Why I Think RegioJet Is the BEST Private Train Company in Europe (Budapest - Vienna - Prague)

[@tobiasgebhardt1]

the regiojet low cost carriages are actually former 1st class TEE/IC/EC carriages from the 60s from germany's deutsche bahn (type Apmz). the standard compartment carriages are either former mixed 1st and 2nd class (type ABmz) or 2nd class only (type Bmz) carriages from austria's ÖBB used on IC/EC before, just like the relax/business carriages which were 1st and business class ÖBB Ampz.

[@leventebotos6927]

As someone that lives in Budapest, I think it was a good decision from Regiojet to pick Kelenföld as the default station. It has much better amenities, connections and is just better than Déli. Tbh, Budapest's stations are not well maintained... Máv should address these shortcomings!

[@MrSzalonnaOriginal]

@@leventebotos6927 If you live in Hungary you know MÁV doesn't give a f***. And it won't. They want busses everywhere. I won't go into it deeper because the politics...

[@AstaGMR]

a máv már évek óta egy kalap szar nem hiszem hogy a közeljövőben bármikor javítanának a budapesti állomásokon

[@Desperoro]

České Dráhy did end in Kelenfold during construction works when EC operated through Gyor and it was great

[@megapangolin1093]

Food on board- to your seat?!! Paradise, why cant everyone do this. Great video.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Its really great! Thank you

[@mif4731]

RegioJet is getting a new connection in December! It's Gdynia-Gdańsk-Prague Maybe you'll check that in the next year :D

[@jakubsimek6246]

Not regiojet, České Dráhy alog with PKP IC

[@mif4731]

@@jakubsimek6246 pomyliłem się z Pragą, ale z przewoźnikiem mam rację: "Przewoźnik może uruchomić nowe połączenia pasażerskie między Gdynią a Krakowem od 14 grudnia 2025 r. do 14 grudnia 2030 r., czyli w rocznych rozkładach jazdy pociągów: 2025/2026, 2026/2027, 2027/2028, 2028/2029 oraz 2029/2030 - informuje Urząd Transportu Kolejowego. - RegioJet planuje wykonywać połączenia codziennie i uruchomić 1 parę pociągów. Jedno postępowanie administracyjne dotyczące przyznania otwartego dostępu na tej trasie jeszcze się nie zakończyło."

[@Simon-Andersen]

Interesting, I thought it was ČD/PKP, but I guess they'll get competition then.

[@jancada2578]

@@jakubsimek6246 But both Czech private operatosrs RegioJet and LeoExpress finally got the after many years access to operate in Poland on the main line Krakow - Warsaw - "tri-city" (Gdansk/Gdynia/Sopoty)

[@lucalynx99_LF]

@@Simon-Andersen Regiojet has plans for Krakow-Gdynia and Krakow-Warszava but if anything will come of it next year is still a mystery, they were only allowed to operate which doesn't mean thet actually will. They do want to, rolling stock might be a bit of a problem though.

[@davidhazit]

I love Regiojet, too. Astra cars are fantastic products as far as comfort and amenities are concerned. Ordering your food in the app works just fine, but it does take 30-40 minutes to receive it.

[@david4396]

If you ever find yourself on an RJ train again, I suggest you go for the relax class. It's usually not too much more than standard and much better seat pitch and width than most first-class products. Oh, and the coffee is free! I've spent countless hours in these seats, and I have nothing bad to say about them.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I've traveled in Relax quite a few times, and it's great if you want to well relax :D. However, I actually prefer the Astra seats when I need to work on my laptop during the trip, as the Relax seats are a bit too pre-reclined for me to sit comfortably upright 😄. Coffee is also free in Standard . So, I basically choose my seat depending on what I plan to do during the journey, which is nice since there are so many options, and the price differences aren't massive. :D

[@michaelschafferAT]

Interesting. I've seen the yellow trains in Vienna time and time again, but never really looked into them. I recently had two appointments in Györ and could only compare rental cars with ÖBB. This meant that we ended up renting a car each time. Because the ÖBB price is not feasible. But with RegioJet it might have worked out, especially since the appointment was right at the train station. But as is often the case with long-distance travel these days, there is a lack of accessibility here too. We have to travel with two strollers.

