Leo Express

Leo Express Global a.s.

CZ Class 480 of Leo Express
Company type	Joint-stock company
Founded	8 January 2010 (2010-01-08)
Founder	Leoš Novotný
Headquarters	Prague , Czech Republic[1]
Key people	Peter Köhler (CEO) Inmaculada Gutiérrez Carrizo (předsedkyně představenstva) Leoš Novotný (místopředseda představenstva) Ismael Gutiŕrez Sánchez (člen představenstva) Teresa Torres Martin Bala (člen představenstva) Heinz Grossmann (člen představenstva) Ibon García Neill (člen představenstva)
Services	Open-access operator
Revenue	603 mil. CZK (2023) 526 mil. CZK (2022)
Operating income	11 mil. CZK (2023) 3 mil. CZK (2022)
Net income	4 mil. CZK (2023) -3 mil. CZK (2022)
Total assets	494 mil. CZK (2023) 431 mil. CZK (2022)
Owner	Renfe EuroMaint AB LEO Mobility s.r.o. other shareholders
Number of employees	210 (2023) 179 (2022)
Subsidiaries	Leo Express Tenders s.r.o. Leo Express s.r.o. Leo Express Slovensko s.r.o. Leo Express Maintenance s.r.o.
Website	www.leoexpress.com

Leo Express, fis a private transport company providing rail and bus passenger services in Central Europe since 2012. It operates mainly on the commercial route Prague-Ostrava, but its trains also go to Košice and Krakow. The network is complemented by bus lines to Poland and Ukraine. From December 2019, Leo Express also operates regional trains in Pardubice Region, and in December 2023 it took over regional rail transport on the busiest Slovak railway line, Bratislava–Komárno. Together with its main shareholder, the Spanish National Railways Renfe, the company plans strong growth in Central Europe in the coming years, both in commercial lines and in commitment services.

The company was established on January 8, 2010 and renamed Leo Express a.s. on August 15, 2011. In 2021, the Spanish national railway company Renfe acquired a 49.9% stake in the company, while another 5% stake was acquired by the Swedish rolling stock maintenance company EuroMaint.

On 13 November 2012, a trial passenger service was launched by the company, with the launch of a full service having been scheduled for 9 December 2012.^[2] However, due to reported technical issues with the rolling stock, full services were delayed until 18 January 2013.^[3] Under this full service timetable, the company ran a regular service between Prague and Bohumín, calling in at Pardubice, Olomouc, Hranice, Přerov, Suchdol nad Odrou, Studénka and Ostrava.^[4] Additionally, a single service per day ran further to Karviná, Třinec, Český Těšín, Žilina, Poprad–Tatry and Košice in Slovakia. Within three years, Leo Express services had reportedly carried two million passengers.^[5]

In March 2015, the company announced a partnership with the rideshare specialist Uber in major cities.^[6] Via this partnership, Leo Express has implemented its concept of door-to-door public transportation, Uber drivers can be scheduled to pick up passengers from their homes and delivered to the nearest station, and vice versa.^[7][5] During September 2017, Leo Express partnered with the international ticket retailer Trainline, under which tickets for the former's services became available for purchase on the latter's sales channels.^[8] Shortly thereafter, Leo Express also formed a partnership with the German open-access operator FlixTrain to collaborate on services in the German market.^[9] On 26 April 2018, in partnership with Leo Express, FlixTrain launched its first service on the Berlin to Stuttgart route.^[10]

In October 2017, Leo Express was granted open-access rights for a service between Kraków and Prague; the approval made the company the first private operator of long-distance trains in Poland.^[11] On 20 December 2019, in cooperation with the Polish regional train operator Koleje Dolnośląskie, Leo Express commenced services between Prague and Wroclaw; separately, at the time of the launch, the company had secured a permit from Polish authorities to operate a service between Krakow and Medyka on the country's border with Ukraine, and sought approval for another service between Kraków and Warsaw as well.^[12]

In April 2020, Leo Express was compelled to reduce or cancel many of its services, and public concerns over the future of the overall business were aired, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic.^[13] Months later, the company resumed operation of its Czech, Slovakian and Polish services. During late 2021, it was announced that the partnership between Leo Express and FlixTrain had been dissolved, reportedly due to FlixTrain's temporary suspension of operations as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic damage that Leo Express sustained as a result; Leo Express stated its intention to seek new opportunities within the German market.^[14]

