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The route Warszawa Centralna – Kraków Główny is well known to me. I live in Warsaw, but I travel often to Krakow. Usually, I take the train once a week to or from the capital, Malopolska. Therefore, I can say that I am a regular PKP customer.
I always choose the train on this route because it is more convenient than driving. The highway is not finished yet, and there are big traffic jams at the entrance to Krakow, for this reason However, the train is the fastest option. A lot of people also travel on this route, which can be seen by the number of people on the train, and of course the number of people during the week is less than the number of people on weekends, but it seems that the burden is still high. And when it comes to frequency, PKP is good, because you can actually catch the train every hour. The problem is that most of the connections are provided by Pendolino, and they’re not cheap.
Worth the money?
This seems completely incorrect to me. It is true that Pendolino is the fastest, because the trip takes less than two and a half hours, but there are several flights between cities that take less than three hours, that is, a maximum of 30 minutes longer. However, such a connection costs 68 PLN, while a second-class Pendolino ticket is 100 PLN more expensive.
Unfortunately, there are only a few of these intercity flights that take less than three hours and are more than half cheaper than a Pendolino flight. Either early in the morning or late in the evening. In the middle of the day, there is a choice – either PLN 169 and less than 2.5 hours of driving, or PLN 68 and about 4 hours of driving. However, I cannot understand why the price of Pendolino is so high. Yes, they give you a bottle of water, but it does not compensate for the higher ticket price. Especially since there are connections that take a little longer and cost much less.
Screenshot from PKP Intercity website showing differences in price and travel time
Although I usually travel in the evening on the mentioned cheaper connection, it sells out quickly on weekends, so it is worth purchasing such a ticket in advance. However, I don’t always have this opportunity, and here’s why I recently had to buy a ticket for Pendolino. If I had to choose this option, I always choose a seat in the last carriage, i.e. in the silence zone – this is a good place if someone wants to experience the journey in peace, take a nap or work.
I have been to the Silence Zone many times and this is the only reason I love this train. It is quiet and peaceful, and all telephone conversations are conducted outside the carriage. You can easily focus and work or read a book. If I’m traveling on a different type of train, I always wear headphones to mute the conversations of my fellow passengers, but in this case they’re not necessary.
It was nothing but silence in the area of silence
As I mentioned above, last Saturday, due to occupancy, I had to choose Pendolino. I managed to get a place in the Silence Zone, so I thought that at least that was all I could do to work in peace. However, as it turns out, Not everyone understands what the idea of this vehicle is, Despite the signs at every step.
Pendolino’s Zone of Silence
Although the cart is filled with illustrations asking people to remain silent, and the screen displays instructions on what rules to follow, not everyone follows these rules. During my trip, I met two women who were about 60 years old and they were talking non-stop. It was not a quiet conversation at all because their voices were so loud that I could hear them at the other end of the carriage.
About 20 minutes after leaving Warsaw Zakodnya station, another passenger approached them and warned the women that they were in the silence zone. The women apologized and said they would not speak anymore.
However, after another 10 minutes of driving in silence, they started talking again. I heard it all – they discussed doctor visits, complained about their grandchildren, talked about their friends. She gave them some time and then the ladies urged themselves to remain silent. again, but to no avail, and they soon resumed the conversation. I wanted to check the situation regarding seats in other coaches, so I went to the wars. Along the way, I easily noticed some empty seats.
Then one of these women told me that she was not going anywhere because they had bought seats in this carriage and If I have a problem, I can move myself.
I was so surprised by this woman’s rudeness that I did not answer and went back to my seat. I didn’t know what to do in this situation because I didn’t feel like arguing and the way I brought it to their attention was very polite. I was hoping the conductor would tell them something while checking the tickets, but he didn’t When he arrived, the ladies were silent and did not speak until he left the carriage.
Throughout the rest of the flight, no one paid attention to the ladies, although I saw that they were bothering the other passengers as well. It seemed that no one wanted to engage in a discussion with them anymore, especially since the entire carriage heard how they responded to me when I suggested moving to another carriage. I wore headphones for the rest of the flight.
Michael
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