[@Simon-Andersen]

They only run 3-4 times a day, but its often much cheaper than OBB especially last minute. - But yeah these trains are even less acessible than a railjet

[@ViktorFromDK]

Without having tried either I would say that Snälltåget is a big competitor for the title as the best private rail operator in Europe

[@Newbyte]

Maybe one day they'll figure out how to keep half of the bathrooms from being out of order.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Snälltåget is also good; I need to try the new Copenhagen-Stockholm service. But what I like about RegioJet is that they have more choices onboard. Snälltåget mostly just runs one type of night train and one type of day train with no first class, for instance, and they don't have features like ordering to your seat. :)

[@Thomas1980]

Excellent Video!_____SUPER👍L👍I👍K👍E👍

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@thehorisonboi]

Though the default setting on RegioJet's website for Budapest is indeed Kelenföld, that is-interestingly enough-not the sole reason why so many passengers board or alight there. Budapest-Kelenföld is simply a giant public transit hub with a plaza nearby. Kelenföld is more popular among travelers than Déli because-again-it is better connected. About 40-70% of people (depending on the type of service) heading out of Budapest via Kelenföld will get on at that station, rather than Déli, or even Keleti.

[@SpotterCrazyperson]

Looks great!

[@mariadelmarjimenezarroyo]

Very good video friend

[@leeman1525]

I normally just take Mav between Budapest and Vienna. This looks much nicer than what they offer. I noticed last time I took the route. A lot of regiojet passengers got onto the mav train and were mad they had to buy the ticket. Apparently at one of the stops there was a mav and regiojet train at such a close time it causes a little confusion. I heard the ticket inspector was saying it happened a lot but only on that train.

[@to_loww]

This could really be any connection between Budapest-Kelenföld and Vienna Hbf. There is always a MÁV/ÖBB train departing five minutes earlier.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Give RegioJet a try next time if their schedule suits you-there are only about four trains per day, so MÁV or ÖBB might often be more convenient.

[@thehorisonboi]

Try the ÖBB RailJetXpress if you haven’t already. I much prefer that to the MÁV ECs. If you do decide to travel on the RJX, make sure to book through ELVIRA (MÁV’s system), because it will be cheaper than if you bought the ticket for the RJX on ÖBB’s site. Always compare first-class pricing with second-class pricing, because in many cases first class will be cheaper on that route, due to dynamic pricing.

[@homobohemicus]

When vyou're in Praha just let us know.... Beer is on us :))))) Bon Voyage... I suspect that www is only valid within the Czech republic only? But in general I trust Regiojet trains and buses.. Their service is consistent and a great value for money without compromising travel comfort

[@MarwiX_CZ]

Už má několik videí z Česka.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Ah, that might be the case-that the Wi-Fi only works in the Czech Republic. Bit of a shame, as they’ve been running this route for years now.

[@homobohemicus]

@@Simon-Andersen The government here is giving 176 Million CZK to all train operators to improve www signal in trains (using laser beams along other tools) but I heard that ČD will have StarLink as www provider so this could assist in having an internet connection anywhere but I am not certain if the connection allowance isn't limited by law and not technology? However having no roaming charges in the EU somehow balances that reality while allowing us to be connected without any extra charges. m Bon Voyage and safe trips

[@homobohemicus]

@@MarwiX_CZ Díky.. Já ho sledují celkem pravidelně a sám rád cestují vlakem... Pozvánka byla na pivo kdykoliv se vrátí do česka :))))))))

[@MrSzalonnaOriginal]

It's the best because of the value. Also thank you for visitiong Budapest. It's pronounced Budapesht.

[@stefan25769]

English pronunciation is simply Budapest as he said

[@MrSzalonnaOriginal]

@stefan25769 Depends. I've heard both of them, but Budapesht is the original. I thought I share this piece of information.

[@SSS92934]

@@stefan25769 I know but it is still BUDAPESHT!

[@MrSzalonnaOriginal]

@@SSS92934 OK sorry for the horrible spelling. I just wanted to demonstrate. I can use the IPA, just nobody will understand.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Its really not that deep lol

[@mirceapaul9724]

You should also try a romanian carriage CFR, built by Astra, on the Wien-Bucharest train. And if you could made a diference between those and rhe Regiojet. Unfottunately the class coaches are not so confortable as they are the Regiojet ones, and not very mantained. The best way to test, is doing the whole trip fron Wien to Bucharest.The sleeping cars and the couchete are much better. Nice video report 👍

[@Simon-Andersen]

Maybe next time im in Romania - I took the Bucahrest - Wien train a few weeks ago but in a sleeper, not sure im ready to do it seated yet :P

[@mirceapaul9724]

@Simon-Andersen it would be a huge challenge 😁😁

[@OtherwiseUknownMonkey]

Oh im suprised they bought carriages from Astra. they do rlly high quality stuff for such a unknown manufacturer especially their trams

[@Simon-Andersen]

Yes Astra in general seem to be quite underrated. I also took their sleeper recently which is also good!

