České dráhy have been modernising at a record pace. New trains are coming in 202514/1/2025|Press releasesČeské dráhy put a total of 144 brand new electric, motor and non-traction train units and electric locomotives worth almost CZK 19 billion on the rails last year. 2024 was a record year for fleet modernisation. The rapid pace of train renewal and improvement of on-board services will continue this year. České dráhy will introduce more ComfortJet long-distance trains already in the final nine-car configuration with a new-generation driving and restaurant car. The first Vectron locomotives, capable of speeds of up to 230 km/h, will arrive at the end of the year. The internet on board the trains will also be improved thanks to the installation of mobile signal repeaters and laser window treatment. In the spring ČD will start testing the use of the Starlink high-speed internet from Space X. "ČD has seen record-breaking, successful year, marked by a significant increase in the quality of the transport provided, both on long-distance lines and on regional lines, where we managed to deploy dozens of new RegioPanter electric trains and RegioFox motor trains. This has improved the travel comfort for hundreds of thousands of people going to work, school, etc. There is even more good news: even with these record investments, the ČD management has been successful in keeping operations in profit," says transport minister Martin Kupka. "In 2024 we launched a total of eight two-car electric RegioPanter trains, 46 three-car RegioPanter trains and 56 RegioFox motor units in ČD colours, and as the first domestic railway carrier we started operating battery-driven trains in trial operation. In long-distance transport we took over 8 state-of-the-art ComfortJet long-distance trains and 22 Siemens Vectron locomotives. There are now 22,000 seats in modern, barrier-free trains with air-conditioning, electric sockets and Wi-Fi and all the standards that belong to rail travel in the 21st century," says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of ČD, and continues: "We will continue with the modernisation of our trains this year. At the beginning of this year, the average age of traction vehicles and units in the ČD fleet dropped to 17 years. We also see that where we have deployed new trains, the number of passengers has increased. Modernisation is therefore the right way to increase the attractiveness of rail transport." ČD will dispatch approximately 2.4 million connections covering approximately 119 million kilometres as part of the annual timetable. The average daily number of trains is 6 605. Thanks to train modernisations, 439 wheelchair-accessible connections, 798 connections with on-board Wi-Fi and 1,430 trains with electric sockets have been added on the year-on-year basis. 2025 – the year of long-distance transport and further investment in service facilities The year 2025 will be remembered for further improvements in comfort and quality in long-distance transport. By the end of this year, ČD will be operating 14 of the 20 train sets ordered. "During the year we will start reconfiguring ComfortJet trains into nine-car train sets and will deploy them on services from Prague to Brno and further to Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. As a result, we will move modern EC/IC cars to other domestic routes. At the end of the year we will put into operation the first of 50 new Siemens Vectron locomotives specially adapted for the speed of 230 km/h," Krapinec outlines further plans for long-distance transport. More than two dozen more RegioFox motor units will then take to the regional routes. Investments in the modern service facilities will also continue. Construction of new repair halls in Cheb and Havlíčkův Brod, which started last year, will extend to the construction of a new service hall in the depot in České Budějovice and the reconstruction of the service facilities in Olomouc. Testing of Starlink high-speed internet and more news in the My Train app Passengers can look forward to a significant improvement in the quality of voice and data services on long-distance trains. "We have started installing 5G mobile signal repeaters in Pendolino, Railjet and InterPanter trains. I believe that in the near future we will also be able to find a contractor for laser window modification for easier passage of mobile signal to more than 200 railway vehicles. And we will definitely not stop there," emphasises CEO Michal Krapinec: "In the spring we will begin testing Space X's Starlink satellite internet in one of our InterPanter units. A prototype Starlink antenna for use in trains should arrive in the Czech Republic from the United States in the second half of January. České dráhy will be one of the first users worldwide to test this technology. This is evidence that we want to provide the best service on our trains." České dráhy is also planning further innovations within its popular My Train mobile app. In addition to the modernisation of the user interface, the linking of regional transport systems and public transport into the app with the possibility of direct ticket purchase will continue. The app will now also include a travel guide function that will display the information users need to see for their trip. The user interface will be very user friendly.