Slovakia to Halve Second-Class Train Fares for One Month

The Slovak government approved on Wednesday 23 September a temporary halving of domestic second-class train fares, to run from 1 October to 31 October, while acknowledging that residents of several districts without passenger rail service will not benefit from the measure.²³⁴

What changes from 1 October

From 1 October, passengers will pay 50 percent less for domestic second-class fares on ZSSK trains, according to the rail operator. The reduction applies to basic and paid discounted fares, and to single and time tickets, while passengers who already travel with a 100-percent discount will see no change in their conditions.²³

ZSSK spokesman Ján Baček said the change alters the fare price directly rather than adding one discount on top of another: "Nejde pritom o sčítavanie zliav. Na obdobie od 1. do 31. októbra sa mení priamo cena príslušného cestovného." He gave an example: a passenger who now pays a basic fare of ten euros for a given journey will pay five euros from 1 October, while a student paying five euros under the discounted fare will pay 2.50 euros. Final amounts will be rounded down to 0.05 euros.²³

The reduction also covers weekly and monthly second-class route tickets, including relevant pupil tickets, as well as single and time network fares for persons on the Tatranské elektrické železnice and the ozubnicová železnica, where new prices will be set in ticket machines from 1 October. It does not apply to first-class fares, international fares, Maxi Klasik tickets, seat reservations, sleeper and couchette tickets, higher-category train surcharges, service fees or supplementary services.²³

Adjusted fares will be available through the ZSSK app, e-shop, ticket offices, onboard trains, SMS, FAIRTIQ, Slovenská pošta and other standard sales partners, but cannot be bought in advance before 1 October. Tickets already bought at the original price remain valid and will not be repriced retrospectively.²³

ZSSK said it cannot reliably predict in advance how the lower fares will affect passenger numbers. Baček said the company will monitor passenger frequency, ticket sales and occupancy of individual services from the start of the measure, and does not plan to add new trains in connection with the reduction, instead reassessing capacity according to actual demand, available vehicles, staff and infrastructure. On routes and at nodes where closures are under way, the operator said possibilities for increasing capacity are limited.²³⁵

Districts without rail service

According to STVR, the discount will not help residents of some regions because no trains run there. The report named four districts without built railway infrastructure: Námestovo, Svidník, Sobrance and Stropkov, whose residents have no option other than travelling by car or bus.¹

One resident contacted by STVR said they would prefer lower prices for oil or diesel, while another said buses should also be made cheaper, adding that this might reduce car use. STVR also reported that some Slovak towns have railway tracks but no passenger trains running on them; Veľký Krtíš has had unused tracks for almost 35 years. The town's mayor, Dalibor Surkoš, said the discounts "will not help citizens of the city or district at all" and that the best solution would be for the R7 expressway to be completed along its full route to the R2 and to Lučenec.¹

Possible bus discounts

STVR reported that the transport ministry is preparing a separate discount for bus transport and is in intensive contact with the leadership of self-governing regions. Transport minister Jozef Ráž, a Smer-SD nominee, said the ministry's proposal envisages a 30 to 50 percent reduction for suburban buses on a monthly basis and a 50 percent reduction for city public transport. He said: "Zatiaľ to vyzerá, že sa nám riešenie darí nájsť." The government is to make a final decision at an off-site meeting, and until then the minister has been tasked with calculating the cost of the measure to the state.¹