CZECH REPUBLIC: Four passenger operators have established lobbying group SVOD Bohemia to jointly promote passenger rail transport against other modes.
The group is modelled on the rail freight lobbying group Žesnad which was established in 2016.
SVOD Bohemia has set a target of increasing rail’s share of the Czech passenger market from 9% to 14% within the next 10 years. It plans to work with infrastructure manager SŽ to minimise the impact of engineering works on passenger services, and will support infrastructure projects including ETCS deployment and the proposed high speed network. The group also hopes to participate in the formation of national transport policy.
The founding members are national operator ČD, RegioJet, Arriva Vlaky and AŽD Praha, but the group is open to all operators which run at least one train per week.
