The first afternoon session, subtitled “The world of freight rail is changing, and so are we,” focused on restructuring. More than a hundred representatives of our business partners had the opportunity to learn about the reasons for the restructuring, its progress, and, above all, its goals. “We must respond to the irreversible decline in transport volumes associated with decarbonization and the decline in the competitiveness of European industry. The aim of the restructuring is therefore to downsize ČD Cargo and ensure the long-term viability of the company in the new market environment, ” said Robert Heděnec, member of the ČD Cargo Board of Directors. The participation of České dráhy Board member Lukáš Svoboda confirmed the correctness and, above all, the necessity of the chosen path. “We must adjust our vehicle and personnel capacities to your requirements, and we must work together to improve planning and streamline technologies,” Robert Heděnec urged the customers. The presentation in this block also included information about changes in the sales team, such as the positions of Key Account Managers, who will be responsible for serving key customers regardless of commodity.
In the second block, David Jelínek, Director of the Rolling Stock Department, assured customers that there would be sufficient capacity to transport their consignments in 2026 and asked business partners to cooperate more closely in sharing information on volumes for 2026. David Jelínek was followed by Radek Nedomlel, Director of the Operational Technologies Department, who provided detailed information about the changes in the Single Wagon Load segment that await us in 2026 (more at Single Wagon Loads – ČD CARGO). “ Single Wagon Loads are a very cost-intensive segment. With the decline in transport volumes, it is therefore necessary to optimize that by reducing the number of tariff points served, or rather by adjusting the conditions for their operation, ” said Radek Nedomlel, adding: “The restriction affects approximately 50% of tariff points, which, however, account for only 0.6% of the performance.”
Robert Heděnec concluded the meeting with information about the pricing strategy for 2026. The less formal nature of the meeting, focused on solving specific problems, proved successful, and the discussion on current topics was also beneficial. We therefore look forward to further meetings with our business partners.