compartments over open plan seating. I think the internet has contributed to making people more insular and uncomfortable sharing spaces with strangers.

[@Patrick-on2ty]

Mal eine Frage : warum piept der Zug immer so nervig wenn er steht ?

[@KhalilAhmad-ef6ki]

Is there any passport control at vilnius train station? And did you ever stopped by police or anybody check your passport ?

[@doc7austin]

passport control at vilnius station has been closed since the onset of the pandemic

[@cyberskoker]

The modernized EN-57s are quite OK yet and instead of "Turbokibel" they are called "ENdolino".

[@winnickimagdalena9240]

Zwykły pociąg ...

[@Krzysztof30]

Nic specjalnego ta 1 klasa. Za co tyle płacić ?

[@doc7austin]

i didnt know that there will be so many empty second class cars

[@franek.kedziorek]

I hope you are aware what "turbikibel" means in polish

[@484442pt]

He is, and this nickname was invented by Polish railfans.

[@doc7austin]

exactly; and in my part 2 video I was asked to use that nickname

[@leszekk.73]

"Turbokibel"??? Ups... Kibel="toilet" (but vulgar)...

[@times4937]

vulgar- sracz, slang- kibel)

[@israelbuchholz3613]

Turbokibel, bo jest to EN57 czyli kibel, ale po modernizacji

[@leszekk.73]

@@israelbuchholz3613 Tylko że to nazwa potoczna, a podana jakby była nazwą oficjalną. Jak np ED250 = Pendolino.

[@PeterRixen-un7xw]

"It looks comfortable, isn't it?" This isn't proper English. It should read "It looks comfortable, doesn't it?." This is only one of the mistakes in the three part video.

[@SeverityOne]

True, but you still understood. And generally, it's not considered very polite to correct people's spelling when they aren't native speakers. The guy's from Poland, and probably doesn't have to write a lot of English when he's not making videos.

[@hobog]

This only matters in English for official/legal contexts or computer coding. English mistakes keep with English's history as a partial creole, and reflect how English is the global lingua franca, where being understood matters more than perfect grammar

[@basstrip73]

Oh be quiet. I bet his written and spoken English is better than your Polish.

[@LS-Moto]

​@@SeverityOneI think he is from Germany

[@SeverityOne]

@@LS-Moto Could be. I forgot how I deduced he was Polish.