"New Train Acquisitions in Focus," Says Jančura as RegioJet Secures Record Public Contract

RegioJet, the largest private railway operator in Central Europe, has announced its triumph in the biggest public procurement in Czech railway history.

This contract, amounting to 3.3 million km per year, involves taking over operations on electric lines in the Ústí nad Labem region. The operations are scheduled to commence in December 2026 and the contract spans 15 years.

RegioJet submitted the most economically advantageous bid, offering a price of CZK 212.5 per kilometre, substantially lower than the initial estimate of CZK 280 per kilometre. This competitive bid was a key factor in securing the contract, outperforming incumbent carriers České dráhy and Arriva.

Radim Jančura, owner of RegioJet, remarked on the contract victory, "RegioJet aspires to become the leading carrier within a decade. From December, the practice of awarding contracts without a tender, in accordance with European legislation, will cease. Consequently, over the next ten years, all rail services, predominantly held by ČD through direct procurement, will have to be competitively tendered again. RegioJet currently holds a 10% market share and aims to increase by up to 5% annually. This successful tender, which saved the Ústí nad Labem Region CZK 3.5 billion compared to initial projections, aligns with our strategy."

Jančura adds, "Initially, we mainly purchased older trains due to financial constraints, but from this year, our focus has shifted exclusively to acquiring new trains. Every beginning is challenging, and for us, opting for older carriages was the most economically viable approach to ensure a successful start."

For RegioJet, this order marks a significant achievement, being the company's second major contract in the Ústí nad Labem region. RegioJet already operates several electric trains there, including services from Ústí nad Labem to Děčín and from Ústí nad Labem to Most. This year, the company also secured a contract to operate trains on the R9 line from Prague to Brno. This route will be serviced by modern low-floor units capable of 200 km/h, suitable for parts of high-speed lines.

Though the tender conditions did not mandate new trains, RegioJet will deploy 23 new PESA Elf.eu low-floor units meeting all technical standards, including a minimum speed of 160 km/h, ETCS equipment, and the ability to connect up to three units simultaneously. These advanced units will provide passengers with top-tier amenities, such as air conditioning, wi-fi, USB sockets, 230V outlets, a first-class compartment, a quiet compartment, and most seats arranged face-to-face (at least 70%).

The competition included the following lines:

• U1 Děčín – Ústí nad Labem – Most – Kadaň
• U2 Chomutov – Karlovy Vary U3 (Děčín -) Ústí nad Labem – Litvínov
• U32 Ústí nad Labem – Lysá nad Labem
• U51 Ústí nad Labem – Klášterec nad Ohří
• U54 (Děčín -) Ústí nad Labem – Roudnice nad Labem (- Hněvice)