"Baltic Expresses" on start

With the first new timetable season, ČD and PKP Intercity launched the operation of the new international service on 878 km long Praha - Pardubice - Wrocław - Poznań - Bydgoszcz - Gdańsk - Gdynia route. There are daily four pairs of trains called „Baltic express“ (thereof one overnight), operated in the Czech Republic in the EC category and in Poland in the IC category. In the Czech Republic, the rakes are standardly made up of four cars, including one first class car, with refreshments in the form of an on-board minibar. Another seven cars, including a dining car (eight cars for night services and without a dining car), are added by PKP IC for the Wrocław - Gdynia section.

The trains are hauled along the entire route by PKP IC locomotives, with a changeover in Wrocław. On the Wrocław - Praha section, they are covered by three days out of a five-day diagram in which PKP IC is deploying all five Vectrons, which it rents from CARGOUNIT on the basis of newly concluded contracts for the rent of 3 + 2 locomotives for a period of 36 months. These are 5 370 073 - 076 and 092, three of which, 5 370 075, 076 and 092, were provided with special vinyls promoting the new sevice including the inscriptions (in Polish) „Sea to Bohemia", the others are in the standard black color of the pool.

The departure of the second Gdynia-bound service, EC 262 on 15 December, was accompanied by a ceremonial launch at Praha, attended by (captured in the third picture, from left to right) Michal Krapinec (CEO of ČD), Martin Kupka (Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic), Jacek Gajewski (Chargé d’affaires a. i. of the Republic of Poland in the Czech Republic), František Reismüller (Director of the CzechTourism agency) and Zbigniew Czendlik (a Roman Catholic priest of Polish nationality living and serving in the Czech Republic), who took charge of the christening of the new service.

These new trains were essentially created by extending the existing domestic IC Wrocław - Gdynia services. Now, not only a quality connection between the Czech Republic and areas of Poland that were not previously served has been created, but the electrified international line via Lichkov - Międzylesie has seen greater use at least.

CARGOUNIT is the largest locomotive lessor in Eastern Europe, with more than 200 locomotives, of which more than 100 are electric. Among other things, it has so far firmly ordered 66 Vectrons and 18 Smartrons. It has received 27 Vectrons so far, and the five just mentioned are the most recently delivered examples. PKP IC is currently also renting Vectrons from the BRLL - Beacon Rail Leasing and LokoTrain pools.