Czech Carrier RegioJet Announces Sudden Exit from Polish Domestic Rail Market

Czech private rail operator RegioJet announced on Thursday that it will terminate all domestic rail connections in Poland on May 3, 2026, citing infrastructure blocking, sales restrictions, and predatory pricing by state-owned PKP Intercity as the reasons for its exit. The carrier confirmed that the Gdynia – Warsaw – Kraków and Poznań – Warsaw routes will cease operations on that date. International connections linking Przemyśl – Kraków – Prague and Warsaw – Prague will continue to run. RegioJet founder and sole owner Radim Jančura expressed regret over the decision and apologized to passengers. The company stated it remains open to returning to the Polish market if conditions improve.

Jančura warns company's future was at stake Radim Jančura, who founded RegioJet at the age of 23 and remains its sole owner and managing director of parent company Student Agency, framed the withdrawal as a matter of protecting the broader business. „I cannot continue to jeopardize the future of the company I founded at the age of 23. I believe that under more favorable conditions, we will be able to provide our services in Poland again” — Radim Jančura via forsal.pl RegioJet's statement accused PKP Intercity of being a de facto monopoly, noting that roughly 90 (percent) — share of PKP Intercity connections that are subsidized of the state carrier's connections receive government subsidies, while RegioJet operated without any public funding. The company also alleged that no agreement was reached on compensation for statutory social discounts, which RegioJet said it financed from its own resources for several months. RegioJet further claimed that a negative media campaign was conducted against it and became entangled in a political dispute, though the company said it chose not to comment on that aspect at the time. The carrier stated that the current situation, including what it described as infrastructure blocking and predatory pricing, threatened the economic stability of the RegioJet group in the Czech Republic as a whole.

Passengers get refunds and 100 PLN apology payment Passengers who purchased tickets for travel after May 3 will be notified of the cancellations by SMS or email on Thursday. Full refunds will be processed no later than Wednesday, April 15, using the same payment method originally used to buy the ticket. In addition, passengers will be able to submit a claim through a form on the carrier's website to receive 100 (PLN) — compensation offered to affected passengers per ticket in compensation. RegioJet described this amount as intended to cover potentially higher ticket prices on PKP Intercity trains. The company framed the compensation as an apology to passengers caught by the abrupt market exit.

A market debut that lasted only months RegioJet entered the Polish domestic rail market in December 2025, initially launching on the Kraków – Warsaw route with a single pair of daily connections before gradually expanding to include Warsaw – Poznań and Gdynia – Warsaw – Kraków. The company had already been operating the international Przemyśl – Kraków – Prague route before the domestic expansion began. RegioJet describes itself as the largest private rail carrier in Central Europe and the second-largest bus carrier in the region. The domestic operation in Poland lasted only a few months before the withdrawal announcement. RegioJet's entry had generated significant public interest, with many passengers hoping that competition would pressure PKP Intercity on both price and service quality. The carrier's statement acknowledged that its arrival did not reduce PKP Intercity's transport capacity, pushing back against any suggestion that it had disrupted the market. RegioJet said it would be ready to return to Poland once the market offers fair and transparent conditions for all carriers. The company did not provide a timeline for any potential re-entry.

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