Sunday, 17 September, will be characterised by celebration of the Regional Railway Day in the Trutnov district. The main venue will be the Trutnov depot from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., where visitors will be able to see an exhibition of railway vehicles, including the new RegioFox and RegioPanter units. These modern trains will significantly rejuvenate the rolling stock in the Hradec Králové Region in the course of next year. The fans of historical transport will have an opportunity of taking a ride on a steam train departing from Hradec Králové in the morning to Trutnov and then during the day heading for Vrchlabí and Červený Kostelec.

“A very interesting programme is waiting for you in Trutnov. Visitors will be able to arrive there by a steam train from the Capital City of the Region and then they will have a unique opportunity to see the exhibition of railway vehicles in the Trutnov depot. The new RegioFox and RegioPanter units will not be missing among the rolling stock presented,” says Jiří Ješeta, a Member of the Board of Directors and the Deputy Director General of ČD for Passenger Transport, adding: “I am glad that we can show these new trains to the people in the Hradec Králové Region already now. A total of 33 new RegioFox train sets and seven new RegioPanter units are currently in the production process for this Region. Passengers will be able to use these trains for the first time during the next year. Thanks to the deployment of these new vehicles, travel comfort will increase by leaps and bounds.”

Visitors will see the new RegioFox unit during the Trutnov Railway Day. Source: ČD Archive.
RegioFox

“Already from next year onwards, 23 new train sets to be deployed in the Hradec Králové Region will offer passengers greater comfort and travel convenience in the form of air-conditioned carriages, Wi-Fi communication, as well as low-floor and barrier-free accessibility. The national carrier will thus invest approximately four billion crowns in the modernisation of trains in our region over the next three years,” said Martin Červíček, the Governor of the Hradec Králové Region.

Visitors will also see the new RegioPanter electric unit. Source: ČD Archive.
RegioPanter

The genuine decoration of the Regional Railway Day will be a steam train headed by the Big Bull locomotive. The train will leave the Hradec Králové Main Station at 7:33 a.m. and will arrive at the Trutnov Main Station at 9:35 a.m. The historical train set will offer two sightseeing trips during the day, namely to Vrchlabí (departure from the Trutnov Main Station at 9:55 a.m.) and to Červený Kostelec (departure from the Trutnov Main Station at 2:10 p.m.). At 4:20 p.m. it will then head back to the Capital City of the Region where it is to arrive at 6:27 p.m.

During the Regional Railway Day, a new brochure entitled “Take the Train with Us for Work and Trips” will be presented at the same time with other activities with various information about the development of the railway transport and tips for trips in the Hradec Králové Region. At the same time, an annual travel competition for valuable prizes will be launched – 10 vouchers for České dráhy services, 10 IREDO cards charged at CZK 1,500 and 20 family tickets for the entrance into the Kingdom of Railways in Prague. The competition will run until 31 August 2024.

The historical trains will be pulled by the steam locomotive Velký bejček. Source: ČD Archive.
Velký bejček

Programme in the Trutnov depot

  • Exhibition of railway vehicles,
  • Children’s garden railway,
  • Exhibition of model railway systems and model railway vehicles of the TT, HO and O sizes in cooperation with the Trutnov Railway Model Builder’s Club and the Trutnov Model Railway Club,
  • Projection of films with railway themes,
  • A ride in the driver’s cab of a small locomotive within the depot area,
  • A modified carriage for competitions and children’s plays,
  • A simulation of a collision between a train and a passenger car and a demonstration of the intervention of the children’ְs integrated rescue system,
  • Exhibition of military equipment of the Military History Club,
  • Reincars.cz – a collection of historical Škoda vehicles,
  • Concert of the music groups “Vosa” and “Bezobav”,
  • Face painting,
  • Sale of railway-themed souvenirs,
  • Shuttle service between the railway station and the depot ensured by a historical rail car (M131),
  • Extraordinary trains in the Trutnov hl. n. – Žacléř section,
  • Sale of refreshments.

Why is the Railway Day celebrated?

The Railway Day is celebrated annually during September to commemorate the famous day of 27 September 1825 when the train of George Stephenson, inventor of the steam locomotive, set out on its first journey. This train linked Stockton and Darlington in Great Britain.

Details about the event are available on the Vlakem na výlet (Train Trip) portal. Railway Day celebrations are planned in many places in the Czech Republic during September. ČD and its partners are preparing the main event on 23 September in Bohumín. Details are available on the www.denzeleznice.cz website.