The First PID RegioPanter Has Entered into Trial Operation on the Central Bohemian Railway Lines

From this day onwards, the first passengers can use the brand-new RegioPanter regional train in the Prague Integrated Transport (“PID”) system colours on the S4 Prague – Kralupy nad Vltavou line. The trial operation of the first unit in live service has already started on this railway line.  By the end of this year, a total of 22 new PID RegioPanter units will be running on the railway lines in Prague, the Central Bohemian and Ústí nad Labem Regions, which are to increase the capacity of suburban electric trains by 4,950 seats. These units are fully air-conditioned, barrier-free and equipped with an on-board Wi-Fi network.

The unit number 640.234 has departed from Prague Masaryk railway station at 09:12 hours today.

"Hundreds of thousands of people commute to work or schools from the Central Bohemian Region to Prague by train every day. Our national carrier offers them an ever better and more comfortable journey thanks to the acquisition of new modern units, such as RegioPanters. They offer everything what a modern passenger expects, from air conditioning to the ability to charge a mobile phone or tablet. I am convinced that these innovations will bring more passengers to the Czech railway network,” says Martin Kupka, Transport Minister.

“Every year we invest several billion crowns in the renewal of the rolling stock and in the assurance of the operation of all railway lines in the Central Bohemian Region.  The deployment of the Panthers brand-new units to Kolín and Kralupy represents a particular result of negotiations with carriers and efforts to improve the quality of public transport. Within this meaning, we have also made a promise to our citizens. We know that capital expenditures aimed at the public transport fundamentally increase its attractiveness for passengers, and therefore we will continue this way. The new trains are also an attractive alternative to individual motoring activities and will help us to relieve the congested roads in the Central Bohemian Region,” says Petra Pecková, Chairperson of the Council of the Regional Authority of the Central Bohemian Region, continuing: “Passengers will certainly appreciate the sufficiently large spaces for the placement of prams and bicycles or the barrier-free accessibility.”

“It is very important for the capital city that as many people as possible who commute here on a daily basis use railway transport, which will relieve Prague's congested roads. It is therefore essential to increase the travel comfort of passengers in public transport and to continuously modernise the rolling stock operated. Each capital expenditure project of such a type increases the attractiveness of public transport for passengers. That is why we want not only to continue to purchase modern means of transport in Prague, but also to build up the new transport infrastructure, such as new tram lines or the metro D line,” said Zdeněk Hřib, 1st Deputy Mayor of Prague for Transport.

“The RegioPanter train sets will represent the new backbone of the regional rolling stock of České dráhy. Thanks to them, passengers will experience the travel comfort which was previously a standard only on long-distance trains. I am glad that a large number of these modern vehicles are heading for the railway lines in Prague and in the Central Bohemian Region, where they will strengthen the capacity of electric suburban train services. The total number of modern electric CityElefant and RegioPanter units in the PID system will thus exceed 90 units and will offer passengers a total of almost 27,000 seats. On less busy railway lines, passengers can also look forward to the well-proven RegioSpider rail cars in the upcoming years,” says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of České dráhy, adding: “This year we will carry out the largest renewal of regional and long-distance trains since the establishment of České dráhy. We will put about 440 individual vehicles into service. Without much exaggeration, we will literally experience a qualitative revolution on the domestic railway network.”

“Within the framework of the current trial operation, the runs of the 640.234 unit will serve primarily to familiarise personnel with the new unit directly in operation. Depending on the current operational needs, the RegioPanters will serve up to three pairs of connections between Prague and Kralupy nad Vltavou every day,” says Jakub Goliáš, Director of the Regional Business Centre of the Central Region of České dráhy, describing the trial operation.

“From this year’s December, the new RegioPanter train sets will be the domain of the S4 line from Prague to Kralupy nad Vltavou and further to the north. Offering more seats at peak times and top quality at the same time could attract more passengers to the trains from among car drivers who struggle for space every day on the D8 motorway or on the roads from Roztoky or Horoměřice to Prague Dejvice. Fast and reliable trains are also increasingly interlinked with regional bus services. For example, since this year, people from Velké Přílepy or Úholičky can also use trains on this line thanks to the new route of bus line 409,” stresses Petr Tomčík, ROPID Director.

