Now, Leo Express Announces International Sleeper Train Service Across Belgium, Germany, The Czech Republic, And Slovakia: What New Updates You Must Know

Thursday, July 24, 2025

Czech open-access obstruction patient Leo Express has applied to present a caller world nighttime train that would nexus Ostend successful Belgium to Bratislava successful Slovakia, moving done Germany and nan Czech Republic. This work is projected to statesman connected 13 December 2026, successful conjunction pinch nan adjacent Europe-wide timetable change. The caller train would, if each goes arsenic planned, connection an exclusive, long-distance transnational sleeping car nexus crossed 4 countries, promoting sustainable recreation options and tourism and reviving nan European nighttime train network.

Route and Schedule: From nan North Sea to nan Danube

The imagination for nan train is ample and ambitious. Leaving nan Belgian coastal municipality of Ostend regular astatine 19:10, nan train would extremity astatine a number of Belgian cities, including Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Leuven, and Liège. Once connected nan German broadside of nan border, it would tally connected to Germany astatine Aachen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Hannover, Leipzig, and Dresden. Mileage is besides only disposable for nan Czech Republic; nan largest cities to beryllium featured location should beryllium Praha and Pardubice, pinch nan separator to Slovakia at slightest reached earlier continuing done Kúty, Malacky, Devínska Nová Ves, and yet arriving successful nan Slovak capital, Bratislava, astatine astir 14:18 section time.

On nan return, nan eastbound would depart from Bratislava astatine 14:44 and scope Ostend astatine astir 9:52 nan pursuing morning. The travel would return astir 19 hours successful each and would apt see some seated work and sleeper cars, providing a level of comfortableness that accommodates each budgets. The Leo Express work would tally a regular information travel and would characteristic first- and second-class cars—as good arsenic couchette sleepers for overnight comfort—according to Leo Express.

A Second Try, With More Planning

This is not Leo Express’s first changeable astatine linking Belgium with Central Europe. The usability had antecedently applied successful 2023 for a akin way pinch a motorboat successful 2025, but that scheme faltered. This caller endeavor seems to be, however, much mindful of readying and infrastructure matching. The institution said coming it has taken general steps to notify nan Belgique de Concordance Depending du Chemin de Fer (the Belgian Regulatory Body for Railway Transport), Brussels Airport Operations SA, and nan Czech Office for nan Protection of Economic Competition successful bid to comply pinch nan applicable open-access procedures nether European law.

Technical Preparedness and Strategic Support

Leo Express is besides acquainted pinch cross-border operations and runs obstruction services that span nationalist networks. It operates nan past procreation of Stadler FLIRT dual-voltage trains that tin run successful Germany, nan Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The desired nighttime train, however, tin usage a locomotive-hauled layout much due to long-distance sleeper service. And nan company’s ambition is carried by a 50% liking successful nan institution from nan Spanish nationalist obstruction usability RENFE, providing some financial and engineering support to Leo Express.

Competitive Landscape: Cooperation aliases Rivalry?

The scheme for nan way besides follows connected from nan existent European Sleeper work that already links Brussels and Prague. But nan Leo Express strategy goes further into Central and Eastern Europe, pinch a caller nonstop nexus to Slovakia. Analysts position nan opportunity arsenic a operation of collaboration and competition: either nan platforms tin activity together to create a caller connected service, aliases they tin compete to make value and work better.

Environmental Benefits and Passenger Appeal

For travelers and environmentalists, nan task is presenting a batch to get excited about. A train thrust that takes 19 hours whitethorn not lucifer fund airlines successful position of speed, but it’s surely a much eco- and scenic-friendly substitute for a flight. Providing an overnight option, it enables passengers to slumber connected trains and adhd existent minutes and hours of leisure astatine nan destination without flying aliases expanding their c footprint. As Europe progressively pushes to wean itself disconnected short-haul flights, initiatives for illustration this are a captious portion of a wider obstruction renaissance.

Regulatory Review and Infrastructure Challenges

Challenges remain, contempt nan rays of hope. The biggest situation instantly is obtaining support from regulators, including way entree successful Belgium, which is controlled by nan infrastructure institution Infrabel. What’s more, Leo Express has to facet successful operational challenges among each 4 countries involved, specified arsenic regularisation almanac conflicts, certification of locomotives, and contracts pinch entree to stations. Any holdup connected these fronts could hold nan anticipated December 2026 launch.