Leo Express to lease trains for operation in Slovakia through Renfe
The company will operate on the Bratislava – Komárno line from December 2023.
Leo Express will lease 21 Alstom Coradia Lint 41 DMUs to operate regional services on the Bratislava – Dunajská Streda – Komárno line, the Spanish railway operator informed in a press release. The Alpha Trains-owned units will be leased through Renfe Alquiler, a subsidiary of Renfe, the Spanish state-owned railways that is the main shareholder in Leo Express.
The Slovak transport ministry had hoped for an earlier start of the contract, however, Renfe expects to start operations in December 2023. The Lint 41 units with a seating capacity of 140 will be delivered by August 2023. The Spanish company sees its first international operation as a part of its plan to expand to international markets including leasing of rolling stock.
Leo Express was awarded the public service obligation (PSO), its first in Slovakia, last year. Until December 2020, the line from Bratislava to Komárno was operated by RegioJet which was then provisionally replaced by the national operator ŽSSK in cooperation with ÖBB.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková.