PKP Intercity responds to RegioJet: We operate transparently and in accordance with the law

PKP Intercity operates transparently, in compliance with ethical standards and applicable regulations, the carrier's press office told PAP on Monday in response to questions regarding RegioJet's allegations. The Czech carrier claims it is being discriminated against on the Polish market.

"PKP Intercity, as a State Treasury company, conducts its operations in a fully transparent manner and in accordance with the highest ethical standards and applicable legal regulations," the carrier's press office told PAP in response to questions about the allegations made by the Czech company RegioJet.

“Due to the activities conducted by the competent authorities, the company does not provide additional comments on this matter,” it added.

On Monday, the Czech company RegioJet announced in a press release that it is being treated unequally on the Polish passenger rail transport market by various companies associated with PKP SA. The company announced that it is preparing a complaint to the Office of Rail Transport and an application to the European Commission.

RegioJet is complaining about violations of fair competition principles, including discrimination in the allocation of timetables by PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A., which manages the infrastructure. As evidence, the Czech trains' average journey times on the Krakow-Warsaw route are reportedly 8-9 minutes longer than those of the Polish carrier, and one pair of them is also required to run a detour through Zawiercie.

“The situation was even worse in the case of the Prague – Warsaw connection via Katowice station, where the routing process was not even initiated in accordance with RegioJet’s order, while the incumbent state carrier had its commercial trains routed through the renovated Katowice station,” said Radim Janczura, owner of RegioJet.

As an example of discrimination, the Czech carrier also cited the denial of access to advertising space at stations managed by PKP SA and entities managing such space. "These entities refused to allow RegioJet to purchase advertising, arguing that RegioJet is in direct competition with PKP Intercity, which also operates passenger services," the press release stated. The situation reportedly improved after the matter was exposed by the media.

RegioJet also stated that it was encountering difficulties due to the lack of full passenger information in the search engine on the website www.pkp.pl belonging to the station manager.

The Czech carrier also pointed to threats of disciplinary dismissal addressed to employees of the Polish carrier in the event of their cooperation and provision of services to RegioJet.

According to reports from the WP portal, PKP Intercity alerted the authorities last week after the company's CEO received "disturbing" messages from the owner of rival RegioJet. The matter was referred to the Internal Security Agency. RegioJet assured WP that it had nothing to reproach itself with and confirmed that Janczura had sent informal messages to the PKP Intercity CEO via WhatsApp.

The founder, owner, and managing director of RegioJet is Radim Janczura. In 2011, the company's yellow trains first rolled out onto Czech tracks. Janczura openly declared his desire to dismantle the state transport monopoly. He competed in tenders for long-distance and local connections, and entered the Slovak, Hungarian, Austrian, and German markets.

At the end of 2024, the Polish Office of Rail Transport granted Janczury a license to operate commercial rail connections. RegioJet has permits to operate routes including Gdynia-Kraków, Kraków-Warsaw, Warsaw-Gdynia, Warsaw-Przemyśl, Przemyśl-Hanover, Warsaw-Vienna, and seasonal connections to Rijeka and Split in Croatia.

Currently, yellow trains operate only on one national route in Poland – between Krakow and Warsaw. A connection is also available from Prague to Przemyśl and Krakow. (PAP)

mbl/ as above/