A Rail Trip Through The Scenic Hills of Eastern Slovakia - ZSSK 861 DMU Review
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- čas přidán 22. 06. 2021
- Hello, and welcome back to another train trip report on my channel.
In this video I will be travelling on-board a ZSSK 861 diesel unit from Prešov to Hanušovce nad Topľou. I had intended to continue through to Humenné, but unfortunately there were rail replacement buses in operation past Hanušovce nad Topľou.
This journey takes us through the hills of Slovakia's Prešov region. It's just a regional route, so plenty of peaceful villages and small towns can be seen on the journey. Usually, the service is operated by an impressive ZSSK 757 diesel locomotive with carriages, however thanks to the disruption today, it was relegated to these Slovak-built units.
Enjoy the video. :)
#zssk #zssk861 #tripreport
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Journey Details:
Origin: Prešov
Destination: Hanušovce nad Topľou
Company: ZSSK
Train: ZSSK 861
Accommodation: Second Class Seat (2nd)
Distance: 16 miles / 26 kilometres
Price: £1.42
Time: 0h37m
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Gosh, how modern this Prešov station and that brand new, elegant multiple unit train 👍
When I was there in 1994, no electronic departure indicators, but the traditional timetable rolls. No lift, no ramps, no escalators, no foreign language speaking counter staff, no credit card ticket vending machines (and of course no timetable apps with integrated ticketing). But crumbling platforms and old, rickety, rumbling railcars. What a difference!
Sounds fascinating though, a different time for sure now!
platforms were actually built in 2006
I think the last time I saw mechanical rolls - the clacking ones, with mechanically moving plates - at a Slovak local station or county city station, was over twenty years ago, in the early 2000s. They were already being replaced with electronic timetable and departure signs, and became surprisingly rare to already replaced wholesale by the mid-to-late 2000s. I never saw a single timetable roll in operation since the late 2000s.
The various reforms and investments since the early 2000s, particularly ones with financial and other assisstance from the EU, have helped immensely in updating the railway infrastructure. It was still going a fair bit slower than we'd want to back in the 2000s and 2010s, but there has at least been progress in the past 20 years, even if some of our governments in that time were not as pro-reform, anti-corruption or in favour of reasonable investment as we would have hoped. These DMUs for the eastern lines, nice as they are, were first talked about in 2002 or 2003, but only delivered for regular operations in 2012, almost a decade later. Though they updated the order specifications accordingly, it was still far too long a wait for new MU rolling stock, for a country already some eight years in the EU and using the euro. Imagine many eastern rail lines still forced to use primarily the rickety Class 810 railbuses we were saddled with since commie times, all the way up to 2012. Annoying. I was glad for the new DMUs, but it's just one of many steps in the overall necessary improvement of our railways.
I think the younger and more forward-thinking government since 2020 did a good bit of work to speed up the reforms and modernization of the railways again. They even finally got the ball rolling on electrifying an important passenger railway in the east, something constantly promised but not delivered for, I kid you not, the past century. Once that line gets electrified, it would unburden the necessity for the DMUs showcased in this very video. We could finally assign some new EMUs on that particular railway, or even slightly older electric locomotives with the new passenger cars we already have. As much as I like our new DMUs introduced in the 2010s, I'd be partial to ongoing electrification of the lines that still aren't covered and introducing contemporary-standard EMUs in those parts of the country where they were still missing.
I totally agree with you about trolley buses. My wife is from Athens, Greece, and when we go back there I have always enjoyed them. They are clean, quiet, and fast. Nice video.
They're in certain ways better than battery electric buses. Especially in an urban environment, where a trolleybus is actually more cost effective than a battery bus. A battery electric bus makes more sense for long-distance routes, in rural areas, etc., whereas trolleybuses are much more practical (even cost-wise) in towns and cities. Particularly towns and cities that might be too small for trams/streetcars, or not have enough space or infrastructure for those. The trolleybus is a very good compromise between the cost effectiveness of an electric tram/streetcar and the lower infrastructure costs and greater route flexibility of a bus.
Impressive views! Excellent video :)
Thanks a lot! :)
Just watched your channel recently. Keep up the amazing vids.😀
Thank you so much, there's SO much more to come. :)
Great video enjoyed watching it!
Thank you very much! :)
Great video - worth it for the seating at Preslov station alone. Too bad about missing out on the "Goggle" (best looking loco ever) but a lovely ride with nice country stations to while away some time at. Love your new logo btw 🤩.