[@RKMa64]

Keep up the goodwork 😎

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thank you :D

[@Letsgobyland]

agree! regiojet is really good!

[@delibakerytravel]

Another great video. That was a outstanding train. And the cake looked great. Did you say 40 cents?? Thanks for sharing from San Diego.🌴

[@Simon-Andersen]

Yes, I did-it's basically free! Greetings from snowy Copenhagen!

[@VideoMatoran]

I wish Regiojet came to Nyíregyháza. Also, when referring to the Budapest terminal railyards, I call them Budapest-Southern (Déli), Budapest-Western (Nyugati), and Budapest-Eastern (Keleti).

[@stephanedajtlich]

Last april I travelled from Kosice to Olomouc in Business class with Regiojet. Everything was fantastic regarding the service on board and the fare. except than the loco broke down at Svinos station and we had to wait one hour that another regiojet train comes to the rescue...Regiojet refunded half of the fare without asking...

[@jeremylarsen6072]

Had a great ride between Prague and Vienna with RegioJet earlier this year - affordable, pleasant service, punctual departure and arrival + a clean and functional train. As a Dane myself, it really makes me hope for more delivery on the potential of rail travel in Northern Europe

[@BorIlovar]

I love RegioJet, I just wish they would service more destinations...

[@Simon-Andersen]

Same! I hope they can get their hand on some more trains to allow expansion :D

[@czechmatebro]

Yeah on its routes that aren't state sponsored they have some quality rolling stock, but the carriages on R8 and R23 in Czechia are horrible. Also they're maintenance is not good, in Pardubice 4 people died because the improperly maintained carriage didn't survive a low speed crash (ČD runs the same carriages and those would have survived the crash according to multiple tests). I rarely travel with RJ because other carriers are (for me) cheaper and their service is a lot less reliable and the carriages are dirtier. But the food seems fine, you just can't expect anything more than average (except for the cakes those are S tier) I'll have to agree that it's the best private carrier tho, LeoExpress is a close second.

[@andreatuscano6923]

Leo express could be better in many ways (business has food included for example), if not for the prices which vary like crazy, I booked Přerov - Pardubice for 2 persons for 249 Kč a couple of weeks ago but sometimes it can cost even 900 Kč for economy!

[@Simon-Andersen]

I agree with much of what you said, and the general takeaway is that the Czech railway network is very competitive on the main corridors, so prices are fairly similar. It’s the minor things that really make one option slightly better or worse.

[@martinytcz1762]

The Sirius EMUs on the R23 are fine? Agreed, whatever they had before was not great, but the Sirius EMUs are great and the rolling stock freed up from the R23 should stabilize the R8 a bit.

[@czechmatebro]

@@martinytcz1762 Since I am very tall the headrests on Sirius' second class seats are below my shoulders. Owie. (This hasn't happened to me on any other train btw) The seats are *really* hard and kinda narrow compared to other trains and the emu is in general very poorly finished + the soundproofing is horrible. From what I've heard it's supposedly quite unreliable which really isn't optional when running a mass transit network.

[@czechmatebro]

@@Simon-Andersen yeah I didn't explain this point I have a big discount on the yearly ČD pass thanks to me still being a student and having a railway employee in my family. But there are lines which ČD doesn't run on ofc, but also then I still have to pay quite a large substitute for the Pendolino trains(not other trains), so on the main line other carriers may actually be cheaper. I also have this special version of "interrail" which costs 6€ per year and then you have to buy an 8 day coupon for every carrier (8 days within 3 months) which costs just 2€ so international travel for me is a breeze 💨

[@David-iv6ns]

I mean 9€ wow, now I already know how to travel between Austria and Hungary

[@jfmezei]

the doors to ticket office at Déli are very odd. look like door to some maintenance closet 🙂

[@Simon-Andersen]

Yeah, i think there was some construciton going on.

[@thehorisonboi]

Yes, I go to Déli fairly regularly, and I didn’t even know that ticket office even existed.

[@nataliaromanchuk4740]

Why does it look that MAV copied the train icon from SBB CFF FFS?

[@jfmezei]

it’s the Alstom Traxx locomotive. or if youn wish to use the name where it originated, the Adtranz Traxx.

[@Simon-Andersen]

No, this is a Bombardier TRAXX F140 MS2 built in 2018, after Adtranz had been acquired by Bombardier, but before Bombardier was acquired by Alstom. RegioJet also has a few MS3s, which are indeed Alstom TRAXX. 😉

[@jfmezei]

@@Simon-Andersen 1- Alstom does not have rights to the "Bombardier" name which was retained by what is left of the former company: the business jet division. (all else was liquidated to pay off creditors, but as nobody wants to buy the business jet division, Bombardier is funneling all revenues to pay off creditors). 2- de Havilland Canada was sold to Boeing. This means that Boeing built Dash-8s for a while. When Boeing sold de Havilland to Bombardier, did the Dash-8s that were built under Boeing's tenure keep their "Boeing Dash-8" name ? nop. They became Bombardier Dash-8s. So when, during its liquidation, Bombardier sold both the Dash-8 and the "de Havilland" brand to Longview aviation who (re)created de Havilland Canada, the Dash-8 became a de Havilland Canada product. Like with the TRAXX, the Dash-8 was not originally developped by Bombardier (or Boeing). Consider the Airbus 220. Even though Bombardier developped it (it never actually delivered one - the project was recapitalized as separate company (CSALP) before first delivery) the branding is fully "Airbus" by now. So if you want maintenance for a TRAXX loco, you *have* to knock at Alstom's door because it is an Alstom product. And it is one of the rare ex-Bombardier Transportation product that Alstom has adopted and put up on its own web page as an Alstom product. Many others are now deeply hidden because Alstom intends to only complete existing orders and retire the product or sell it. (The MITRAC power controllers is another portion of Bombardier that Alstom has adopted and is even using in new Corradia). In North America, Alstom has adopted the heavy steel multi-levels and integrated into its "Adessia" commmuter train line, but did not adopt the lighter bi-levels (Originally Hawker Siddeley and made light before FRA forced trains back to the heavy steel of the 1950s to try to save Budd). So when a product is adopted by Alstom and is shown as an Alstom prodyct on the Alstom web site, it should be considered as an Alstom product, not a bombardier one.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

They're not even the best one in Czech mate 😆

[@Simon-Andersen]

I prefer them over LEO overall - which is also very good

[@NonstopEurotrip]

@Simon-Andersen Omar tier opinion 😘

[@altavelmcnamara]

That’s what your mum said about your dad.

[@eisenbahnerharthausen]

Germany needs this shit so bad, trains are too expensive here

[@stephanedajtlich]

exactly like in France

[@MarwiX_CZ]

Frankly, I don't like RegioJet at all, if only because I often find that other carriers are cheaper and offer better quality service. I did some price research once and in most cases other carriers were a better deal.

[@mif4731]

This depends on where you live

[@MarwiX_CZ]

@ CZ

[@pernik747]

@@mif4731 What do you mean, regiojet in other states doesn't do shitshow?

[@Simon-Andersen]

I think it depends a lot on which route and the time of booking. I find that ČD can often match the price of RegioJet if you book a few weeks out, but closer to departure, I find RegioJet is often considerably cheaper. LEO Express can also be very competitive, and their premium class is much better than RegioJet business, but in the other travel classes, I find RegioJet slightly better. 😄

[@aviano72]

Those seats looks great and comfy. Not like those awful British 8xx seats

[@Simon-Andersen]

Not hard to beat those!

[@samtrak1204]

In 2009 I rode the train from Budapest Keleti to Vienna, then onto Prague a few days later. Does the train leaving Budapest Deli follow a different route to Vienna?

[@Simon-Andersen]

Not really, the line from Keleti joins shortly after at Kelenfold.

[@nonstopnormal666]

EN Prague-Zurich by CD Night pls

[@Simon-Andersen]

Not planned atm, but i did just record a trip with CD night to Kosice.

[@miroslavkovar4278]

Regiojet was a great rail carrier in the past, however, in the last years it is getting worse and worse. They don't clean their carriages properly, don't have enough staff to provide catering service they advertise (so it is nothing exceptional to wait 1 hour for ordering food and another 1 hour for the delivery) and change types and order of carriages shortly before departure. So travelling with them is kind of lottery - sometimes it is OK, sometimes it is a disaster. In the Prague-Ostrava and Prague-Brno lines, there are better (and often cheaper) travel options such as ČD Pendolino or ČD Railjet.

[@to_loww]

Have you tried Leo Express already?

[@Simon-Andersen]

Yes! Also very good, but apart from in Premium (LEO) vs Buisness Class (RegioJet) i think RegioJet generally is slighly better

[@MidnightAspec]

The NJT ALP-46 locomotive seems to have a number of cousins in Europe.

[@eurofighter68]

The Bombardier ALP-46 where build in Europe and are a derivation of the german BR101

[@mif4731]

NJP ALP-46 is the cousin one

[@benedekhalda-kiss9737]

ALP-46 is pretty much a US variant of the Traxx

[@dieterschleich5726]

Did you test the Italo high speed trains? Do you think RegioJet ist better?

