České dráhy to launch a new night service from Prague to the border with Ukraine

From 14 December, České dráhy is extending its offer of night trains with a new line from Prague to Przemyśl in Poland. The couchette carriage and second class seating carriage will run daily as part of the EN 443 Slovakia which departs from Prague at 22:16 and arrives in Przemyśl the following day at 10:10. The new overnight train will offer an improved standard of service in a couchette carriage and expand travel options to the Polish-Ukrainian border. In addition, the new timetable will also improve the journey times on the current night service to Warsaw.

The new train service will run in both directions at attractive night times. The couchette car will leave Prague under the number EN 50443 and return to Prague as EN 50417. In the direction from Prague, the train will depart at 22:16, offering a comfortable morning arrival to Krakow, Rzeszów and at 10:11 also to the transfer junction Przemyśl. In the opposite direction, it will leave Przemyśl at 17:51 and arrive in Prague the following day at 7:46. In both directions, ČD night trains are synchronised with trains of Ukrainian Railways to/from Lviv, Kyiv and Kharkiv. Changeover times are set to take into account the necessary border procedures.

The new train service will run in both directions at attractive night times. The couchette car will leave Prague under the number EN 50443 and return to Prague as EN 50417. In the direction from Prague, the train will depart at 22:16, offering a comfortable morning arrival to Krakow, Rzeszów and at 10:11 also to the transfer junction Przemyśl. In the opposite direction, it will leave Przemyśl at 17:51 and arrive in Prague the following day at 7:46. In both directions, ČD night trains are synchronised with trains of Ukrainian Railways to/from Lviv, Kyiv and Kharkiv. Changeover times are set to take into account the necessary border procedures.

“With the launch of direct overnight connections to south-eastern Poland and to the border with Ukraine, we are responding to the growing demand for comfortable overnight travel to this region. In cooperation with the Ukrainian national carrier, we will offer passengers a journey to the Ukrainian hinterland with a single change," says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of České dráhy, and adds: “Night trains have recently experienced a renaissance in Europe, and ČD is successfully responding to this trend. We plan to further develop these services towards regions where we feel a strong demand for train travel, which undoubtedly includes Poland and Ukraine.” 

Couchette carriage with new services

The new direct connection will be provided by a second-class compartment carriage and a modernised air-conditioned ČD Bcmz 834 series couchette carriage with eight compartments in variants for 4 and 6 passengers. Passengers can also use the option to purchase an entire compartment – as a Single, Double or Triple – or book an all-female compartment exclusively for women.

The couchette car on the new line will offer a pilot form of extended service in ČD couchette cars: A small breakfast including water and a hot drink is included in the couchette surcharge, a blanket and pillow are provided and a guide is available throughout the journey to ensure safety and peace of mind at night. Of course, there is also complementary sale of snacks and drinks on board.

Better overnight connection from Prague to Warsaw

The existing night connection between Prague and the Polish capital Warsaw will also be improved. Starting from the new timetable, the couchette train will take a shorter route and will arrive in Warsaw at 08:00 sharp, i.e. more than an hour earlier than before.

In the 2026 timetable, ČD and its partners will operate 9 year-round night routes and 2 seasonal routes. Five routes will be served by sleeper and couchette cars. On the Prague – Poprad-Tatry / Košice / Humenné routes, there will also be the traditional motorail. In the Czech Republic, night trains serve more than two dozen locations and offer year-round travel to more than 60 destinations in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

An overview of night connections, including new connections to Ukraine, can be found on these web pages.