Rail Travel Self-Service System
Last update: 31.03.2010
Self-Service System is similar to that of other public transport means. You have to purchase your ticket before getting on the train, where you validate the ticket and travel to your destination. An onboard radio announcement reminds you to validate your ticket. Your ticket may be randomly inspected by an authorized ticket inspector with an inspector's ID card during your journey.
How to validate your train ticket?
When travelling by Tatra Electric Railways and Cog Railway, please, validate your ticket immediately after boarding the train in a date-stamping machine - insert the ticket facing upwards into the right side of the slot as indicated by the arrow.
If you travel by a bus during the train-line closure (substitute bus transport), you are obliged to ask the driver to validate the ticket for you. When changing again from bus to train, you have to validate your ticket (already marked by the driver) again onboard the train.
Please, take note that a ticket not market or incorrectly marked or bearing several markings is not valid!
The trains are marked with the pictogram of a “date-stamping machine”.
Which ticket has to be validated?
- block tickets
- domestic and international tickets issued electronically
- domestic and international blank coupons
When to validate your ticket?
- single tickets are validated once, immediately after boarding the train; they are not re-validated when changing trains,
- return tickets are validated separately for the two journeys (always on the front side of the ticket),
- season tickets, student tickets, pre-paid weekly and monthly tickets, pre-paid one-way or return season tickets are validated only once, during the first journey,
- block tickets are validated separately when travelling by Tatra Electric Railways and by Cog Railway.
Warning
Passengers without valid travel tickets are obliged to pay the full fare (from the boarding to the destination station) together with a penalty of 32 EUR.
Notice
Since 1 March 2007 ZSSK changed the fee for passengers travelling without a valid ticket by Tatra Electric Railways and Cog Railway, which is laid down in the Transport Terms and Conditions. Until 28 February passengers without a valid train ticket were obliged to pay a surcharge of € 3,32. With the effect as of 1 April 2007 a passenger without a valid ticket has to pay a surcharge of € 33,19.
ZSSK has introduced this measure after improvement of conditions for purchase of tickets via a network of contractual sellers of block tickets, via new ticket-selling machines in the stations of Tatranský Lieskovec, Stará Lesná and Poprad – Tatry as well as via onboard ticket-selling machines (even though a ticket purchased onboard is more expensive by € 0,17).
If the passenger is willing to pay the surcharge in the train, the ticket or train inspector will charge a reduced amount of € 8,30. Otherwise, the passenger may pay the surcharge in any railway station within 5 calendar days. In this case, the passenger has to pay for the normal fare and a reduced surcharge of € 16.60. If the passenger does not make use of this option, ZSSK will exact the fare and a surcharge of € 33,19.
Where to buy tickets?
Passengers can purchase their travel tickets at the ZSSK cash desks at railway stations along the TEŽ-TER and OŽ-CR lines; via the self service ticket vending machines in Poprad, Stará Lesná and Tatranský Lieskovec; at the train driver at the Štrba-Štrbské Pleso line (only in case of closed cash desks or broken vending machines); in tourist information offices; or at ZSSK's contractual partners in hotels, shops or at newspaper stands. All the sales points are marked with a distinctive label stating “Predaj blokových cestovných lístkov.”
What is a block ticket?
Passengers can purchase the block tickets in advance without any time restrictions for any day and any journey. The travel ticket becomes valid only after it is validated in a date-stamping machine.
The whole area of High Tatra is divided into four zones. Please validate an appropriate number of zone boxes on your block ticket according to the length of your journey. There are several types of block tickets:
• block tickets with a nominal value of 0,32 € (regular fare for 1 zone/reduced fare for 2 zones)
• block tickets with a nominal value of 0,16 € (reduced fare for 1 zone)
• block tickets with a nominal value of 0,64 € (regular fare for 2 zones/reduced fare for 4 zones)
• block tickets with a nominal value of 0,17 € (fare for elderly citizens over 70, separately for TEŽ and separately for OŽ)
Block tickets apply for both the TEŽ lines and OŽ lines; however they have to be validated separately for TEŽ lines and separately for OŽ lines.
A block ticket is valid for one uninterrupted journey on one particular train and on one particular day after its validation in the date stamping machine.
How to use a block ticket?
You may find your fare and the number of zones from your departure to the destination station on the backside of the block ticket in a zone table, which is also made public onboard and on notice boards at stations.
Examples of block ticket use
Let's suppose that you are travelling alone from Starý Smokovec to Štrbské Pleso. This journey crosses three (3) zones. You can use either three block tickets for one zone or one block ticket for two zones together with one block ticket for one zone.
Which tickets are available in the High Tatras?
Travel tickets from Railway Tariff no. 9 are accepted on TEŽ and OŽ lines:
a. regular single travel tickets
b. single travel tickets with reduced fare
for:
• children between the ages of 6-15 years
• passengers with JUNIOR RAILPLUS EURO ‹26, KLASIK RAILPLUS, SENIORRAILPLUS/SENIOR cards
• passengers with ŤZP, ŤZP-S cards (ID cards for disabled persons)
• passengers with student cards
• parents (or other legal representatives) accompanying their physical or sensory disability or children with chronic disease placed in health centres on the territory of Slovakia
• dogs
c. seasonal rail passes for TEŽ, OŽ, TEŽ and OŽ (valid for one day, three days, seven days and one month)
d. seasonal rail passes with reduced fare for TEŽ, OŽ, TEŽ and OŽ (valid for one day, three days, seven days and one month) for:
- children between the ages of 6-15 years
- dogs
Seasonal rail passes can be used for an unlimited number of journeys within the scope of validity of the ticket.
Seasonal rail passes that are valid for one day are not bound to one particular passenger.
Seasonal rail passes that are valid for three days, seven days or one month are issued for one particular passenger who has to indicate the number of his ID card on the travel ticket (on the rail pass).
Tariff no. 2
• seasonal ticket for passengers with student cards
Tariff no. 3
• for passengers over 70 (they have to show their ID card).
The fare has to be paid separately for TEŽ lines, separately for OŽ lines and separately when changing for other lines.
