Altogether 34 RegioSpider Rail Cars to Be Operated in the Central Bohemian Region

Passengers in the south and east of the Central Bohemian Region will travel in comfortable RegioShuttle RS1 rail cars, which are called by České dráhy as “RegioSpider”. They offer air-conditioned interiors, wheelchair-accessible boarding, on-board Wi-Fi network or 230 V electrical sockets for charging travel electronics. Thanks to the two-axle-bogie design, they offer a quieter and softer journey than the older 809/810 series rail cars or the RegioNova diesel units. That is why travelling by train will be more comfortable.

“We want to offer our citizens high-quality travelling even on less frequented railway lines in the eastern and southern part of the region. Therefore, the Council of the Central Bohemian Region adopted a resolution, on 8 June this year, to ensure the replacement of old uncomfortable trains with modern air-conditioned and barrier-free trainsets on virtually all the operated regional lines in the Central Bohemian Region in the upcoming years. In addition to modern RegioFoxes or RegioPanters, another type of train will thus appear on the railway lines in our region, meeting the requirements of the 21st century for comfortable travel to schools, work, to the doctor or for sports activities and entertainment,” says Petr Borecký, Member of the Council of the Central Bohemian Region for Public Transport.

“At the beginning of September, we concluded a purchase agreement for 16 more RegioShuttle RS 1 rail cars with the foreign company “Heros”. We plan to operate them in the Central Bohemian Region. We have already purchased and are preparing to purchase up to 34 additional vehicles. These are rail cars which have already been used in Germany and meet the requirements for operation on non-electrified or less frequented lines very well. They will undergo a complete renovation before being put into operation, with new barrier-free toilets, on-board Wi-Fi network, 230 V electrical sockets and USB ports for charging travel electronics and other equipment necessary for operation in the Czech Republic. A part of this work will be ensured by the supplier of the rail cars and the other part of it is expected to be carried out by our subsidiary DPOV,” says Jiří Ješeta, Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General for Passenger Transport, adding important information about when passengers will be able to use these modern trains: “We want to put the rail cars into operation on the Central Bohemian railway lines already from the second half of next year. The first of them will head for the connections around Benešov u Prahy and will replace, for example, the 810 and 809 series rail cars there. From 2025, we will continue to gradually put them into service on the lines in the Mladá Boleslav, Nymburk and Kolín areas.”

In the target state, it is assumed that RegioSpider rail cars will be deployed on such railway lines as Benešov u Prahy – Vlašim, Benešov u Prahy – Olbramovice – Sedlčany, Olbramovice – Tábor and also on the railway lines Kutná Hora – Zruč nad Sázavou, Pečky – Kouřim, Nymburk – Poříčany, Nymburk – Jičín, Nymburk – Mladá Boleslav – Turnov and Mladá Boleslav - Libuň. They will also serve some connections on the railway lines from Mladá Boleslav to Všetaty and Mělník or from Kolín to Nymburk and Kutná Hora.

The RegioShuttle RS 1 rail cars were manufactured by ADtranz, later Stadler Rail, between 1996 and 2013. The Prague-based company “VUKV” also participated in the development of these vehicles. Around 500 rail cars were produced for operation in Germany and the Czech Republic. The rail cars, which are approximately 25 metres long and weigh about 43 tonnes, are powered by two engines, each of them with a power output of 257 to 265 kW, depending on the design. This is more than double, compared to the capacity of the RegioNova units. In addition, all four axles are driven axles. The maximum speed of the vehicles is 120 km/h and the seating capacity varies according to the design, most often around 70 seats. A substantial part of the rail car floor, including the boarding areas (65%), is in a low-floor design at the level of modern platforms. This allows easy boarding for people with impaired mobility, including wheelchair users. The vehicles are ready to be fitted with the ETCS equipment, which will allow them to continue to operate also in future years as the number of railway lines with exclusive ETCS operation is to increase.

České dráhy named this type of rail cars as RegioSpider because it can easily service even the steepest railway line in the Czech Republic from Tanvald to Kořenov. The first carriages entered service in 2011. Thanks to the purchase of additional rail cars already in use in Germany, the number of RegioSpiders will gradually grow to more than a hundred vehicles. They are in operation in the Liberec and Pardubice regions and also in Vysočina (the Highlands Region). Other vehicles are gradually being put into service or will be deployed in the upcoming years on railway lines in the Ústí nad Labem Region, Liberec Region, Plzeň Region, Central Bohemian Region and Pardubice Region. They will mainly replace the 814 series diesel units and the 810/809 series rail cars.