Train Capacity on Bratislava-Komarno Route to Start Rising as of Feb 18

Bratislava, February 12 (TASR) - The capacity of trains operated by private carrier RegioJet on the route between Bratislava and Komarno (Nitra region) will start increasing gradually as of Monday, February 18, said Transport and Construction Minister Arpad Ersek (Most-Hid) after travelling on the train on Tuesday morning in order to monitor the current situation. The move is a result of talks between the ministry and the private carrier. The two sides also agreed on the next steps aimed at introducing double-decker railway carriages on this route. "To be specific, we're talking about boosting capacity by 100 seats on average on the busiest trains. The main thing is that we've achieved the result we promised, and we'll continue in our efforts to provide comfortable and safe travel to passengers," said Ersek. In line with the agreement with the ministry, RegioJet will replace an intermediate-speed train with a fast one from Komarno (or Dunajska Streda) to Bratislava every morning. It will boost the capacity of slow trains at peak times as well. According to Ersek, double-deckers will be gradually introduced on the route as part of the next stage as soon as an agreement on their purchase from Germany is signed and a licence for operating them in Slovakia is acquired. These trains should be introduced at the turn of May and June. The two sides thus managed to find a way of gradually allowing an increase of 100-150 seats on the busiest trains. RegioJet spokesman Ales Ondruj said that the carrier tried to find a way of quickly increasing the capacity of trains at peak times. "The Bratislava-Komarno route is unique in Europe in terms of growth in the number of passengers, and rail traffic on this route is already, despite significant capacity limits, comparable with those of city rail lines such as the S-Bahn in Germany and Austria," stated Ondruj. The number of passengers travelling on the Bratislava-Komarno route has almost doubled over the past five years. In 2018 alone, passenger numbers rose by one million year-on-year. However, the route is complicated by the fact that it's on a single-track line. ko/df