A new era of cross-border rail travel is set to begin in Europe as Czech operator Leo Express prepares to launch one of the continent’s longest direct train services this month.
Africa: people.com, starting June 25, the ambitious 807-mile route will connect major cities across Germany, Czech Republic, and Poland, extending all the way toward the border of Ukraine.
The new service is expected to make long-distance travel more seamless while strengthening regional connectivity across Central and Eastern Europe.
The company says tickets start at just €10 ($11.50) for a one-way journey.
“Leo Express is introducing a new, full-fledged trans-European connection linking key administrative, financial, and industrial centers such as Frankfurt – home to one of Europe’s largest airports – with cultural hubs like Kraków, Prague, and Weimar,” CEO of Leo Express, Peter Köhler, said in a December 2025 press release announcing the route. “At over 1,300 kilometers (807 miles), this is one of the longest direct train services in Europe.”
“With this new route, we are also removing the iron curtains between Western and Eastern Europe, connecting important European centers and providing access to Ukraine. In Germany, we are creating an alternative to existing operators,” Köhler says.
As a daily service, Train 232 will depart the Ukrainian border-adjacent city of Przemyśl in Poland at 1:31 p.m. local time and arrive at Frankfurt Airport the following day at 07:53 a.m. The return service subsequently departs as Train 235 at 8:27 a.m. and reaches Przemyśl at 2:23 a.m. the following day. The entire trip from either direction will take approximately 18 hours.
Köhler says the “excellent arrival time at 7:53 at Frankfurt Airport” provides “seamless transfers to European and intercontinental flights.” The return connection at 8:27 a.m. “also enables a daily connection to Prague with later arrivals in Kraków and Przemyśl. At the same time, the train provides a direct connection between Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt, and Frankfurt.”
Leo Express says trains on this route will feature Wi-Fi, power outlets, onboard refreshments, air conditioning, and other services. When it launches later this month, connections will be sold without seat reservations. But starting in January, the company will introduce seat 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.”
Leo Express first entered the European rail market in 2012 with its primary network connecting the Czech Republic with Slovakia and Poland, including services from Prague to Kraków, Warsaw and Prešov. The company also offers feeder bus connections to Ukraine.
