Key takeaways
- The Regionova isn't a new build, it's a rebuild: it was created from existing Class 810 vehicles and their trailer cars.
- The most reliable feature is the lowered, low-floor gangway section between the two car halves.
- 814 and 914 belong together: 814 is the powered part, 914 the driving trailer of the same unit.
- Regionova is a product name, not a fan nickname – it stands for the modernisation programme.
- Area of operation and fleet numbers change and shift with new contract awards and timetables.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Multi-part diesel railcar for regional and branch-line services |
|---|---|
| Origin | Rebuild and modernisation of existing Class 810 railcars and trailer cars |
| Structure | Class 814 railcar with a Class 914 driving trailer, joined by a low-floor gangway section |
| Variants | Two-part and three-part units (Regionova and Regionova Trio) |
| Numbering scheme | Class number 814 on the railcar, 914 on the driving trailer |
| Area of operation | Regional services and branch lines in Czechia; rosters change with the timetable year |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Two-part or three-part unit with a strikingly low-slung centre section
- Modernised, rounded front with a large one-piece windscreen
- Diesel powered: no pantographs, but roof equipment above the railcar
- The railcar carries the class number 814, the driving trailer 914
- Short overall length – notably shorter than a modern articulated multiple unit
- Typical on single-track regional lines with short platforms
Updated: August 2026 – Two tall car halves, a strikingly low-slung centre section in between, and a rounded modern front: that’s the Class 814, known in Czechia almost exclusively as “Regionova”. This page explains how the vehicle came about, how you can reliably recognise it, and where you’ll realistically encounter it.
Spotted a Regionova? Note both numbers.
The railcar and the driving trailer carry their own data panels – with Traintrack you log the whole set completely.
What is the Class 814 (Regionova)?
The Class 814 is a multi-part diesel railcar for Czech regional and branch-line services created by rebuilding existing vehicles. The starting point was the two-axle railcars of the Class 810 and their unpowered trailer cars. From these building blocks came a joined-up unit with a low-floor gangway section, a new front end and a modernised interior.
Operationally this is a typically Czech solution: instead of replacing an entire vehicle generation, the existing fleet was thoroughly reworked and given exactly the feature that branch lines lacked most – low-step boarding. The name “Regionova” is not a fan nickname but the product name of the programme. Unlike the “CityElefant” name for the Class 471, which came from everyday usage, this term comes from marketing – and has caught on completely.
Identification: the centre section decides
Quick check: Czech diesel railcar
Class 814 (Regionova)
Multi-part, lowered centre section, modern front and diesel power: this matches the Regionova. Check the class number on the car body to confirm.
More likely the Class 810
A single-unit, short car body on two axles with no low-floor section points to the unaltered original type.
Not a Regionova
A long articulated multiple unit or a vehicle with a pantograph belongs to a different family – such as the RegioPanter multiple units.
If you want to work through such features systematically, the guide to identifying classes helps. How to tell train numbers and vehicle numbers apart in service – two completely different things – is explained in the article finding the train number.
Where it fits in Czech regional services
The Regionova fills the gap between the old two-axle railcar and the modern new-build multiple unit. It’s short enough for lightly used lines, yet offers the comfort passengers expect from a modern local vehicle. For spotting, that means: you’ll find it wherever diesel operation and regional services meet.
| Setting | Chance of a sighting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Non-electrified regional line | High | Core territory for this vehicle type |
| Crossing station on a single-track line | High | Scheduled dwell time, good view of the whole unit |
| Terminus with turnaround time | High | Quiet surroundings, both sides of the vehicle accessible |
| Larger regional hub | Medium | As a feeder service, usually at the outer platforms |
| Electrified main route | Low | Electric multiple units and locomotive-hauled trains run there |
Which lines are currently worked by Regionova units isn’t a fixed thing: contract awards, vehicle swaps and timetable changes regularly shift the picture. So don’t rely on older roster overviews found online.
See what's being reported right now
Community sightings show you which vehicles are currently out and about – before you head to a line.
Spotting and photo tips
Look for a side view
The lowered centre section is the defining feature – and it's only visible from the side or a three-quarter angle. A pure front-on shot wastes the story.
Plan for dwell time
At crossing stations and termini you have several minutes. Use them for an overview shot, a detail of the gangway section, and a legible shot of the number.
Capture both data panels
The railcar and the driving trailer carry different class numbers. Anyone who notes only one has only half-documented the set.
Include the line in the frame
Short vehicles look small in a photo. A characteristic stretch of line or an old station building gives the shot context.
The platform edge stays the limit
Small stations often look unsupervised – that changes nothing about the rules. The track area, operational railway land and storage sidings are off limits; photograph only from publicly accessible spots behind the platform edge.
The photographic basics – direction of light, angle, shutter speed – are covered in the guide taking good photos of trains. If you want to not just collect your finds but also share them, the guide to reporting sightings shows what matters there.
Why rebuild instead of new-build?
The Regionova is not a one-off case, but the expression of a strategy. After 1990, České dráhy faced a very large fleet of simple branch-line vehicles and a very limited budget. A complete replacement with new-build vehicles would have taken decades; a rebuild programme, by contrast, delivers visible improvements quickly, exactly where passengers feel them most directly – in boarding, the interior, and ride comfort.
