An 8.5-kilometre-long Train Consisting of New Vehicles to Arrive for České dráhy in 2024

Rolling stock manufacturers should deliver almost 140 new units and locomotives to České dráhy in 2024. If all the new vehicles were coupled in a single train set, such a train would measure almost 8.5 kilometres. This is, for example, the distance from Bohumín to Ostrava or from Kolín to Velký Osek.

"If the replacement of older trains with new ones has been a kind of evolution so far, then the year 2024 will represent a small revolution on the Czech railway network. Such manufacturing companies as Škoda Group, Poland-based PESA, the Siemens Mobility – Škoda Group consortium and Siemens Mobility through the RSL leasing company should supply us with almost 140 electric, diesel and non-traction units and electric locomotives this year. If each carriage and unit cell were counted separately, it would mean approximately 440 individual vehicles. Converted to seats, we will put into service more than 22,000 comfortable seats in air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible train sets with on-board Wi-Fi and other amenities forming a natural part of the 21st century travelling. To give you an idea, this number of seats on modern trains corresponds roughly to the population of such Czech towns as Strakonice, Sokolov or Klatovy,” says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of České dráhy.

“This year, deliveries of RegioPanter electric units in two-carriage versions and three-carriage designs will continue and by the end of the year the two framework contracts for a total of 110 units should be fulfilled. We are also counting on the beginning of deliveries of RegioFoxes, the supply of which has been delayed mainly in the area of approval for operation. Because of this fact, we should put a larger number of them into service in one batch this year. In the summer, we plan to start trial operation of ComfortJet train sets on the Prague – Ostrava and Ostrava – Prague – Františkovy Lázně lines and subsequently also on the trains to Berlin. And during the year we will continue to take over 22 Siemens Vectron locomotives from the RSL leasing company. By the end of the year, we will have 50 modern locomotives at our disposal from this company,” adds Jiří Ješeta, Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General of ČD for Passenger Transport, providing more detailed information about the nearest developments.

The new vehicles will be running on the tracks of 13 regions of the Czech Republic. The largest numbers of new regional trains will be deployed in Prague and in the Central Bohemian Region, the Hradec Králové Region and the Olomouc Region. Many times, the new train units are crossing borders of individual regions and provide services to several regions at once. In 2024, the new multiple units will be delivered, for example, for such railway lines as České Budějovice – Rybník – Lipno nad Vltavou, Prague – Ústí nad Labem, from Hradec Králové to Chlumec nad Cidlinou and Týniště nad Orlicí, as well as for the railway lines Pardubice – Havlíčkův Brod and Havlíčkův Brod – Jihlava – Slavonice, from Přerov via Otrokovice and Staré Město u Uh. Hradiště to Břeclav and for many other backbone and regional railway lines in the Czech Republic.