[@andreatuscano6923]

I’ve tried both as I’m Italian but living in Czechia and Italo even in business it’s not even close, they have high speed rolling stock but they have only vending machines for catering and the wifi is extremely slow (regiojet always worked for me). Also Italo doesn’t have an international network

[@Simon-Andersen]

Yes! Italo is also very good, but I don't think they are as good in terms of value for money as RegioJet. Their onboard food offerings for instance is not as extensive :D

[@rwdonaldson]

I agree that this Regiojet service is remarkably cheap but, as a result, they have no staff at Budapest Kelenfold to give assistance to non-Hungarian speakers (other operators’ staff e.g. MAV make it very clear that they will not help). This is akin to the Lumo private operator in the UK who have no station based staff to assist when things go wrong (which they frequently do in the UK).

[@Simon-Andersen]

That is a good point, i guess this is what you get with the "low-cost" model.

[@MU1RD3R]

Hvordan får du råd til at leve sådanne et liv, med internationale togture? :D

[@Simon-Andersen]

Reklamerne på videoerne betaler en stor del af det, og så har jeg også et arbejde ved siden af mit studie.

[@michdem100]

Best private operator? Probably RegioJet, though I never rode on it. Best operator over all? RailJet

[@mikuoctoling]

tbh, regiojet should expand to Western europe, apart of France

[@Simon-Andersen]

I know they wanted to do Prague - Berlin but they could not get slots

[@leventebotos6927]

Whaat? Wien Meidling before Hbf?? The Railjet has hbf firstt.....

[@kensukefan47]

Because RegioJet uses the bypass and not the direct route to HBF.

[@to_loww]

Regiojet uses the freight tracks via Oberlaa and Inzersdorf. The train continues to Prague. If Regiojet took the direct route to Hbf, they would have to change direction.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Yes, this is so the train faces the right way when going on to Prague. Railjets often continue to Salzburg and beyond, so they are already facing the right way and don’t need to do a little loop around via Meidling first.

[@matejsedivec969]

Honestly i avoid regiojet,as they prove me every time i shoould just pay extra and go with Leo Express/Ceske Drahy. I wont even talk abouth the fact that they dont care abouth the simple think called maintanance and ill go straight to their service. Every time thru the last 3 years (so atleast 5 journeys) there was eiter no food to buy as it was sold out,their kitchen being full so i was unable to place order,rude staff,filthy and non functioning cariage or combination of those factors. So honestly if i dont plan to go in Regios Bussines class ill pass on the cheap cofee and cake in Regiojet and pay a bit extra and have a proper meal in proper dining car,thanks

[@jfmezei]

is Regiojet sustainable at those prices, or is this a money losing scheme to build ridership with expectation of raising fares as soon as possible ?

[@Simon-Andersen]

I dont know, they have been running trains since 2010 and are profitable overall as a company.

[@martinytcz1762]

They are sustainable even at these prices, not to mention their core business is also shifting to running trains for municipalities / regional governments.

[@mc3d_real14]

wrg

[@fischX]

They are good at service and the on seat service via app just makes a lot of sense - but they heavy relay on underpaid labor and "creative" cost cutting - not something that should be supported because "cheap cheap"

[@Simon-Andersen]

I guess that explains why I mostly see young people working on the trains. But I assume it's not illegal-probably a similar grey area as with some airlines.

[@martinytcz1762]

@@Simon-Andersen They do not employ any creative gray-area stuff, and their base train crew staff starts at €1000 per month, with RegioJet claiming an average of €1500 p.m. after training. They also get 5 weeks of PTO (instead of the mandated 4), a multisport card, and some other smaller benefits.

[@Flamekick97]

I am Czech and don't like RegioJet. I think I was just unlucky most of the times, but imo they are unreliable and they treat their own staff like garbage. I agree tho that if you want a cheap ride, RegioJet is the way to go.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I can't say much about how they treat their staff, but they seem friendly, and whenever I've traveled with them, I've gotten a good deal and arrived on time-nothing to complain about. ČD and LEO are also good options and often very competitive on price.

[@martinytcz1762]

My friend works for them and I've not heard him complain. That is still very anecdotal evidence though.

[@OxyTraveler]

Romanian made cars ! Astra Arad Cars

[@NS_4063]

Im 3th cool

[@AlexTrainSpots]

FIRST HEHEHEHAEYYEHAEHYAYAYAY

[@tommievanverkeerswinkel4392]

I'm 4th hi