Ukrzaliznytsia has signed a contract with the Czech railway operator RegioJet to begin operating services on the Chop-Prague route starting from March, announced Ukrzaliznytsia's CEO Yevhen Kravtsov in an exclusive comment to Interfax-Ukraine.
"We have already concluded a contract with RegioJet, and the final technical issues are currently being resolved. We expect the Chop-Prague train to start running in March," said the head of Ukrzaliznytsia.
Earlier, RegioJet announced that it had completed preparations to launch the Chop-Kosice-Prague route.
It was previously reported that another train from Prague to Ukraine with a new route Prague-Kosice-Chop is planned to be launched soon. All necessary permits from the railway administrations of the Czech Republic and Slovakia have been obtained. The company stated earlier this week that the launch dates of the train depend on Ukrzaliznytsia.
In December, at the final meeting of the Ministry of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure with diplomatic missions and the public, Ukrzaliznytsia's CEO Yevhen Kravtsov expressed hope that the Chop-Prague train in partnership with the Czech company RegioJet could be launched by the end of this year. However, negotiations with the company encountered difficulties.
Previously, Ukrzaliznytsia announced the launch of a train from Chop to Prague in partnership with RegioJet from mid-November.
The owner of RegioJet, Radim JanÄura, informed Interfax-Ukraine in an interview that the Chop-Prague route will have three carriages with 140 seats, including 80 beds and 60 seats in sitting carriages.
The ticket price is expected to be around EUR 25, which will include free water, coffee, and Wi-Fi access. The travel time will be 13 hours and 30 minutes, including passport control at the Slovak border. The carriages from Chop will be part of the Prague-Kosice train, which consists of 18 carriages. Passengers will be provided with breakfast and dinner.
JanÄura clarified that RegioJet will receive revenue from transportation but will pay Ukrzaliznytsia for access to infrastructure.
