New train journey connecting 3 European countries launches with £9 tickets
Calling all train lovers: you can now sit back, relax and enjoy an epic 807-mile journey as Europe launches one of its longest direct rail routes to date.
Czech rail company Leo Express has just rolled out a new train service connecting major cities in Germany, Czechia and Poland all the way to the Ukrainian border.
The company says tickets start at just €10 (£8.65) for a one-way journey.
Currently, the longest train route in Europe is The Optima Express, which is a 994-mile (1,600km) auto-train that passes through Türkiye, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria.
But, spanning 807 miles (1,300km) and marking the first time Leo Express has offered trains to Germany, this new route is a strong runner-up.
Services operate once daily in both directions, designed with Frankfurt Airport’s international flight schedule in mind.
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Train 232 will depart the Ukrainian border-adjacent city of Przemyśl in Poland at 1.31pm local time and arrive at Frankfurt Airport the following day at 7.53am.
The return service departs as Train 235 at 8.27am and reaches Przemyśl at 2.23am the following day.
The entire trip from either direction will take around 18 hours.
Announcing the plan in December, Peter Köhler, CEO of Leo Express, said: ‘With this new route, we are removing the iron curtains between Western and Eastern Europe, connecting important European centers and providing access to Ukraine.’
He said in Germany, the service creates an ‘alternative to existing operators’, and that the ‘excellent arrival time at Frankfurt Airport’ provides ‘seamless transfers to European and intercontinental flights’.
Trains on the route are made up of ‘modernised express coaches’ with air conditioning, power outlets, food and drink, and WiFi.
There are dedicated bicycle sections, and a kids’ zone which includes a children’s menu and activities.
Tickets are avaliable now, and can be booked online here.
As it stands, connections are sold without seat reservations.
But from January 2027, the company will introduce reservations as well as a business class offering.
On its website, Leo Express also teases ‘additional services that passengers can look forward to on this route’.
Nick Brooks, Secretary General of ALLRAIL (the Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants in Europe), praised the launch as something Europe needs.
He said: ‘This is a clear example of railway market reform working in practice. Economically viable long-distance commercial rail connections are exactly what the Open Access regime should deliver.’
Leo Express first entered the European rail market in 2012 with its primary network connecting Czechia with Slovakia and Poland, including services from Prague to Kraków, Warsaw and Prešov.
The company also offers feeder bus connections to Ukraine.
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