New Ex41 “Slovan” Rail Service Connects Prague Even Faster with the Zlín Region
The new long-distance service will offer additional connections between Prague, Otrokovice, Břeclav and Bratislava from mid-June
Foto: České dráhy
The Zlín Region is set to benefit from improved long-distance rail connections to Prague and Bratislava. Passengers will also benefit from selected connections in Břeclav, allowing convenient onward travel to and from Austria.
Czech Railways (České dráhy) will expand its services on the Ex41 long-distance route between Prague and Bratislava from mid-June. The service will operate under the name “Slovan” and is intended to provide faster and more comfortable connections to the Czech capital, particularly for travellers from the Zlín Region.
As part of the regular timetable change on 14 June 2026, services on the Prague – Olomouc – Otrokovice – Břeclav – Bratislava route will be expanded. The first additional services will begin operating on Thursday, 18 June 2026.
The introduction of the “Slovan” brand forms part of České dráhy’s long-term development strategy for this route and builds on the EuroCity services EC 298 and EC 299 introduced in December 2025.
Foto: České dráhy
A key advantage of the new connection is the shorter journey time. Travel between Prague and Otrokovice will take just 2 hours and 45 minutes. This makes the service around 25 minutes faster than the existing Slovácký expres. The additional trains will operate from Thursday to Monday.
As part of the changes, the departure time of the existing EuroCity service EC 298 from Bratislava will also be adjusted. It will operate approximately three hours later than at present.
The Ex41 route is primarily aimed at passengers travelling between Prague, Otrokovice, Zlín and Bratislava. In Břeclav, selected services will also offer connections to Railjet trains to and from Austria.
A compulsory seat reservation will be introduced for all journeys on the Prague – Břeclav and Prague – Kúty sections of the route. Onboard refreshments will be provided by the ČD Minibar service between Prague and Břeclav.
Tickets for the new service are already available through all České dráhy sales channels.
