Czechia braces for new hikes in train ticket prices across country

The Ministry of Finance in the Czech Republic has given the green light for further price hikes in railway tickets, which will burden commuters and travelers in the coming months and in 2024. This decision comes on the heels of significant ticket price increases that occurred between the end of the previous year and the beginning of this year, amounting to around 15 percent.

The most recent rise, amounting to 9.5 percent, doesn't necessarily mean that ticket prices will surge for all rail carriers, according to iDnes. However, it will have an impact on the cost of the "One Ticket," a single-ticket option that allows passengers on multi-carrier routes to travel without the need to select a specific train.

Jana Jandová, a spokesperson for Cedis, the company responsible for administering the unified ticket system, said that the price of a one-time ticket on the route from Prague’s main train station to Ostrava will increase from CZK 631 to CZK 691, whereas the price of the same type of ticket from Prague to Brno will increase from CZK 456 to CZK 499. This adjustment follows a straightforward mechanism agreed upon in an inter-ministerial agreement, indexing price changes to June's inflation rate, as determined by the Czech Statistical Office.

Nevertheless, the effects of June's inflation are not limited to uniform tickets alone. Prices for Czech Railways travel documents also align with the ministry's pricing framework. 

Competitor RegioJet also increased prices, albeit with a delay, citing the need to offset rising energy costs. According to RegioJet spokesperson Alexandra Janoušek Kostřicová, the company increased prices by 15 percent at the start of 2023 "to cover the double increase in energy prices. Traction energy accounts for roughly 30 percent of our costs. We are not planning any further changes."

Arriva, another major domestic railway carrier, has yet to decide how it will manage the increased costs. Arriva CEO Daniel Adamka said it was too early to speak about that, adding "the price of diesel is rising, but we haven't discussed the new price lists yet."

The ministry's decision will also result in an increase in the price of an annual pass for the entire domestic network, pushing the cost from CZK 28,728 this year to CZK 31,457 in 2024. Despite the rise in fares, Miroslav Vyka, president of the Association of Passengers in Public Transport, believes it's a better option than cutting connections to maintain the same costs. 

The fare increase will also impact the state and regions when they order public transport, as they cover the difference between operating costs and the actual ticket prices paid by passengers to the carriers.

In addition to railway fares, ticket prices have also risen in other forms of public transport, placing additional financial strain on travelers and commuters in the Czech Republic. Regions like Zlín and the Central Bohemian Region have witnessed fare increases, partly driven by the escalating costs of fuel and transportation.