Leo Express will launch one of the longest direct railway lines in Europe on 25 June
Czech carrier Leo Express has announced that on 25 June 2026 it will launch a new international railway line connecting Przemyśl in eastern Poland with Frankfurt am Main and Frankfurt Airport. The route is more than 1,300 kilometres long, and the company describes it as one of the longest direct railway connections in Europe. The train is expected to pass through Poland, Czechia and Germany, with stops in major cities such as Kraków, Katowice, Ostrava, Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt and Frankfurt. According to Leo Express’s announcement, the service is planned as a daily connection in both directions, although the published provisional timetable also includes operational notes on works and regular maintenance due to which, on certain days, services will be shortened or shifted. The new line is therefore not just another long European route, but also an attempt to create a more direct connection between western and eastern Europe at a time when railway access to Ukraine relies on border hubs in Poland.
A journey of around 18 hours
According to the official Leo Express timetable, train LE232 from Przemyśl Główny is expected to depart at 13:31 and arrive at Frankfurt/Main-Flughafen station the following morning at 07:53. This means that the journey from eastern Poland to Germany’s largest airport would take approximately 18 hours and 22 minutes. In the opposite direction, train LE235 is expected to depart from Frankfurt Airport at 08:27 and arrive in Przemyśl Główny at 02:23 the next day, a journey of just under 18 hours. Leo Express also states that due to temporary works in Germany, the Monday departure towards Przemyśl will be later, at 12:27, while the official timetable also notes that, due to regular maintenance on certain days, services will operate only on part of the route between Frankfurt and Bohumín. Such notes are important for passengers because they show that the basic commercial offer has been announced as direct, but that before buying a ticket it is necessary to check the exact date, direction and valid timetable.
The route from Poland towards Germany includes a series of major stations and regional hubs. After departing from Przemyśl, the train is expected to stop in Rzeszów, Tarnów, Kraków, Katowice and Tychy, then cross into Czechia via Bohumín and continue through Ostrava, Olomouc, Pardubice and Prague. The night section of the journey continues towards northern Czechia and the German border, with stops at Děčín and Bad Schandau, followed by Dresden, Leipzig, Weimar, Erfurt, Fulda, Hanau, Offenbach and Frankfurt Süd. The final station in the westbound direction is Frankfurt/Main-Flughafen, which is particularly important for international passengers because the train arrives shortly before 8 a.m. According to the company’s interpretation, such a timetable should make it possible to continue journeys on European and intercontinental flights from Frankfurt.
A direct connection to the Ukrainian border
The departure city of Przemyśl has an important transport role because it is located close to the Polish-Ukrainian border and has for years functioned as one of the key railway gateways to Ukraine. According to the timetable of Ukrainian Railways, there are connections from Przemyśl Główny to Kyiv, which further explains why the new western European connection ends precisely in that city, and not only in Kraków or Warsaw. In conditions in which Ukrainian civil airspace remains a high-risk area for commercial aviation, international rail and bus routes via Poland have retained particular importance. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency, in its warnings concerning Ukrainian airspace, cites serious safety risks for civil flights, which further strengthens the role of land transport corridors. For that reason, the new line can also be viewed as part of a broader transport adaptation by Europe to the circumstances created after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In Leo Express’s own announcement, CEO Peter Köhler described the route as a full-fledged trans-European connection linking administrative, financial, industrial and cultural centres. The company particularly highlighted Frankfurt, Prague and Kraków, as well as the fact that the train provides access to the Ukrainian border. Köhler also stated that the new connection removes the remaining transport barriers between western and eastern Europe and creates an alternative to existing carriers in Germany. Such wording reflects Leo Express’s business interest, but also a broader trend in which private and state operators are competing ever more strongly on international railway routes. For passengers, the most important point is that the new line, if operated steadily, reduces the need for transfers between several major hubs.
Frankfurt Airport as the route’s main asset
One of the most important features of the new line is its arrival directly at Frankfurt Airport. According to data from the operator Fraport, Frankfurt Airport had around 63.2 million passengers in 2025 and remained Germany’s largest air transport hub. For Leo Express, this is an important commercial argument because the morning arrival from the direction of Poland, Czechia and eastern Germany may suit passengers continuing their journey by plane. In its promotional materials, the company states that the arrival before 8 a.m. was designed precisely for transfers to European and long-haul flights. In practice, the usefulness of such a timetable will depend on the train’s punctuality, the time needed for flight check-in and any changes in railway traffic on the long international route.
In the opposite direction, the morning departure from Frankfurt makes it possible to arrive in Prague in the late afternoon, and in Kraków and Przemyśl during the evening and night. Such a timetable may be interesting to passengers who do not want to combine several separate tickets or transfer between different operators. At the same time, the journey time means that the train will not be competitive with the plane in terms of speed over the full route, but primarily in terms of directness, the possibility of overnight travel and access to city centres. For some passengers, another advantage will be that the route connects cities that already have strong tourist and business traffic. Those planning to break their journey in Czechia or Germany can, for example, check accommodation in Prague and Frankfurt in good time, especially if they want to avoid continuing their journey immediately after the night ride.
