The renewal of trains on the Czech railway network is fully underway and has not stopped even during the summer holidays and vacations, when České dráhy takes over the RegioPanter train sets intended for operation in the Vysočina (Highlands) and Olomouc Regions. In the first half of the year, České dráhy put forty new electric multiple units into operation. The modern train sets were deployed on the railway lines in the South Moravian Region, Vysočina (Highlands) Region, Olomouc Region and Moravian-Silesian Region. In the second half of the year, deliveries of RegioPanters will continue and the deployment of new RegioFox diesel multiple units is planned.
“I have good news for our customers. Despite a number of complications and delivery delays on the part of the train manufacturers, we have managed to put into service in the first half of the year already one half of the approximately 80 units which are to replace the outdated train sets this year. This year is a record-breaking year for the renewal of older train sets. In no other year in the history of České dráhy have we managed to replace so many ageing carriages and locomotives with new ones,” says Michal Krapinec, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of České dráhy, and further clarifies these figures. “On a per-carriage basis, we have already put into service 147 new carriages with 12,000 seats, which are low-floor, air-conditioned carriages offering passengers an on-board Wi-Fi network and many other benefits which older trains did not have. This makes travelling on many regional lines more comfortable and in some cases, for example between Olomouc and Uničov, also much faster.”
The largest part of the new trains includes four-carriage Moravia units, which were purchased by the South Moravian Region and will be operated by České dráhy until at least December 2024. České dráhy technicians and specialists contributed, to a large extent, to the rapid commissioning of the Moravia multiple units in the first half of 2023. The modern train sets have replaced older carriages unflatteringly nicknamed “Honeckers” after the former East German leader and the electric locomotives of the 242 class on the backbone electrified railway lines of the South Moravian Region.
“About ten new trains put into operation are formed of our RegioPanter units in two-carriage and three-carriage versions. They replace older trains in Vysočina, Olomouc and Moravian-Silesian Regions. In the Vysočina (Highlands) Region, we will put all the new units into operation still during the summer holidays. During the summer, we also plan to start trial operation of RegioFox diesel multiple units on the railway lines from Rakovník to Beroun and from Beroun to Prague. In the second half of the year, we would like to put into operation another forty or so new RegioPanter and RegioFox units, which are to run on the railway lines of the Olomouc, Central Bohemian, South Bohemian and Pardubice Regions,” points out Jiří Ješeta, Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General of České dráhy for Passenger Transport.
The renewal of traction vehicles is also fully underway. In the first six months of the year, České dráhy took over the first two modernised diesel locomotives (743.2 class) for trial operation, and the deliveries of Siemens Vectron electric locomotives from the RSL leasing company are continuing as well. České dráhy will take over into operation 12 of these locomotives this year and another 22 next year. As far as next year is concerned, deliveries of new RegioPanter and RegioFox units will also continue for the Central Bohemian, Hradec Králové, South Bohemian, Plzeň, Pardubice, Moravian-Silesian and Zlín Regions, as well as to the Vysočina (Highlands) Region.
Passengers will also ride for the first time onboard the new ComfortJet long-distance train sets. Modernisation of the rolling stock, especially on secondary railway lines, is also continuing with modern vehicles purchased on the “second-hand market” abroad. These include such acquisitions as Regio-Shuttle RS 1 rail cars and Desiro Classic train units.
Characteristics of modern electric and diesel multiple units
- modern, bright and well-arranged air-conditioned interior,
- ergonomically designed upholstered seats in the design of 1st and 2nd carriage classes (for Moravia units only 2nd carriage class),
- wheelchair-accessible boarding with a vehicle floor at the level of modern platforms without the need to climb stairs,
- special movable decking for wheelchair passengers to bridge the space between the platform and the carriage floor,
- at stops with lower platforms, an additional pull-out step facilitates boarding,
- modern safe sliding doors operated by push buttons,
- side-selective door unlocking, the doors are centrally closed and locked before the train starts to move,
- for the blind and partially sighted, the units are equipped with a remote door control operated by a blind radio and equipped with an acoustic beacon,
- spacious wheelchair accessible toilet with a closed system,
- folding counter for changing baby nappies,
- 230 V 50 Hz power supply sockets and USB ports for powering passengers’ portable electronics, such as mobile phones, tablets, etc,
- Wi-Fi,
- tiltable or folding tables depending on the seating arrangement,
- recharging batteries for electric wheelchairs or electric bikes,
- the interior space is large enough to accommodate baby carriages, bicycles and other voluminous luggage,
- a modern audiovisual information system providing information about the train journey and stops,
Braille information labels are available for the blind and partially sighted.
Author: Petr Pošta
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