A night train to connect Europe from this to west

Renfe has several challenges ahead and one of the most challenging is expanding. It already has a powerful presence in Spain, now more competed after road release and the arrival of external agents like Iro and Ouigoand the next step is Europe. To do this, Renfe has certain allies such as Leo Express, a Czech company of which Renfe has 50% and who is working on his most ambitious project: to join Eas to West Europe with a night train and a very long route.

Leo Express? Let’s start at the beginning. Four years ago, in August 2021, Renfe acquired 50% of the capital of the Private Czech company Leo Express for seven million euros (in shares). This operation, explained from Renfe at the time, had a strategic purpose: expand in Europe. Leo Express operates international connections in countries such as Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, both trains and buses, but this new route will undoubtedly be the longest.

Image | Leo Express

From this to west. As he has advanced Rail Tech And we have been able to confirm from Xataka through the Federal Agency for Transport Regulation of Belgium (PDF), Leo Express is working on a route that will link Belgium with Slovakia. Specifically, the route will be from Ostende (Belgium) to Bratislava (Slovakia). From Xataka we have contacted Leo Express for more information and we will update in the case of receiving response.

Time. It will be a long trip with 50 stops. The train will pass through four countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany and Belgium) and will stop in cities such as Prague, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Brussels and witches, among others. The train will leave at 7:10 p.m. and will arrive in Bratislava at 14:18 the next day. The return trip will be at 14:44 and will end at 21:52.

Image | Leo Express

The train. Leo Express will wear modernized RIC passenger cars and Siemens Vectron Locomotoras. That is, the train will have a maximum speed of 160 km/Hy a capacity of around 450 seats, although by December 2028 they intend to expand the capacity to 550 passengers. These trains will work as night trains and, as such, they will have cars with options and/or optional literas.

A huge challenge. One thing is the intention and another that the action comes to fruition. Leo Express, and therefore, have to coordinate a line in four different national networks, obtain grooves in these networks and operate a train for which they are not preceded. In Belgium, in addition, you will have to partner with a certified operator.

Midnight Trains cabin, whose idea was to offer true hotels about rails | Imange: Midnight Trains

The background is not flattering. In 2023, the French startup Midnight Trains He wanted to launch a series of international night routes between Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Denmark and France. It was a premium service that even received the approval of the European Commission, which saw in Midnight Trains an initiative to promote cross -border routes on train.

The idea was good, but then the problems came: how complex it is to access the Eurotunnel, the lack of financing, etc. The project ended up closing in 2024. The other part, more positive, is the Austrian OBB, which has a division dedicated alone and exclusively to night trains (Nightjet) that connects 13 countries.

THE NIGHT TRAIN IN SPAIN. Neither is nor expected. Although night trains are a common modality in Europe, in Spain they do not operate since the time of COVID-19. Renfe suspended this service definitely due to profitability. The background idea is that the night train was a commercial service, not a public one, so it should be profitable by itself and, unfortunately, it was not. In 2019 alone, the last year in which this modality was operational, lost 25 million euros.

Cover image | Leo Express

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