Czech railway companies are urging passengers to book their tickets now for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays. Demand for train journeys is extremely high, and according to České dráhy (Czech Railways), some trains have only a few seats left. To cope with the surge, Czech Railways are adding extra trains, particularly on the route between Prague and the east of the country. RegioJet has also increased its capacity.
“On some days, there are only a few seats left. We recommend not delaying the reservation of tickets for the period before Christmas. If some trains are already fully booked, passengers should consider choosing another train outside peak times. For shorter distances, regional services are often a better choice compared to long-distance trains,” said Filip Medelský, spokesperson for Czech Railways, to the news channel ČT24. He also warns that passengers without reservations may find themselves on overcrowded trains.
Rail companies RegioJet and České dráhy agree that during the Christmas holidays and New Year period, connections between Prague and regional cities such as Brno, Ostrava, Olomouc, and Plzeň are particularly in high demand. Trains continuing to Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, and Košice are also very popular. To meet the increased demand, the transport companies are strengthening their services on these routes.
In addition, more carriages are being added to further routes in the run-up to Christmas, including services from Prague to České Budějovice, Plzeň, and Cheb. Alexandra Janoušek Kostřicová, spokesperson for RegioJet, explains: “By deploying modernised carriages and expanding capacity during the Christmas period, we have increased the number of seats by up to sixty percent compared to last year.”
Therefore, early planning and booking of tickets is recommended for all travellers to ensure a stress-free journey for the festive season.
