Austrian president Van der Bellen arrives in Prague on České dráhy train
The Austrian president arrived in Prague on a České dráhy railjet.
České dráhy transported President Alexander Van der Bellen by train today. The Austrian head of state, known for his frequent business trips by train, arrived in the Czech Republic to meet with outgoing President Miloš Zeman. The head of České dráhy, Michal Krapinec, announced his arrival on Twitter.
Van der Bellen arrived in Prague on the RJ78 Vindobona, a České dráhy railjet train, at 7:37 p.m. The Austrian head of state has come to bid farewell to Zeman, whose mandate expires next week. The Czech president has said he will award Van der Bellen the country’s highest award, the Order of the White Lion (Řád Bílého lva).
The Austrian president had already traveled to Prague by train in 2017. In Austria, politicians have a long tradition of traveling by train; Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler (Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology) regularly uses the train to travel to Brussels. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also traveled to the Czech Republic by train, in 2021. Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová has also traveled to the Czech Republic by train in the past.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková