The train's name, Porta Bohemica [de] (Czech: Brána Čech; German: Böhmische Pforte), is the Latin word for the point where the Elbe river begins its passage through the České Středohoří (Central Bohemian Uplands or Bohemian Central Uplands).
From 1993 to 2003, a predecessor train of the same name ran between Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and a number of different termini in northern Germany.
[2] Initially, the Porta Bohemica ran between Praha-Holešovice in Prague and Hamburg-Altona in Hamburg.
On 14 December 2003, all of the EuroCity trains running through the Elbe valley lost their names.
A German second class open coach Bpmbdz294 offers wheelchair space and bicycle transportation.