Leo Express beats Czech Railways for Prague-Munich contract
CZECH: Leo Express has been awarded the five-year contract to operate the Czech portion of the Prague-Munich express service from December 2026, selected over incumbent Czech Railways on price.
The Czech Ministry of Transport chose Leo Express, whose bid of CZK 427 million was significantly below Czech Railways’ offer of CZK 757 million for the same five-year period.
A 15-day standstill period began on 24 March, during which Czech Railways may lodge an appeal against the award decision.
Talgo stock from Renfe, German section still to be resolved
The contract covers the Czech portion of the 439-kilometre route — Praha–Plzeň–Domažlice to the German border — with eight daily return services at two-hour intervals planned from 13 December 2026.
To operate the full Praha–München service, Leo Express must reach agreement with Die Länderbahn, which currently runs the German section under the Alex brand in cooperation with Czech Railways. No agreement has been announced. Failing a deal, Leo Express would need to operate open-access services in Germany at its own commercial risk.
Leo Express plans to deploy refurbished Talgo Pendular Series VI coaches leased from Renfe, the Spanish national operator that holds a 50% stake in the Czech private carrier.