An engine driver's cabin in a train (source: Sme)
The state-run railway carrier, ZSSK, was forced to cancel several morning train connections during four days at the turn of September, as reported by the Index business news website.
People travelling from Leopoldov and Malacky, both in western Slovakia, to the capital had to get on trains dispatched at a later hour. The situation was due to the lack of engine drivers working for ZSSK, especially in the Bratislava and Žilina Regions.
"It is the outcome of long-term, irresponsible steps taken by the ZSSK management," Rastislav Cenký of the non-governmental Institute for Transport and Economy (IDH) told Index.
The ZSSK says it is actively trying to tackle the issue. There are 1,200 engine drivers working for the state-run railway carrier. The ZSSK is in need of 97 more.
The company has not excluded that the scenario could occur again.
