Czechia faces shortage of train drivers
There is a shortage of train drivers in the Czech railway sector. Many are gradually retiring, with no replacements lined up. This shortage is unlikely to be significantly affected by the decline in demand for freight transport. As a result, railway operators are offering various incentives, such as signing bonuses and full training, to attract new drivers.
Jaroslav Vondrovic, president of the Federation of Train Drivers and a former train driver for over four decades, told Czech Radio that the unattractive working conditions, along with demanding professional and health requirements, are the reasons why candidates are not rushing to apply, but instead are leaving the profession.
"People only see the nice side of things, that you sit on the engine, ride through the beautiful countryside and look at the people passing by. But it comes with long working hours. Normally you get on trains at 3 a.m., you finish at 1 a.m. in a different place than you got on, the family schedule is broken."
Some other reasons for people leaving the profession include:
"There is not that much recruitment, the age structure is high, the average age is around 50, and a lot of people retire or leave for health reasons."
According to Vondrovic, there are about seven and a half thousand drivers actively driving in Czechia. He estimates that there is a shortage of at least several hundred of them. Complete driver training for candidates without experience can take up to a year.
Regiojet, for example, is now looking for fourteen drivers for the regional lines S49 and S61 in Prague as well as long-distance lines. The carrier wants to openly take over colleagues from its competitors, continues Alexandra Janoušek Kostřicová, spokesperson for Regiojet.
"We know that some drivers are considering a change of employer but are hesitant because of their current commitments, so we offer to help them address those commitments."
Regiojet - like Czech Railways (ČD) - offers a recruitment allowance, for example. Czech Railways spokesman Filip Medelský added:
"We see a slight understaffing. We try to educate them, to entice them. At the moment we have 200 drivers in training."
Freight carriers like Czech Railways Cargo and Metrans are in a better position. The driver shortage from previous years has been partly alleviated by the reduced demand for freight transport, explains Transport Ministry spokesman František Jemelka.
"No wood is being transported, coal is running out, steel is down."
However, the eventual transition of drivers to passenger transport is not easy, as different regulations apply there, and retraining on other locomotives or trains is often necessary.