During November 2020, Germany's Federal Railway Authority (EBA) certified Leo Express to operate passenger services within Germany, either as an independent operator or through third parties. Accordingly, the operator became the only Czech carrier to have acquired this certification in Germany; it is the fourth country in which Leo Express is permitted to operate, in addition to the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia.^[15] In March 2021, it was announced that the Spanish national operator RENFE was set to acquire a 50 percent stake in Leo Express; the operator stated that it sought to develop its business footprint outside of Spanish market.^[16] In August 2021, the acquisition was reportedly completed, making RENFE the primary partner in Leo Express.^[17]

In July 2022, Leo Express became unable to continue operating services between Nedakonice and Říkovice on the Břeclav–Přerov corridor due to its conversion from 3 kV DC to 25 kV AC electrification.^[18] Although the Flirt units are capable of being upgraded to support 25 kV AC operation,^[19] such an upgrade has not yet been performed. Instead, it has made use of free train capacity on the Prague–Bohumín route.

Commercial routes

Leo Express operates long-distance trains in the Czech Republic on the Prague–Ostrava–Bohumín route, as well as on international routes connecting Prague, Ostrava, and Košice, and Prague, Ostrava, and Krakow.

PSO routes

In October 2010, the company announced its interest in future public service obligations.  From December 2019, the Pardubice Region assigned Leo Express transport services on the PSO routes Ústí nad Orlicí - Letohrad - Jablonné nad Orlicí - Králíky - Mlýnický Dvůr and Dolní Lipka - Hanušovice in Czech Republic.. The carrier has also secured a direct connection Lichkov - Letohrad - Prague and extended connections to Hanušovice or Wrocław. The carrier operates low-floor Alstom Coradia LINT 41 and LINT 27 units on these lines.

The subsidiary Leo Express Slovakia has taken over the operation of regular passenger transport on the busiest Slovak PSO line Bratislava-Komárno as of December 10, 2023, where it replaced ZSSK and ÖBB. The Alstom Coradia LINT 41(German 648 series) units leased from Alpha Trains have been put into service on this line.

Fleet

As of 2024, the Leo Express rail fleet consists of 5 Stadler Flirt EMUs, each with a capacity of 237 passengers. These trains are equipped with various classes, including Economy, Economy Plus, Business and Premium, providing options for different passenger needs. Long-distance low-floor trains feature WiFi, air conditioning, refreshments with delivery to seat, daily press and professional stewards.

The company also operates a fleet of over 25 regional train units Alstom Coradia LINT 41 and LINT 27, which are equipped with amenities such as free Wi-Fi, power outlets, coffee corner and air conditioning.

Leo Express also operates bus lines to Krakow, Lviv and Mukachevo, which connect with the company's trains on the Prague - Ostrava - Košice/Krakow lines.

Economic results

Leo Express, based on audited results, achieved consolidated revenues of CZK 603 mil / EUR 24,4 mil for 2023 with over 1,7 mil customers and expects to reach over CZK 1 bln for year 2024 with around 3,5 mil customers. The carrier plans to reach approximately 5 million train kilometres in 2024. Consolidated EBITDAR for 2023 reached over CZK 140 mil / EUR 5,7 mil (increase y-o-y by +175%) and net profit CZK 4 mil / EUR 165k compared to a loss of CZK -3 mil / EUR-124k in the prior year. The company has also managed to repay all of its bank loans and continues to use financial and operational leasing.

Services

Leo Express offers its customers the Smile Club loyalty program with free registration. Currently, Smile Club members receive a cash back reward. Immediately after registration, they receive 2.5% cash back, with a maximum of 10% cash back. Higher loyalty categories (4 in total) can be achieved through ticket purchases, catering or by topping up leo credits. After each trip, the passenger receives a portion of the ticket price in leo credits according to the current category. For pupils, students and seniors, Leo Express offers a 25% cashback. Other benefits for members of the loyalty program include free seat reservations, free water on board and free ticket cancellations up to the scheduled departure time.

Starting in 2020, Leo Express allows customers to offset the carbon footprint of their trip. The offset compensates for the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the train journey. The contributions fund tree planting in the Czech Republic each year, with the winning project always chosen by the customers themselves. The contribution amount depends on the means of transportation, the class chosen, the occupancy and the exact number of kilometers traveled.

Leo Express has its own mobile app where you can conveniently purchase tickets. They can also use the app to track the current location of their connection on a map, receive notifications about delays, or save their ticket to Apple and Google Wallet.

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  Stadler FLIRT in Leo Express livery
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  Interior of the first class
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  Leo Express bus

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References

External links