The Czech railway company Leo Express, in cooperation with the Italian carrier Arenaways, is planning a new direct rail connection between Prague in Czechia and Venice in Italy. 

According to notifications submitted to the Italian rail regulator, the service is expected to begin in December 2027, as part of the 2028 timetable, Zdopravy.cz and Treinreizeiger.nl report.

Service and route

The trains are planned to run two pairs per day, with a daytime and a nighttime service in each direction, every day, throughout the year. Travel time between Prague and Venice is approximately 12 hours. 

From Prague, trains are scheduled to depart at 06:06 and 18:06, arriving at Venice Santa Lucia at 18:36 and 06:36 respectively. From Venice, departures are planned at 08:00 and 20:00, with the evening train reaching Klagenfurt at 23:36 and Venice at 06:36.

The proposed route passes through Tábor, České Budějovice in the Czech Republic; Linz, Klagenfurt, and Villach in Austria;, then continues into Italy via Tarvisio, Udine, Pordenone, Conegliano, Treviso, Venice Mestre, and finally Venice St. Lucy (Venezia Santa Lucia). Some stops, such as Graz, are passed without scheduled stops.

Train composition and capacity

The carriers plan to use conventional locomotive-hauled carriages, with six carriages per train offering first- and second-class seating for a total of around 400 passengers. 

Although there is a night service in both directions, there is no indication that sleeper trains will be used. Leo Express has purchased 72 older intercity carriages from the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), but it is not yet known if these will be deployed on this route. These InterCityRijtuigen (ICRm) have not (yet) been certified for operations in Czechia, Austria and Italy, which makes it unlikely.

Current situation

At present, there are no direct trains between Prague and Venice. The cities can be reached with one transfer via Vienna in about 13 hours, or with four short transfers in as little as 11 hours 44 minutes. The 2026 timetable will not change this situation. In the 1990s, Czech Railways operated direct trains on this route.

Ownership and international  connections

The two carriers are financially connected. Spanish state railways Renfe hold a majority stake in Leo Express, and through the company Longtitude, Spaniards own 33% of Arenaways. 

Arenaways has been active since 2010, operating regional trains in Piedmont, Italy. Leo Express, also founded in 2010, already runs international services from the Czech Republic to Poland and Slovakia and earlier this year filed a notification for a night train between Ostend (Belgium) and Bratislava (Slovakia).

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