Reports in the Czech press suggest that the planned launch of new direct rail services between Praha and København has been postponed, with passengers now being offered refunds.
According to the reports, the new through trains, which had been due to start operating on May 1, will not run as scheduled. Czech national operator České dráhy (ČD) has blamed delays to infrastructure works in Germany, specifically on the heavily used corridor between Berlin and Hamburg. The modernisation scheme there has overrun, preventing the new international services from being introduced as planned.
ČD has begun contacting customers who had already purchased tickets for the new route, advising them of the delay and outlining their options. Passengers may either retain their tickets for alternative connecting services or request a full refund. Ticket sales for the affected trains have been temporarily suspended, with services now provisionally expected to begin in mid-June, although this date has yet to be confirmed.
The German infrastructure manager, DB InfraGO, is understood to have informed operators that works will not be completed by the original April 30 deadline. Further clarification is anticipated in March.
The Praha–København route was intended to operate up to three times daily, offering a journey time of around eleven hours and restoring a direct rail link between Czechia and Denmark for the first time in many years.