Tickets, onboard services and the provisional timetable
Leo Express states that tickets for the new line are already on sale, with starting prices between the terminal stations advertised from 10 euros. In its official information, the company emphasises that the trains will offer Wi-Fi, power sockets, refreshments onboard, air conditioning and other services. At the same time, it is important that sales in the first phase are organised without seat reservations, while the company has announced the introduction of reserved seats and business class. According to the carrier’s announcement, passengers who buy tickets without a reserved seat should be able to select a seat after the system change. Since this is a line that crosses three countries and uses the infrastructure of multiple networks, the final quality of the journey will also depend on timetable stability, border operations, works on the railway line and coordination with infrastructure managers.
The official timetable is marked as provisional and Leo Express warns that minor changes are possible. The same timetable states that it is currently not possible to buy tickets exclusively for domestic sections within Poland, which means that in the initial sales phase the new line is not conceived as an ordinary domestic Polish connection. Such a restriction is not unusual on international commercial routes because sales and transport rights can differ from country to country. For passengers travelling only between Polish cities, the domestic offers of Polish railway carriers will therefore remain relevant. For international passengers, the most important thing is to check whether the departure, the full route and the desired travel class are available on the selected date.
Leo Express’s broader plans and the role of Renfe
Leo Express is a private international carrier based in Czechia, and according to company data it has been providing rail and bus passenger services in central Europe since 2012. Its core network connects Czechia with Slovakia and Poland, including services to Kraków, Warsaw and Prešov, as well as bus connections that link with journeys towards Ukraine. An important business context is also provided by the Spanish state railway operator Renfe, which according to its own data has held a 50 percent stake in Leo Express since 2021. Renfe describes its entry into the ownership structure as a strategic opportunity for a presence in Czechia, Slovakia and Poland, as well as for access to the German market. The new line to Frankfurt therefore fits into the broader ambition to position Leo Express as a stronger international operator in central Europe.
According to Leo Express’s announcement, 2026 should bring several new international connections, including the routes Prague – Olomouc – Bratislava, Frankfurt – Prague – Kraków – Przemyśl and Prague – Plzeň – Regensburg – Munich. Such a plan shows that the company is not relying only on one attractive long line, but is trying to create a network linking larger cities in several countries. The success of that model will depend on price, reliability, visibility of sales channels and the ability to offer passengers a simpler experience than combining several separate carriers. The long route to Frankfurt is particularly demanding because any delay on one part of the network can affect the entire journey. That is why the first months after launch will be an important test of the punctuality and operational resilience of the new connection.
A new route in the European competition for passengers
The return of interest in international trains in Europe has been driven by a combination of climate goals, changes in passenger habits and the strengthening of competition in liberalised railway markets. The new Leo Express line does not eliminate the need for air transport, especially on very long routes, but it offers a different type of journey for those for whom a direct land connection between several cities is important. The journey from Przemyśl to Frankfurt covers areas that are historically, economically and in transport terms strongly connected, but which often require transfers within national systems. If it proves reliable, the line could also be useful for passengers who do not use the entire route, but only its international sections, for example between Prague, Dresden, Leipzig and Frankfurt. In that sense, its value lies not only in its record length, but also in connecting several existing passenger flows into one recognisable service.
For tourist cities on the route, the new connection may mean additional accessibility, but its transport significance is likely to be broader than tourism. Kraków, Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt and Frankfurt have strong business, university and cultural functions, while Przemyśl remains an important point for onward travel towards Ukraine. For that reason, the new line will also be watched as an indicator of whether a commercial operator can successfully maintain a very long cross-border route without transfers. According to available information, the first journeys are planned for 25 June 2026, and the official timetable for the period until December 2026 has already been published with a note that changes are possible. For passengers, this means that before planning the entire journey they should check the current timetable, purchase conditions and any restrictions on individual sections.
Sources:
- Leo Express – official announcement about the new Przemyśl – Kraków – Prague – Dresden – Frankfurt line and the start of operations on 25 June 2026 (link)
- Leo Express – official provisional timetable for the Frankfurt – Dresden – Prague – Ostrava – Przemyśl line and return service (link)
- Leo Express – passenger information page about the Przemyśl – Prague – Dresden – Frankfurt route and onboard services (link)
- Renfe – information on Renfe’s 50 percent stake in Leo Express and strategic expansion in central Europe (link)
- Fraport – traffic figures for Frankfurt Airport in 2025 (link)
- Ukrainian Railways – official timetable for the Przemyśl Główny – Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi route (link)
- EASA – safety warnings for Ukrainian airspace and risks to civil aviation (link)