České dráhy Opens Steam Service with Class 354 in Šumava

PRAGUE, CZECHIA – Czech national railway operator České dráhy confirmed heritage steam locomotive 354.195 will haul tourist trains through the Šumava mountain region on July 18–19 and 25–26, 2026. The 1925-built locomotive, maintained by the Railway Museum in Lužná u Rakovníka, will serve the Volary–Nové Údolí–Černá v Pošumaví corridor near the Lipno Reservoir. Two additional Saturday round-trips between Volary and Lenora on July 18 will support the town’s annual Bread Festival.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The Šumava heritage steam operation spans four operating days across two weekends, with locomotive 354.195 leading all scheduled tourist trains. On Saturday July 18, the schedule expands to include two extra Volary–Lenora round-trips departing Volary at 9:18 a.m. and returning at 10:18 a.m., specifically timed for Bread Festival attendees. The primary route provides rail access to Stožec chapel, the Lipno Reservoir shoreline, and the Soumarské rašeliniště peat bog. At Nové Údolí, passengers can transfer to the Pošumavská jižní dráha—a museum railway crossing the Czech-German border over a distance of only a few dozen meters, marketed as the shortest international railway line. Reserved-seat tickets are sold through České dráhy’s online store and ticket offices; onboard purchases are available without seat guarantees. The Volary–Lenora festival specials sell tickets exclusively on board.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

Czechia’s heritage railway operations run parallel to an accelerating modernization program. The European Investment Bank allocated EUR 900 million to Czech railway infrastructure in 2025, targeting TEN-T core network upgrades and regional line improvements (Source: EIB, 2025). The country is projected to reach 624 kilometers of high-speed rail by 2025, placing it among Europe’s expanding HSR markets (Source: Visual Capitalist, 2025). This dual-track approach—preserving a 101-year-old steam locomotive for tourist service while building HSR corridors—mirrors strategies seen in Germany and Austria, where heritage rolling stock operates alongside modernized networks. Globally, the locomotive procurement market moved in the opposite direction in 2024–2025: Chittaranjan Locomotive Works produced a record 700 electric engines, Siemens Mobility unveiled India’s first 9,000-horsepower WAG D-9 freight locomotive in May 2025, and Wabtec and Progress Rail secured major North American orders from CPKC (Source: Rolling Stock World, 2025). Russian rolling stock production, by contrast, contracted substantially year-over-year in 2025 (Source: RailFreight.com, 2026). The Šumava operation’s scale—a single steam locomotive over four days—occupies a niche entirely separate from these industrial procurement cycles. Expected passenger figures and total operational expenditure were not disclosed by České dráhy.

Editor’s Analysis

České dráhy’s deployment of 354.195 serves a function beyond tourism: it maintains operational competency with steam traction while the Railway Museum in Lužná u Rakovníka preserves the mechanical knowledge base required to sustain century-old equipment. The choice of the Šumava corridor—linking Volary to the cross-border museum line at Nové Údolí—suggests a deliberate alignment of heritage rail assets with established regional tourism infrastructure, including the Lipno Reservoir and the Lenora Bread Festival. With Czechia simultaneously absorbing EUR 900 million in EIB modernization funding and building toward 624 km of high-speed rail, the continued operation of a 1925 steam locomotive reflects an institutional decision to fund heritage preservation from tourism revenue rather than capital investment budgets—a model with replicable logic for Central European operators managing aging heritage fleets.

FAQ

Q: How can I buy tickets for the Šumava steam train and what do they cost?
A: Reserved-seat tickets are available through České dráhy’s online store and at station ticket offices. Onboard purchases are permitted but do not guarantee a seat. České dráhy has not published specific ticket prices for these July 2026 services; the Volary–Lenora Bread Festival specials sell tickets exclusively on board the train.

Q: Is locomotive 354.195 the same as the “Engine 354” involved in the 1949 Mississippi crash?
A: No. The 1949 Cotton Plant, Mississippi collision involved a different locomotive designated “Engine 354” on a US railroad. The Czech 354.195 belongs to the Czechoslovak State Railways Class 354 series, built in 1925, and has no connection to the Mississippi incident or to the Indian Railways Rudrastra freight train, which used 354 wagons in a 2026 record attempt.

Q: What other attractions can I reach using this tourist train service?
A: The route stops provide access to the Stožec chapel, the Lipno Reservoir, and the Soumarské rašeliniště peat bog. At Nové Údolí terminus, passengers can visit the Pošumavská jižní dráha museum railway, which crosses the Czech-German border over a track length of only a few dozen meters and operates as a separate heritage attraction.