For spotters this has three practical consequences. First, the original type and the rebuild run side by side: the same line can see a classic two-axle railcar today and a Regionova tomorrow. Second, in-between states arise that don’t exist with pure new-build series – differing detail solutions, varying livery versions, different stages of interior fit-out. And third, the fleet is more fluid: a rebuild programme runs over years, vehicles are converted to the new state one after another, and some remain in the old one.
That very fluidity is what makes documentation valuable. Anyone who logs a Regionova today with its number, date and train formation is documenting a state that may only exist in this form for a few years. The same applies in reverse to the remaining unaltered vehicles: every photo of an old two-axle railcar next to a modernised unit is a document of its time.
A note on research: rebuild programmes regularly mean that older vehicle lists no longer match reality. A vehicle listed as an 810 in an overview from ten years ago may today be part of an 814 unit. When in doubt, rely on what’s actually on the vehicle and on current observations – not on lists of unknown age. The guide to the sighting logbook shows how to keep your own observations properly recorded.
Common mix-ups
It's likely an 814 if …
- a clearly lowered section sits between the car halves
- the front looks rounded and modernised
- no pantograph is present
- the vehicle carries the class number 814 or 914
Look more closely if …
- the unit is three-part – it could then be the longer variant
- you only see the vehicle from the front and can't assess the centre section
- an unusual livery obscures the familiar silhouette
It's not an 814 if …
- the vehicle is a single unit running on two axles
- a pantograph sits on the roof
- it's a long, fully low-floor articulated multiple unit
Conclusion
The Class 814 is a case study in vehicle policy: instead of a new build, a thorough rebuild that turns a two-axle railcar from the 1970s into a vehicle fit for everyday regional service. For spotters it’s doubly interesting – as a type in its own right, and as living proof of how closely it’s interwoven with the Class 841 and the original type across the Czech branch-line network. The centre section remains the recognition feature, and the number confirms it.
In short
Multi-part, lowered centre section, diesel power, class number 814 or 914: that's how you identify a Regionova beyond doubt. Found on non-electrified regional lines – with operating areas that can shift with every timetable year.
Collect your Regionova sightings
Number, date, line and train formation in one place – so your Czech collection grows almost by itself.
Summary
- The Class 814 shows how Czechia modernised its branch-line services: not through new-build vehicles, but through a thorough rebuild of the existing two-axle fleet.
- The number-one recognition feature is the low-floor centre section, which no classic 810 has.
- Anyone wanting to photograph it should look for regional lines away from the electrified main routes.
- Because the railcar and driving trailer carry separate numbers, it's worth noting both data panels.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Class 814 Regionova?
The Class 814 is a multi-part diesel railcar of the Czech railway used in regional services. It wasn't built new, but rebuilt from existing Class 810 vehicles and their trailer cars. Its hallmark is the low-floor gangway section between the car halves.
Where does the name Regionova come from?
Regionova is the product name of the modernisation programme under which the rebuilds were marketed – not a nickname coined by fans. In Czechia the name is so widespread that it comes up in everyday speech more often than the plain class number 814.
How do I tell the 814 and the 810 apart?
By the structure. The Class 810 is a single-unit two-axle railcar, while the 814 is a joined-up unit made of several parts with a lowered centre section and a modernised front. If in doubt, the class number on the vehicle settles it.
What does the number 914 mean?
914 is the class of the unpowered driving trailer that's permanently part of the unit. The railcar carries 814. Both numbers together identify the set uniquely – which is why it's worth noting both data panels at a sighting.
Is there a three-part Regionova too?
Yes, alongside the basic two-part form there's a longer variant with an additional middle section, known in Czechia as the Regionova Trio. Visually the concept stays the same: the taller car halves on the outside, with the lowered section and the doors in between.
Does the Regionova also run into Germany?
The type is a Czech regional vehicle. Border regions near Saxony and Bavaria traditionally have cross-border regional services, but which vehicles are actually used there depends on the current contract and can change. Check the current situation before a photo trip.
How fast does the Class 814 run?
We deliberately won't state a specific top speed here, because it differs between build states. In practice it's a secondary concern anyway: on winding branch lines with closely spaced stops, the route profile sets the pace, not the vehicle's design.
Where are the chances of finding a Regionova best?
On non-electrified regional lines away from the big routes, especially at crossing stations and termini with turnaround time. On electrified main lines, electric multiple units dominate instead, so the hit rate there is low.
Log your sighting of the CD 814 (Regionova)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
CD 810
The ČD 810 is the classic two-axle railcar on Czech branch lines – formerly known as M 152.0. Here's how to recognise and photograph it.
DMUCD 841 (Regionova)
The Class 841 is a ČD diesel railcar for regional services. What the number means, how to tell it from the Class 814 Regionova, and what to look out for.
DMUČD Class 640 (RegioPanter Diesel)
Class 640 belongs to Škoda's Panter family. How to reliably tell electric and diesel railcars apart in the Czech Republic, and what the class number really reveals.
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