With a maximum operating speed of 230 km/h, the locomotives are suitable for operations on conventional as well as high-speed lines in fast cross-border passenger traffic, noted Siemens.
“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 Vectrons 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, Germany. They incorporate the globally proven Siemens ETCS on board 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 modern locomotives for passenger transport in Europe and ensure 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.
Siemens Mobility has already sold 1,327 Vectron locomotives to 61 customers. The locomotives have covered more than 500 million kilometers to date and are currently approved for operation in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.