Arriva

Arriva runs passenger trains under one shared group brand in three countries: ARRIVA vlaky in Czechia, regional trains in the Netherlands, and regional trains in Poland's Kujawsko-Pomorskie region. The three networks are not connected. Tickets, apps and websites differ by country, so where you are travelling decides which one you need.

Where it runs in Czechia

ARRIVA vlaky's Czech rail history started small: a short contract on the Praha to Kralupy nad Vltavou line in 2013. Two new lines followed in 2016, Praha to Benešov u Prahy and a route from Praha through Slovácko into Slovakia toward Trenčín and later Nitra. Its trains also work the Prague city line S49, between Praha Hostivař and Roztoky u Prahy.

Since December 2019, ARRIVA vlaky has run selected regional trains in the Liberec and Zlín regions. Several of its lines are express (rychlík) services: Praha to Mladá Boleslav, Turnov and Tanvald; Praha through Příbram and Písek to České Budějovice; Praha through Kladno to Rakovník; and Kolín to Česká Lípa and Šluknov. A year later came express trains from Liberec through Česká Lípa and Děčín to Ústí nad Labem, and from Liberec through Turnov to Dvůr Králové nad Labem, Hradec Králové and Pardubice.

From December 2023 it introduced electric trains on the P1 regional line between Pňovany, Plzeň and Horažďovice předměstí. In December 2024 it took over three lines in the South Moravia region.

Where it runs in the Netherlands

Arriva's Dutch operations are organised into four regions: Noord, Zuid, Oost and Limburg. Up north, Arriva has run regional trains in Fryslân and Groningen since 1999, initially through the NoordNed joint venture, under a contract now extended to 2035. In Limburg, it has run trains alongside its bus network since the end of 2016.

In the east, Arriva's trains in Gelderland, Overijssel and Flevoland carry the shared regional brand RRReis, covering the Achterhoek and Rivierenland lines plus, from 14 December 2025, the added Arnhem to Doetinchem route. Some Dutch regional trains carry the Blauwnet label instead. Neither RRReis nor Blauwnet is a separate company; both are branding on trains Arriva itself runs.

Where it runs in Poland

Arriva's Polish trains, branded Arriva RP, centre on Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship, with a few lines reaching into neighbouring Pomorskie and Mazowieckie. The network links the region's main cities, Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Grudziądz, and runs into the Bory Tucholskie forest and the Pojezierze Brodnickie lakeland. In school summer holidays it also runs the seasonal Latarnik train from Bydgoszcz to Hel, via Tczew, Gdańsk, Gdynia and Władysławowo. Fares fall under two named tariffs, Taryfa Kujawsko-Pomorska and Taryfa REGIO, depending on the line, and the summer Latarnik service has its own separate fare. Prices in Poland are in Polish złoty (PLN).

Tickets and tariffs

A ticket bought for Arriva's network in one country will not work in another. Fares, apps and tariff rules are set separately in the Netherlands, Poland and Czechia.

On Dutch Arriva trains, including Blauwnet services, you check in and out with an OV-chipkaart or with OVpay, tapping a contactless bank card, credit card or a linked phone. The fare is the same either way, with no discount or subscription applied. Changing onto an NS train? Keep using the OV-chipkaart for that leg. Prices in the Netherlands are in euros (EUR).

On ARRIVA vlaky trains in Czechia, most tickets are paid by tapping a contactless bank card as you board, the same motion as paying in a shop. Prices there are in Czech koruna (CZK). Express trains offer first class seating, free water, wifi and power sockets, and most carry an interior panel showing the train's live position on a route map; some express trains are air conditioned. Regional trains around Prague, Liberec, Plzeň and Zlín board level with the platform and run air conditioned.

Which website to use

Use arriva.nl for Dutch regional train and bus information, tickets and disruption updates. Use arriva.cz for ARRIVA vlaky timetables, tickets and route information in Czechia. Use arriva.pl for Kujawsko-Pomorskie train timetables, ticket prices and track-works notices in Poland. Each site covers its own network only, so pick the one for the country you are actually travelling in.