Rail Services on Humenne Routes Resumed after Two-year Break

Humenne, March 10 (TASR) - Rail services around the town of Humenne (Presov region) have been resumed after a pause of almost two years, with trains running again on the Humenne-Stakcin, Humenne-Medzilaborce and Humenne-Presov routes as of Monday, director of state-run passenger carrier ZSSK Peter Helexa announced on the same day. The line closures were a result of the electrification of the Banovce nad Ondavou-Humenne line, which is still ongoing. The end of the closures and resumption of rail services also means the end of the necessary replacement bus services. "I view Humenne as one of the most important railway hubs in eastern Slovakia. Rail services are key for this region, a backbone of transport that keeps this region moving," said Helexa. The lines will feature air-conditioned spaces and low-floor trains, each of them with a capacity of 337 seats. "Twelve pairs of trains, i.e. 24 trains, will be dispatched daily on the Humenne-Presov route. Trains won't travel faster yet. We'll talk about higher speeds in the direction of Kosice when electrification is fully completed," stated ZSSK operations section head Karol Henzely. The resumption of rail services is also connected with a better technical background, as the Humenne train-engine depot has undergone extensive reconstruction that will make train maintenance more efficient and contribute to more reliable rail services. "The modernisation will make operations more efficient, and improve working conditions for employees and for maintaining trains, which will result in greater comfort and safety for passengers," said vice-chair of the ZSSK board of directors Martin Bahurinsky, quantifying the cost of the modernisation at more than €33 million. The platforms at Humenne railway station were also reconstructed, with brand new tracks and switches laid there," said the Transport Ministry's rail transport section head Filip Hlubocky, adding that the remaining work is in line with the schedule and the whole electrification process should be completed by the end of July. The work on modernising the railway lines in Humenne and its surroundings was launched in May 2023. The total amount of the bid that won the respective tender was €216 million (ex-VAT). ko/df