RIJEKA / POWDER “We are there for five beers,” says Radio Jančura, the head of RegioJet, who, together with five hundred passengers, boarded the first train connection of his company to Rijeka, Croatia. The wheels of the Czech carrier’s set started moving at Prague’s main railway station on Tuesday with a minute delay, ie at 5 pm and 9 pm in the afternoon. The editor of the Lidovky.cz server was also on board.
“It’s great, we enjoy it, you get on in Prague, sleep in a bed compartment and wake up straight in Rijeka. And especially the price, “the couple explained for Lidovky.cz to Vondrášek why they chose the train for the trip.
It is the favorable price that attracts people to travel to Croatia by rail the most. The cheapest way to get to seaside Rijeka is 590 crowns.
That’s why RegioJet has sold 30,000 tickets in about 14 days, so the services will run daily from July 11. “It is a typical corona product,” Jančura told Lidovky.cz, according to which the project will be profitable if the occupancy of connections is maintained at at least 90 percent. Although the train was mostly full in Prague, other passengers from Brno, Bratislava, Csorna in Hungary and Ljubljana in Slovenia are gradually joining the journey.
Veils are mandatory on the train, but a 15-hour journey calls for a breach of the regulation. Even though the pandemic has still not been resolved, passengers are not worried about the disease. Some don’t even believe in her. “Coronavirus is made up, I don’t believe it exists. It just suits someone. Those people would die anyway. I’m sorry, but it’s true, “said a passenger with the accent Szilad for Lidovky.cz.
As soon as the train arrives at the Slovenian border, everyone puts on the veils at the request of the on-board radio to check the documents. The first identity check after only tens of minutes is followed by the second – already in Croatia.
For Croatia, trains with the Czech Republic are a hope, the train was also welcomed by the local Minister of Tourism. The first arrived on Wednesday morning |
The first stop where some passengers disembarked was the town of Opatija. RegioJet finally arrived in the destination Rijeka on Wednesday morning due to a delay at the border with a delay of about 75 minutes. For most holidaymakers, however, the journey is not over. Buses provided by RegioJet are already waiting for them at the station, which will take passengers to famous resorts. “We are continuing from Rijeka to Zadar,” Szilad confirmed to Lidovky.cz.
The departure of the train to the Adriatic also aroused considerable interest from journalists, who were only crowded with Prague’s main railway station upon departure. The connection from Prague was also sent by the ambassadors of Croatia and Slovenia. It was a diversification for the passengers. “It’s a whole experience, even when this is happening around,” Ina Čížková told the passengers for Lidovky.cz.
By train from Prague directly to Croatia. RegioJet is preparing a new long-distance connection, it will run at least three times a week |
According to the six-member crew, the journey itself then took place without much fuss. Although more than 1,500 beers were loaded on board for safety, passengers apparently enjoyed the trip in all honesty. “We just smoke here, we can smell smoke everywhere,” steward Petr Bezděčík tells Lidovky.cz.
Nevertheless, the entire crew is happy to return to work slowly after the coronavirus crisis. According to Jančura, the turnover of the carrier RegioJet has decreased by 80 percent compared to last year, and therefore its company will apply for help under the Covid Plus program, it wants a state-guaranteed loan. On Monday, the government decided that the aid would now also apply to transport companies for which it was not previously available.
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