RegioJet entered Polish domestic transport
posted on 19th Sep 2025 07:10
On 18 September 2025, after several years of preparation, a RegioJet train connected Kraków and Warszawa for the first time. The RJ 3104 service departed from the main station in Kraków at 08.49 h, halted at Zawiercie and then served three stations in the capital, i. e. Warszawa Zachodnia, Centralna and Wschodnia (arrival at 12.21). In the opposite direction, RJ 3105 departed at 14.33 h. The route is 348 km long.
Radim Jančura said: “We consider the first trips as the best marketing to get to know passengers in Poland. Our biggest competitor is the Polish Pendolino. From December, when we are fully operational, we will run at the same speed, for half the price and with better service on board. We would like to run between the two largest cities every two hours.”
Renata Stanislavová, CEO of RegioJet, adds: "The arrival of a new operator will be beneficial for passengers and employees. The Polish market is very closed, so we are the first major competition for PKP IC - we will run between Kraków and Warszawa from 49 zlotys. We are also trying to recruit new train drivers and other railway experts and offer them an appropriate salary, which is significantly higher than at PKP."
Just like in the Czech Republic, yellow trains offer four classes - Business, Relax, Standard and Low Cost. Passengers can have coffee drinks for free or buy a cheesecake, poppy seed or apple cake for two zlotys. The menu also offers several new items, including, for example, typically Polish gołąbki - cabbage rolls filled with a mixture of minced meat and rice.
Several dozen people used the first ever RJ 3104 service, the rake had eight cars (3x Low Cost, 3x Standard, 1x Relax, 1x Business/Relax). The TRAXX 388.224 was at the front; it is the only one present in Poland for these domestic trains so far (if necessary, vehicle exchanges can be made using RJ Praha - Przemyśl night trains). For now, the new pair of RJ 3104/3105 trains will run. In the future RegioJet is preparing for other lines, such as Warszawa - Gdańsk - Gdynia and Poznań - Warszawa, but also for the international connection Praha - Warszawa and Wien - Warszawa.