Two major developments in European rail underline how international long-distance services are expanding both through new open-access routes and major infrastructure upgrades. Private operator Leo Express from Czechia is preparing its first move into the German passenger market with a trans-European service from Frankfurt to the Polish–Ukrainian border, while Austria’s ÖBB has launched a dramatically faster Vienna–Trieste connection following the opening of the long-awaited Koralm Railway.

Leo Express to launch Frankfurt–Przemyśl service via Central Europe

Leo Express will enter the German passenger rail market from 25 June 2026 with a new long-distance international service linking Germany, Czechia and Poland, extending to Przemyśl in south-east Poland near the border with Ukraine. The once-daily service in each direction will be Leo Express’s first operation in Germany, with tickets already on sale from €10.

The route is planned to start in Przemyśl and run via Kraków, Ostrava, Prague, Dresden, Leipzig and Erfurt, terminating at Frankfurt and Frankfurt Airport. At more than 1,300 kilometres, the operator describes it as one of the longest direct train services in Europe and positions it as a new east–west artery between major economic centres.

CEO Peter Köhler said the service would act as a “full-fledged trans-European connection”, adding that it would help bridge long-standing divisions between Western and Eastern Europe while offering access towards Ukraine. In Germany, he said, Leo Express would provide “an alternative to existing operators”.

According to the published timetable, Train 232 will depart Przemyśl at 13:31 and arrive at Frankfurt Airport at 07:53 the following morning. The return service, Train 235, will leave Frankfurt Airport at 08:27 and reach Przemyśl at 02:23. The airport stop is intended to support onward air connections, while also offering early-morning access to Frankfurt Airport from Saxony and Thuringia and direct eastbound links from Hessen, Thuringia and Saxony towards Poland.

Leo Express has confirmed that the train will call at Leipzig via the tunnel station to avoid a change of direction, with additional intermediate stops planned at Weißenfels, Naumburg, Apolda and Weimar. Connections onwards from Przemyśl further into Ukraine are also envisaged.

Initially, the service will be sold without seat reservations, with reserved seating and a Business Class product planned from January. Even ahead of launch, however, the operator has flagged several regular operational restrictions linked to construction and maintenance work, including later departures on Mondays and partial route operations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The move into Germany forms part of Leo Express’s wider international expansion under its majority owner Renfe from Spain, which took control in December 2021. Since then, the Czech operator has expanded cross-border services into Poland, taken on contracted regional work in Slovakia and grown its open-access long-distance offer. In 2024, Leo Express reported a net profit of €1.7 million, up from €165,000 the previous year, on revenues of €40.4 million.

ÖBB cuts Vienna–Trieste journey times via new Koralm Railway

At the same time, Austria’s state operator ÖBB has launched a significantly faster Railjet Xpress connection between Vienna and Trieste following the opening of the Koralm Railway. With the December 14, 2025 timetable change, the new service has reduced end-to-end journey times by almost three hours, strengthening direct rail links from the Austrian capital to the Adriatic Sea.

The upgraded RJX now runs via Graz, Klagenfurt and Villach before continuing into Italy through Udine and Grado to Trieste. ÖBB says the Vienna–Trieste journey time has been cut to 6 hours and 38 minutes, down from 9 hours and 18 minutes. Travel times on the Vienna–Venice corridor have also been reduced, to 7 hours and 10 minutes.

The first service under the new pattern was ceremonially welcomed in Trieste. Kurt Bauer, Head of Long-Distance Passenger Services at ◊, said the opening of the Koralm Railway marked “the beginning of a new era in rail travel”, bringing Austria and Italy closer together while increasing frequencies and cutting journey times.

Under the new timetable, one daily Railjet Xpress departs Vienna Main Station at 06:53, reaching Trieste at 13:31, with the return service leaving Trieste in the early afternoon and arriving back in Vienna just after 21:00.

Beyond the international link, ÖBB has also expanded services along Austria’s southern axis. Vienna–Graz now benefits from a half-hourly service with 33 daily connections, Graz–Klagenfurt has risen to 29 daily trains from a handful of bus links, and Vienna–Klagenfurt now offers 26 daily connections.

These improvements follow the opening of the €6 billion Koralm Railway earlier this month. Nearly three decades in the making, the 130-kilometre, 230 km/h line – anchored by the 33-kilometre Koralm Tunnel between Styria and Carinthia – cuts Graz–Klagenfurt journey times from around two hours to just 41 minutes. 

With freight already using the route and passenger services ramping up, the Koralm axis provides ÖBB with a new high-capacity north–south backbone, freeing up capacity and making through-services to Italy and beyond far more competitive.

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