By KYIV. Nov 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Chop-Prague train of the Czech railway company RegioJet in Ukraine will include three carriages with a capacity of 140 seats, the owner of the railway company Radim Jančura said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“At the first stage, we plan three carriages with a capacity of 140 seats, of which 80 seats in sleeping cars, 60 seats in carriages with seats. A limitation now may be the possibility of customs clearance in Slovakia. We will gradually increase the supply of seats,” Jančura said.
According to him, the ticket price will be about EUR 25.
Travel time will be 13 hours 30 minutes, including passport control at the Slovak border.
The carriages from Chop will travel as part of the Prague-Kosice train, which consists of 18 carriages.
“Passengers will spend most of the time sleeping. They will be provided with breakfast and dinner on the train. Also, passengers will receive free water and coffee, and will have access to Wi-Fi, which is included in the ticket price,” Jančura said.
The owner of RegioJet did not name the exact launch date of the flight, specifying that tickets will go on sale three weeks before the start of its operation.
The launch date of the train now depends on the decisions of Ukrzaliznytsia.
“It is not yet known [regarding the date of the train’s first flight]. RegioJet is ready at any time and I believe that the trains will depart this year,” Jančura said.
He said that RegioJet will receive revenue from transportation, but will pay Ukrazaliznytsia a fee for access to the infrastructure.
Earlier, Board Chairman of Ukrzaliznytsia Yevhen Liaschenko in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, said that RegioJet will operate the Chop-Prague route in Ukraine from November. According to him, the Polish company SKPL, which operates the Rava-Ruska-Warsaw route, is paid by Ukrzaliznytsia, which in turn receives funds from ticket sales. With RegioJet, he said, the revenue distribution model is still being discussed.
Founded in March 2009, RegioJet a.s. is the largest private rail operator in Central and Eastern Europe and the second largest bus operator on domestic (between European cities) and international routes after Flixbus. The company has been providing rail transportation since 2011. From January to September, RegioJet carried 8.4 million passengers on buses and trains.
From March 1, 2022, RegioJet operates Prague – Krakow – Przemysl trains, where there is a transfer to the Ukrzaliznytsia train to Kyiv. Up to 30,000 passengers travel on this route every month; occupancy rate, according to the company, is 95%.
