Leo Express Announces 1 300-km Cross-Border Rail Service Linking Prague and Frankfurt Airport

Czech private rail operator Leo Express has unveiled plans for a new long-distance service that will, from 25 June 2026, connect the Polish-Ukrainian border town of Przemyśl with Kraków, Prague and Frankfurt Airport. Tickets went on sale this week, positioning the route as an early beneficiary of the EU’s liberalised access regime for open-access passenger trains.

Covering more than 1 300 km across four countries, the overnight service will deploy low-floor Stadler Flirt trainsets offering 5G Wi-Fi, Premium and Business classes, and onboard catering aimed at both leisure and corporate travellers. The Prague stop will serve as the backbone of the schedule, allowing same-ticket transfers between Leo Express’s domestic network and flights departing Germany’s busiest airport the following morning.



For global-mobility stakeholders the implications are noteworthy. The rail link provides a greener, visa-friendlier alternative to short-haul flights on the congested Prague–Frankfurt and Kraków–Prague corridors. HR teams relocating Ukrainian or Polish talent to Czech or German offices can now book a single overnight journey that avoids airport queues, Schengen external-border crossings and potential weather-related cancellations—an issue painfully illustrated by this week’s ice storm.

The announcement also underscores Prague’s growing stature as a Central European rail hub. Transport Minister Martin Kupka hailed the project as proof that recent infrastructure upgrades are paying off, noting that by 2027 eight European capitals should be reachable from Prague without a change of train.

Before hitting the “book” button, however, mobility managers should double-check visa requirements. A single itinerary spanning Ukraine (non-Schengen), Poland, Czechia and Germany means travellers from third-country markets may need both a Schengen visa and a Ukrainian permit, depending on embarkation and disembarkation points.