Just four months after launching its first domestic trains in Poland, open-access challenger RegioJet announced on 13 April that it will terminate both services by 3 May 2026. The company says infrastructure manager PKP PLK and incumbent PKP Intercity imposed pathing priorities and station fees that made commercial operation impossible. The withdrawal affects the Warsaw–Łódź and Kraków–Gdynia routes, which business travellers had welcomed as a lower-cost, higher-frequency alternative to state-run services. Around 8,000 advance tickets will be refunded, and RegioJet has offered displaced staff transfers to its Czech and Slovak networks. Railway analysts say the exit will cool hopes that EU open-access rules alone can break PKP Intercity’s dominance. For corporate mobility planners the immediate issue is itinerary disruption: travellers holding RegioJet PNRs for May meetings will need to rebook on PKP Intercity or FlixTrain, often at higher last-minute fares. The episode may also temper investor enthusiasm for Poland’s planned high-speed rail spine, part of the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) mega-project. “If a well-capitalised operator like RegioJet cannot get fair paths today, smaller entrants will think twice about bidding for tomorrow’s concessions,” noted Jakub Majewski of the ProKolej foundation. PKP Intercity rejected the accusations, insisting that it allocates capacity in line with EU Regulation 913/2010. The regulator UTK has opened an inquiry but says any findings will come only after the services have already ceased.
Source: International Railway Journal
