Leo Express applies for seven new Polish rail routes, challenging PKP Intercity

Czech train operator Leo Express is seeking to expand its services in Poland by applying for seven new routes. The company has submitted applications to the Office of Railway Transport (UTK) for services that would connect major Polish cities, including Gdynia, Warsaw, and Zakopane. These new routes, if approved, are set to operate daily for five years, from December 12, 2027, to December 11, 2032. Leo Express plans to use Vectron locomotives and between five to ten carriages, adjusting train composition based on demand. The proposed expansion is expected to create significant competition for the state-owned PKP Intercity, which currently dominates many key routes. The applications include services between Warsaw and Gdynia, Warsaw and Zakopane, Wrocław and Przemyśl, Warsaw and Kraków, Warsaw and Wrocław, Poznań and Lubin, and Gdynia and Łódź. Leo Express highlighted plans for four daily round trips between Warsaw and Zakopane, with travel time estimated at five hours. Similarly, four daily round trips are planned between Warsaw and Gdynia, with a journey time of just over three hours. Leo Express has been operating in Poland since 2018, initially with a Prague-Kraków line, and more recently with a Warsaw-Kraków-Prague service. Another Czech operator, RegioJet, previously ran pilot domestic routes in Poland but ceased them in May 2026, though it continues international services.