photo: DAKO-CZ/DAKO-CZ
DAKO-CZ was awarded by the Siemens Brakes department of Siemens Mobility to supply brake components for the new 94 9-car trains for the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. For DAKO-CZ, the manufacturer of brake components for rail vehicles from Třemošnice, this is the largest order from Siemens Mobility to date. The production is planned for the years 2020-2025. In connection with potential optional orders and spare part deliveries, the project might last until 2070. The total value of the base order of brake components for 846 metro cars intended for the Piccadilly Line is about CZK 100 million.
“We started our cooperation with the Siemens Brake department in 2004. The first implemented project was the supply of brake components for Metro Oslo. Since 2013, our cooperation has been very intensive and includes nine implemented projects and related options. In total, we are already talking about thirteen projects focused on the supply of brake components for Metro cars. With projects in Oslo, Warsaw, Munich, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, the blue and green lines in Bangkok, Nuremberg, and Sofia we can say that at the moment 441 underground sets are used all over the world, which is 1,692 cars equipped with the DAKO brake components,” says Lukáš Andrýsek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DAKO-CZ, and adds: “The value of these implemented projects is above 700 million Czech crowns.”
The current delivery of brake components for the London Underground, the Piccadilly Line, is interesting for DAKO-CZ in several ways: its scope, number of car sets, project longevity, and innovative technical approach. The first acceptance of goods (the so-called FAI) is preliminarily planned for the second half of 2021.
The deliveries will include various components designed in close cooperation with Siemens Brakes and directly according to the specifications. In this order, considerable emphasis was placed on the weight which is why the entire brake panel is designed to be as compact as possible. Specifically, DAKO-CZ will supply the following components: pneumatic brake panel, wheel slide protection valves, and further single components, cocks, and pressure reducing valves.
The new Inspiro underground trains for the Piccadilly Line will replace the existing ones from 1970. The London Underground has been in operation since 1863 and is one of the busiest underground systems in the world. Nearly 5,000,000 people use 11 London Underground lines a day, with more than 700,000 using the Piccadilly Line. The new underground cars will be more spacious, fully passable, more accessible and air-conditioned. Thanks to the larger capacity of the cars, greater comfort will be ensured, thus a better driving experience.
“We are pleased that the DAKO brake components will make a significant contribution to the safety of millions of people in London, and I firmly believe that our company will further participate with supplies throughout the life of the underground line,” concludes Lukáš Andrýsek.
ABOUT DAKO-CZ, a.s.
DAKO-CZ is a leading manufacturer of pneumatic, electromechanical and hydraulic brake systems for rail vehicles with more than 205 years of tradition. The company, with an annual turnover exceeding one billion Czech crowns, with about 75% of foreign contracts, is based in Třemošnice in Eastern Bohemia. The owner of the company is the Czechoslovak Group a.s.
DAKO-CZ supplies brake systems and components for freight cars, passenger coaches, suburban units, locomotives, metro cars, and trams. In addition to Siemens Mobility and Stadler Rail Group, customers of DAKO-CZ’s products include, for example, Tatravagónka Poprad a.s. or Škoda Transportation a.s. The rolling stock with DAKO brake systems or components is operated not only in Europe but also in China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia where it cooperates with global rolling stock manufacturers and rail transport operators. The company has its own development department; it has a modern testing laboratory and a design workplace. Therefore, in addition to production, DAKO-CZ also deals with the development of brake systems and their subsequent service.
In 2020, DAKO-CZ opened a new service center at its premises. Due to the fulfillment of the order, the company expanded the production hall in 2020 and completely innovated the logistics, which led to a significant increase in production capacity. In 2020, DAKO-CZ started deliveries for a new customer, the Spanish company TALGO, specifically for its sets intended for Egypt. Other orders went to Poland, Slovenia, Austria, and India. In 2020, DAKO-CZ took second place in the Vodafone Company of the Year competition in the Pardubice Region.
Source: DAKO-CZ press releases