Czech railways see 4% rise in passenger numbers in first half of 2024

Czech train carriers transported 92.1 million passengers in the first half of 2024, a nearly four percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Transport. The figures were published by the Czech Statistical Office. Of this total, the national carrier, Czech Railways (ČD), handled 81.6 million passengers, marking a 3.2 percent year-on-year rise, according to ČD spokesman Filip Medelský.

The growth in passenger numbers is largely attributed to the introduction of new trains, which have boosted capacity and improved service quality. However, the first-half figures remain about five percent below pre-pandemic levels, as trains carried nearly 97.1 million passengers in the first half of 2019. In the second quarter of 2024, 47.8 million passengers used the railways, up four percent from the previous year.

In terms of passenger transport distance—measured by the total kilometers traveled by all passengers—rail carriers logged 5.17 billion kilometers in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of nearly 13 percent. This figure is just 1.3 percent lower than the distance covered in 2019. Czech Railways alone accounted for 3.91 billion kilometers, an 8.5 percent rise compared to the previous year.

Czech Railways reported particularly strong growth on international routes, including the Berliner and Vindobona lines, which connect Prague with Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, and Hamburg. On domestic routes, demand has been highest on lines featuring newly deployed trains. “With the ongoing delivery of new vehicles this autumn, including regional RegioFoxy and RegioPanter trains and long-distance ComfortJets, we expect continued growth in customer numbers,” said Medelský.

Private operators such as RegioJet and Arriva are also benefiting from increased passenger demand. RegioJet plans to expand its fleet this autumn with six new TRAXX MS3 locomotives, with another seven arriving next year. Arriva, according to spokesman Jan Holub, is seeing growth on routes where its trains compete effectively with car travel in terms of speed and service quality.

Despite growing leisure travel demand, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shape commuter habits, with more people working from home or using video conferencing. Medelský noted a slight increase in the average travel distance, which rose by 2.4 kilometers to 48 kilometers.

In 2023, Czech rail carriers transported 184.6 million passengers, nearly ten percent more than in 2022, reaching 95 percent of the passenger numbers recorded before the pandemic in 2019.

Source: ČD and CTK