Prague and Copenhagen will be connected by rail for the first time in over 10 years as a new service launches between the two capitals.

A direct rail service between Prague and Copenhagen started on 1 May, run by Czech operator České dráhy.

Due to track closures in Germany, the service has started by running only two trains per day that are temporarily following a detour between Berlin and Hamburg, making the journey slightly longer.

For the next few weeks, the service will leave Prague Main Station at 6.31am, arriving in Copenhagen at 7.38pm.

A service will also run from the Danish capital at 8.22am, arriving into Prague at 9.25pm.

Starting 14 June, České dráhy will switch to full service, running three times a day from Prague to Copenhagen and back.

From that date, the trains will depart from Prague at 6.30am and 10.30pm, and during the summer season also at 4.30pm, taking around 11 hours.

From Copenhagen to Prague, trains will run direct from 5.54am, 9.54am and 11.14pm.

Tickets will start from CZK 1,600 (£57) and will run via Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg in Germany.

Michal Krapinec, the director general of České dráhy, said: “Passengers will be able to enjoy panoramic views of the Elbe River, the countryside of northern Germany, as well as impressive crossings over the Little and Great Belt straits separating the Danish mainland from the islands of Fyn and Sjælland.”

He added that passengers will be travelling in the company’s ComfortJet long-distance trains.

The trains include ergonomic reclining seats, air conditioning, wifi, power supply sockets and USB ports, as well as a dining car with Czech specialities.

The new service is the first of 10 pilot projects initiated by the European Commission to support cross-border railway connections.

Prague and Copenhagen have not been connected directly by trains for more than 10 years.

The new service will serve more than 15 million people who live in the metropolitan areas along the route.

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