Leo Express's Talgo unveiled
posted on 23rd Apr 2026 17:00
On 23 April 2026 at Praha hl. n., the operator Leo Express held the first official presentation of the Talgo train, which had previously been stored in the Karviná region (north-east of the Czech Republic). Shortly after 11.00 h, the rake 6B16, hauled by Vectron 7193 226 and carrying invited guests and journalists on board, departed as Ex 10009 bound for Bratislava, with scheduled 20-minute stops in Pardubice, Olomouc, Otrokovice, Staré Město u Uherského Hradiště, Hodonín and Břeclav. The train was scheduled to arrive in Bratislava at 18.05 h.
In response to our inquiry, the LE stated that the Talgo, acquired from Renfe, is now fully approved for operation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and therefore nothing stands in the way of launching the new Praha – Olomouc – Bratislava and Praha – Ostrava – Prešov services beginning on 30 April 2026. An interesting detail is that despite signs proclaiming a "sun-fueled innovation" on the train, no solar panels are installed on the generator car so far. The presence of the generator car was impossible to overlook or ignore, as its constant hum drowned out even the speeches of the managers...
With the Talgo trains, Leo Express is introducing a new feature: a bistro car, positioned between Business and Economy class cars. The first train is also equipped with a vending machine offering drinks and snacks, a microwave oven for heating food from the vending machine, as well as a water dispenser. In Business class, passengers will also have access to a self-service coffee machine, a beverage refrigerator, and other light refreshments. For now, this is a pilot program limited to a single train set during the initial phase of operation.
