photo: České dráhy press materials/Another success story for Siemens Mobility in Central Europe. It supplies 50 Vectron locomotives with a speed of 230 km/h for Czech Railways
Today, ČD signed a contract with Siemens Mobility Czech republic for the purchase of fifty high-performance Siemens Vectron MS multi-system electric locomotives with a maximum operating speed of 230 km/h. The contract includes full service for 15 years. The locomotives are ready for operation on conventional and high-speed lines. Czech Railways will deploy them on interstate services to Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. Delivery will start in December 2025.
"We have very good experience with Vectron locomotives from Siemens. We currently operate 18 locomotives, and others are used by our subsidiary ČD Cargo. We believe this next generation of Vectron's with a maximum speed of 230 km/h will earn equally positive references. We will deploy them together with 20 ComfortJet non-traction trainsets and they can also run with our Czech Railjets,” said Michal Kraus, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of ČD and Deputy Director-General for Maintenance.
The locomotives for Czech Railways will be manufactured at the Siemens Mobility plant in Munich-Allach. They incorporate the globally proven Siemens ETCS onboard unit solution Trainguard 100/200/300 and are equipped for operation in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. Czech Railways plans to operate the locomotives on the Prague – Hamburg, Prague – Vienna – Graz, and Prague – Budapest lines. Vectron locomotives are the most modern locomotives for passenger transport in Europe and ensure the greatest flexibility thanks to an extensive portfolio of country homologations.
“We are delighted about the trust placed in us by Czech Railways and our biggest Vectron order to date from the Czech Republic. For the first time, our locomotives are also suitable for service on high-speed lines with a top speed of 230 km/h. Czech Railways will thus be ideally equipped for providing flexible, sustainable, and cross-border rail transport. With the additional service contract, we will also guarantee the operational availability of the locomotives,” said Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility.
For Siemens Mobility, the latest period is another big success in the Central European railway market. A week ago, the rolling stock manufacturer won a tender and a framework agreement is to be signed for the addition of up to 115 Vectron locomotives for the Hungarian operator MÁV-START.
Source: Siemens Mobility press releases