photo: ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava press materials/ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava closed another successful year. Even in spite of the pandemic, it reported a year-on-year increase in the volume of goods transported
Rail carrier ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava had a successful year despite the omnipresent pandemic. It managed to overcome many adverse external effects. Thanks to synergies with the parent ORLEN Group, the largest company in Central and Eastern Europe, ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava transported 3,166,209 tonnes of products, up by 20 percent on the year. As a result, the key performance indicator, including the driven transport distance, rose by 15 percent to 1,604,350,480 gross tonne kilometers. The company also recorded an increased share in transport in the electric traction. The proportion of this state-supported environmentally friendly transport went up by nine percent to 59 percent.
“I am pleased that we have managed to cope with many unfavourable situations resulting from the pandemic, including the limited transport capacity through the borders or a lack of qualified staff. But we saw a gradual increase in transport volumes throughout last year. Therefore, I am an optimist and expect the improvements to continue this year, too,” says Ryszard Pilch, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, which is the ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava company part of.
Investments in fleet safety and renovations play a significant role in the company’s development. “Last year, we took over the fifth electric locomotive, Vectron, and a sixth loco will be added soon. Therefore, we can serve even more locations amid the ongoing track electrification, thus increasing the share of transport performed on dependent tractions. Moreover, compared to traditional diesel-fuelled locomotives, state-of-the-art Vectrons consume about half less electricity. That is also why we received a retroactive subsidy for 2020 from the Ministry of Transport. It totalled CZK 4.3 million and was used to cover the costs associated with the purchase and use of electricity from renewable resources,” explains Jaroslav Dvořák, Executive of ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava.
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava has 29 locomotives used for domestic and international transport. The international transport segment has long seen significant goods exchanges among companies from the international ORLEN Group. The company invests in safety on an ongoing basis, gradually equipping its fleet of diesel locomotives with the state-of-the-art European signalling and control system, ETCS. The entire fleet of 753.7 locomotives will have the ETCS by the end of the first half of 2023.
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava is a member of the international ORLEN Group. It offers a broad portfolio of services in the railway market. Besides rail transport, it focuses on forwarding, leasing rail cars, repairs and cleaning services, and consulting services. It is one of the leading freight rail companies operating in the Czech Republic.
Source: ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava press releases