Thanks for noticing! 😃
Nice short trip on the diesel train
Thanks! :)
Very nice railway station as well. Very clean, modern, spacious and stunning. Even the subway is massive as well. Not like at Stratford in East London as it’s so cramped and overcrowded during peak times.
Stratford is busy
Plenty of room! I wonder if these stations get busy in the peak...
Exactly the train I want to travel on this summer! It sounds quite weird anyway.
Bald and bankrupt would love that Presov station. So Soviet!
I agree. You'll have to give him a tip-off to visit it! 😉
Aside from Šariš and Abov, pretty much this exact same type of DMU is also used on the Abov and Zemplín lines of east Slovakia, from Košice to Trebišov, Michalovce, Humenné and Medzilaborce. These and several similar types are specifically designed for regional passenger services throughout Slovakia. :-)
Yeah, they are all over aren't they!
One note on 3:15 the there used to be seasonal passenger trains on the line to Poland via Plaveč, although they only went from Poprad on the Slovak Side, bu the connection was not renewed in 2020 or 2021 due to covid. Hopefuly they would come back next year
„freight only line to Plaveč“: Back in 1994 that was the international line Krakow (Poland) - Prešov & Košice (Slovakia) - Miskolc (and perhaps even Budapest) (Hungary). Crossing the polish-slovak border, it consisted of one (1) waggon.
I'd definitely like to try that one day. I know there's also a weekly train to Čirč.
I’m pretty sure the services are back but at a very low frequency because one time I was scrolling through the time tables and saw a Regional Fast train to some Polish town across the border
Oh yes. I've taken this train to school so many times I got used to the sound of engines. It doesn't bother me much now.
Nice, must be a familiar train for you.
The grass platform at Pavlovce (7.30) looks wonderful. The complete lack of a platform at Presov is even better.
you should try regiotrain in Poland also, for example Koleje Dolnośląskie, or many many others ;)
Yes, once the governments stop fussing over scariants I will try! :)
Hi there very interesting video very nice countryside after leaving Presov train looks very comfortable & modern I suppose you found it a bit hard to understand Slovak.
I managed alright, I am relatively good at picking up languages, and it is similar to other slavic languages, used most in places I love spending time in!
@@SuperalbsTravels Thats good well you should try learning Hungarian very hard to understand I know a lot of words but the problem is some of them can be very hard to pronounce.
I've heard that Hungarian and Finnish are very challenging!
@@SuperalbsTravels Next time you go to Hungary you must do a recording of the announcements like in Budapest for example I like the station chime in Budapest Keleti perhaps it is played at every station on the MAV network.
@@jeromebano1125 The chimes on MÁV are great! I love how catchy some of them are. :)
For sure better than the 1975 FIAT Diesel unit, that are in service in Italy, on the Brescia-Parma, that I take to go to the university 😂
I have seen those, they look very interesting! 😅
@@SuperalbsTravelsDefinitely they have a retro interesting looking 😂; but trust me, they aren't so interesting to ride in summer, when they stayed stop on the track for 30 minutes before the departure, under the sun, considering that they don't have air conditioning 😖.
Seems that finally they have decided to electrified the line and the trains, but knowing Italy's time regarding public infrastructure, we will have to wait until 2030 to see some improvement
By the way the electric unit 617 doesnt exist only the zssk 671
That train station looks like post-modern Soviet.
It does seem to be a combination of eras! :)
@@SuperalbsTravels Think it was built during the communist era, and updated afterwards. Have lived in Kosice, city next to Presov, andhave used Presov train station in the past.
Hello! 😀 How Are You Doing? 🙂
Lovely thanks! 😘
@@SuperalbsTravels I Like The Class 800. It's Just The Seats That We Don't Like.
@@emilianohaskurti9344 Oh!
@@SuperalbsTravels Why "Oh!"
@@emilianohaskurti9344 Just a strange comment on a ZSSK video, lol. :)
Although the interior looks very comfortable, so is the sound comfort .... the engine makes a very annoying sound
That's why they're nicknamed „rumblehead” 😂
@@jmsmilfajt You don't have too many expectations from a regio train ..... that's why the ticket is cheap
If you sit in middle carriage it isn't that bad.
@@jacky445 It's further from the engines
@@randomuser262 If you are from the area, I can't contradict you ..... it means that you really know what combinations the company makes