According to the notification of the application, Leo Express plans to operate a Prague - Wroclaw service on Fridays, two return services on Saturdays and Sundays and a Wroclaw - Prague service on Mondays.
The services would be operated using the company’s existing fleet of Stadler class 480 Flirt EMUs.
Leo Express SRO and Leo Express Global have applied for a five-year access agreement beginning on December 15 2019. Both subsidiaries have Part A safety certificates issued by the Czech National Safety Authority. Leo Express Global has a Part B certificate, which is valid until April 2022, while LEO Express SRO is in the process of obtaining Part B.
Foreign operators also need to apply for open access to run trains on a given international route. The regulator may then examine the objectives of the proposed service and its impact on the economic equilibrium of train services operated under Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts.
UTK says it will only carry out such a test at the request of an authorised entity. A four-week consultation period on the proposed services was launched on June 24, which allows other operators to raise objections.
Leo Express began operating into Poland with the launch of its Prague - Krakow weekend services in July 2018. These services will be stepped up this summer, operating daily between June 28 and September 2.
In April the operator notified UTK of plans to launch a new service from Prague to Warsaw and Terespol on the Poland-Belarus border.
