CZECH Railways (ČD) has awarded Pesa a framework agreement for up to 160 two-car DMUs to operate regional services, with an initial order worth Koruna 3bn ($US 138.4m) for 33 DMUs.
The trains, which will be equipped with ETCS, are similar to the Link RegioShark DMUs currently operated by ČD in the Ústí, Liberec, Karlovy Vary, Plzeň, Pardubice and Zlín regions.
The trains will seat 155 passengers across first and second class, and will feature spacious interiors, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi and power sockets, an audio-visual passenger information system and ergonomically designed seats. There will be additional space for luggage, as well as prams and wheelchair users, and the toilets will use a closed system to allow them to be used in stations.
The trains also feature an extendable step to allow seamless boarding at lower platforms.
“It is necessary to keep our word given to the regions and Prague to gradually replace the vehicles on which it is, for example, impossible to install ETCS and which have been unable to satisfy passenger demands for more comfortable travel for a very long time,” says Mr Ivan Bednárik, chairman of the board of directors and director general of ČD. “We will replace them with modern trains motivating the public for more frequent use of railway transport services.”
The vehicles, which have been funded through operating contracts, will enter service in the Central Bohemian, Pardubice, South Bohemian, and Vysočina regions and in Prague with the introduction of the 2023 timetable.
“I am glad that we are opening next chapter in ČD-Pesa relations, especially since we have had years of very good cooperation in the past,” says Pesa CEO, Mr Krzysztof Zdziarski. “The new vehicles are equipped with modern Stage V low emission engines and many more new technical advancements, which meet and exceed the most demanding European standards.”
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