“The deployment of these modern electric units on the S4 line and eventually also on the R41 line to Kutná Hora will significantly increase the travel comfort for passengers. This is only the beginning of the renewal of rolling stock within the Central Bohemian Region. I believe that these high-quality vehicles will be attractive for current and future public transport passengers,” says Zdeněk Šponar, IDSK Director.

“The first RegioPanter, which is the cornerstone of the regional railway transport in the Czech Republic, is entering into operation with passengers in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region. In such regions as Prague and the Central Bohemian Region, where daily commuting to work and school predominates, our goal is clear: to offer an attractive alternative to travelling by car. By producing modern electric units, we would like to inspire people to make more use of public transport and thus encourage more sustainable modes of transport. And RegioPanters are undoubtedly the right solution for joining the Prague's integrated transport system. I believe that passengers will love them as much as they do in other parts of the Czech Republic as well as abroad,” said Tomáš Ignačák, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of Regions CZ/SK and Central East at the Škoda Group.

From December 2024, the new RegioPanter trains will be deployed on the S4 line “Prague – Kralupy nad Vltavou – Ústí nad Labem”, where the rush-hour connections on the section between Prague and Kralupy nad Vltavou will be operated in a double traction system with a capacity of up to 450 seats, and only one RegioPanter will run on the less frequented section from Kralupy nad Vltavou to Ústí nad Labem and back. The second line served by the new trains will be the R 41 line “Prague – Kolín – Kutná Hora”, which is to offer, in a new concept, all-day fast travelling from all towns and villages between Poříčany and Kolín to the capital city.

Twenty-two units of the 640.2 RegioPanter class for the PID system are a part of the contract to produce a total of 60 trains for České dráhy. Their maximum speed is 160 km/h, power output 2,040 kW, weight more than 150 tonnes and length 79.4 metres. The Central Bohemian “Panters” differ from the units intended for other regions in terms of their interior design, where the number of 1st carriage class seats is higher (at the customer’s request). The PID RegioPanter train sets have the 1st carriage class seats at both ends of the train in the compartments behind the driver’s cab and offer a total of 16 seats in the higher category, which is twice as many as in the case of other units of the same class. In total, the PID RegioPanters offer 225 seats.

Benefits and services on the board of the RegioPanter trainsets

• Modern bright and well-arranged air-conditioned interior with ergonomically designed upholstered seats in the 2nd and 1st carriage classes, with increased capacity in the 1st carriage class from 8 to 16 seats for the Prague Integrated Transport System (“PID”);
• Wheelchair-accessible boarding with the vehicle floor at the level of modern platforms without the need to climb stairs; the trainsets are equipped with a platform for wheelchair passengers to overbridge the space between the boarding platform and the vehicle floor; an additional pull-out step facilitates boarding at stops with lower platforms;
• Wheelchair-accessible boarding with the vehicle floor at the level of modern platforms without the need to climb stairs; the trainsets are equipped with a platform for wheelchair passengers to overbridge the space between the boarding platform and the vehicle floor; an additional pull-out step facilitates boarding at stops with lower platforms;
• A spacious wheelchair-accessible toilet with a closed system and equipped with a folding table for changing baby nappies;
• Additional services, such as electrical sockets for powering portable electronics, for example mobile phones, tablets etc. including USB ports, Wi-Fi, tilting or folding tables according to the seat layout arrangement and 230 V sockets for charging electric wheelchair batteries, individual reading lights for individual seats;
• Sufficiently large space to accommodate wheelchair passengers, pram placement, bicycles and other large luggage;
• A modern audiovisual information system providing information about the train journey and stops to all passengers, including blind, partially sighted or deaf people; for the blind and partially sighted people, information labels in Braille and haptic buttons are also available inside the trainset.