Prague, Wrocław and Tri-City on the Baltic coast will be connected by a new rail line from Dec 20242/11/2023|Press releasesThe Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic and Czech Railways signed a ten-year contract for the provision of public passenger transport services by public rail transport on the Ex 32 line Prague – Pardubice – Lichkov state border (– Poland) for the period of the 2025-2034 timetable. This agreement represents a significant step towards strengthening interstate connections and will enable the Czech capital Prague and East Bohemia to connect with the Polish cities of Wrocław, Poznan, Bydgoszcz, Gdansk and Gdynia. "We continuously seek to improve transport links between the Czech Republic and our neighbours in all modes of transport. We pay particular attention to environmentally friendly rail transport, its acceleration, increasing the capacity of lines and introducing new high-quality connections. This strategy also includes the creation of a new Czech-Polish route connecting Prague and eastern Bohemia with the western part of Poland, including such tourist destinations as Wrocław and the Baltic coast. Such a connection has been missing here for a long time. Until now, long-haul connections to Poland have only gone via Bohumín. I am convinced that this Czech-Polish cooperation will boost mutual tourism and other economic relations," says Martin Kupka, the Transport Minister of the Czech Republic. "The award of the contract for the operation of this new line to ČD proves that we are able to prepare a high-quality and attractively priced offer. On this line we will cooperate with our Polish partner PKP Intercity and together we will provide the well-known comfort of EuroCity trains such as air-conditioned carriages, internet access via the on-board Wi-Fi network or the possibility of charging electronic devices. The journey between Prague and Wrocław in Poland should take around 4 hours, which is considerably less than what it was in the past," says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of ČD. Comfort and high-quality service Trains on the Ex 32 line Prague – Pardubice – Wrocław – Gdynia will be operated by air-conditioned carriages of the EuroCity standard belonging to ČD and PKP Intercity. The trains will offer approximately 250 seats and will be equipped to transport wheelchairs, prams and bikes. Passengers will have access to a whole range of services, including internet access via the on-board Wi-Fi network and refreshments. Refreshments will initially distributed on the train but from the 2026 timetable a restaurant car or bistro car are planned, which will further increase the comfort of travel. Better accessibility and shorter travel times The journey between Prague and Wrocław should take around 4 hours on this line and about 9 hours between Prague and Gdynia. Besides Prague, stops are planned in Kolín, Pardubice, Ústí nad Orlicí, Letohrad, Jablonné nad Orlicí and Lichkov. Trains will depart four times a day from both ends of the route at four-hour intervals. The exact train routes will be subject to the 2025 timetable. The new rail line Ex 32 Prague – Pardubice – Wrocław – Gdynia represents an important step towards strengthening the interstate connection between the Czech Republic and Poland. It will offer passengers contemporary comfort, fast transport and a wide range of services. In 2009 a pair of direct fast trains Prague – Wrocław were operating via Hradec Králové, with a travel time of approximately 6.5 hours. In 2010 a train pair was operated from Orlice Pardubice to Wrocław. On the way from Prague a transfer was necessary and the fastest connection took more than 5 hours. When compared with the past, the new trains will thus offer a significantly faster and better quality connection between the Czech and Lower Silesian capitals. The journey from Prague and the Czech Republic to Gdansk on the Ex 32 line will then be about 3 hours faster than the current journey via Bohumín and Warsaw.