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Poland provides popular rail services

Posted: 6 June 2007 | | No comments yet

PKP Intercity is a commercial partnership which was established in 2001 as a result of the Polish National Railways restructuring programme. PKP Intercity owns the fastest, most comfortable and modern railways in Poland and our trains connect big city centres and popular holiday resorts. As of 2006, PKP Intercity offers the following train categories for […]

PKP Intercity is a commercial partnership which was established in 2001 as a result of the Polish National Railways restructuring programme. PKP Intercity owns the fastest, most comfortable and modern railways in Poland and our trains connect big city centres and popular holiday resorts.

As of 2006, PKP Intercity offers the following train categories for its passengers:

  • InterCity (IC)
  • Express (Ex)
  • Lowcost Trains (TLK)
  • EuroCity (EC)
  • EuroNight (EN)
  • International night trains

PKP Intercity has distinguished itself as a high-class train operator providing top services. “Travel your way” has become the company’s motto, while its mission is to make traveling across Poland and Europe pleasurable. At present, the company employs 2,200 people, rendering services to over 9.6 million passengers (2005 data).

IC – first class journey

InterCity trains ensure the highest comfort of traveling for passengers. All carriages are air-conditioned. 6-seat compartments and non-compartment coaches contribute to a comfortable journey. Selected IC trains also offer 4-seat ‘managerial’ compartments where the passengers receive free-of-charge meals and newspapers. All InterCity passengers are treated with snacks. Prestige, comfort and the highest standards of service have made InterCity trains the unchallenged means of transport in Poland.

Ex – more than holidays

Express trains connect big cities and transport tourists to resorts in high seasons. Most of the trains offer transport for bicycles in customized carriages.

TLK – cheap and comfortable

In 2005, Intercity created an alternative for less affluent passengers. TLK (Lowcost Trains) offer attractive prices for day and night train journeys. The prices of tickets and seat reservations are extremely attractive and make TLK a very affordable way of traveling.

In compliance with world standards, PKP Intercity systematically offers price promotions and communicates them to the passengers by means of various marketing tools. Discounts and price cuts for selected vocational and age groups as well as special seasonal promotions, illustrate the company’s modern approach to the changing service industry. PKP Intercity offers companies special IC cards, i.e. network tickets in the shape of credit cards, which allow reduced business trip costs even by several thousand PLN a year.

PKP Intercity offers comfortable journeys in Poland as well as numerous – day and night- connections with the capitals of neighboring countries.

Jan Kiepura – No.1

The connections between Warsaw and Frankfurt am Main calls for Poland’s most modern rolling stock of highest European standards. The EuroNight ‘Jan Kiepura’ train consists of sleepers, couchettes and first class, non-compartment coaches with comfortable folded chairs. The sleepers include luxurious compartments with showers, stereos and television sets. An equally high standard of traveling is offered by the ‘Józef Chel/mon´ski’ night train between Krakow and Kiev.

BWE project

Our company is enjoying growth not only on the Polish market but we also cooperate with carriers from other European countries as exemplified by the Berlin+Warsaw+Express project. BWE is a joint venture of German and Polish railways, based upon three prestigious and comfortable daily trains traveling from Warsaw to Berlin and back. On top of attractive price promotions, BWE trains are characteristic of uniformly colored carriages.

We constantly strive to offer high quality services to our customers. They have at their disposal a professional call centre where they can obtain information on timetables and current PKP Intercity offers.

In 2006, a modern Customer Service Centre was inaugurated at Warsaw Central station. Employees at the centre are professional and helpful and give all the necessary information to passengers so that they can plan their trips by various means of transport. All employees are fluent in at least one foreign language. A second Customer Service Centre was opened in Poznan in May 2007.

Another innovation

We are involved in developing modern solutions leading to effective customer service. In order to streamline the process of selling tickets, we offer purchasing through the Internet in a system called e-IC. The tickets may also be purchased at traditional railway cash desks or from train conductors. The passengers do not need cash at the conductors and cashiers are equipped with card terminals.

PKP Intercity owns a demurrage station in one of Warsaw’s districts, Grochów, with a full-train concourse. The station offers the most technically advanced facilities for train dispatching in Central Europe. As a result of adapting quality of traveling to EU’s highest standards, PKP Intercity is planning over the next few years to purchase new locomotives and carriers as well as to further upgrade the existing rolling stock.

In the very near future, we are going to buy 10 locomotives, 30 cars and 20 trains (like the TGV, Pendolino).

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