Spanish rail giant Renfe and its Czech subsidiary Leo Express unveiled fully refurbished Talgo VI trainsets in Prague on 30 April, clearing the way for two new international routes to Slovakia and the revival of services to eastern Slovak hubs. The lightweight, 354-seat coaches received authorisation to run on both Czech and Slovak networks after a two-year certification process. From this week Leo Express will add a daily Prague–Bratislava round-trip and re-introduce a Prague–Prešov service, improving options for commuters in the growing IT and shared-services corridor between the two capitals. The Talgo sets deliver lower energy consumption and shorter dwell times than the operator’s older Stadler Flirt fleet, helping Renfe hit its pledge to exceed six million Central-European passengers by end-2026. Corporate mobility managers gain more flexibility for staff shuttling between Czech and Slovak offices: the timetable allows a same-day return, while first-class tickets undercut air fares by 60 per cent. The rolling stock’s 1-2 seating layout, power sockets and on-board café also meet duty-of-care comfort standards. Longer term, Leo Express plans to weaponise the Talgo VI’s variable-gauge potential to expand into Poland and Germany without expensive locomotive changes—a development worth watching for companies mapping modal-shift scenarios under ESG strategies.
Source: Renfe Press Office
