RegioJet, a private Czech railway company, has announced its intention to establish two direct train routes from Ukraine to Germany, the company’s founder, Radim Jančura, revealed during an interview with Forbes Ukraine on June 3.
Scheduled to begin in 2024, the company plans to offer direct journeys from Kyiv to both Berlin and Hanover.
“In 2024, we plan to partner with Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukraine’s railway operator) to launch routes from Kyiv to Berlin, as well as Kyiv to Hanover via Leipzig and Dresden,” he explained.
“We have high expectations for this project, considering the significant number of Ukrainians traveling to Germany compared to the Czech Republic.”
It is worth noting that an earlier Kyiv-Berlin train service operated until 2012. However, the German railway imposed commercial conditions at that time, leading to increased travel costs through German territory, making the route unprofitable.
Currently, the RegioJet train operates to Przemyśl, Poland, where passengers transfer to a Ukrzaliznytsia train. Daily ridership ranges from 300 to 500 passengers.
This year, RegioJet plans to add another train, aiming to increase ridership to 800 passengers per day. The company also intends to launch a new route from Prague to Chop and gain permission for their trains to access the Mostyska-2 station in Lviv Oblast.
RegioJet has further plans to electrify the Chop-Mukachevo section, construct a passenger platform, and build a pedestrian bridge at the Mostyska-2 station.
Currently, the Ukrainian market represents approximately 1% of the company’s operations. If the war concludes and civilian aviation resumes, the company expects a decrease in demand from residents of major cities, but an increase in travel from men allowed to travel abroad.
As previously reported, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to establish a new company by the end of the year to enter the markets of the European Union.