State-owned Czech operator ČD Cargo has commenced trial operations with two Bombardier Traxx MS3 locomotives.
ČD Cargo and Bombardier Transportation signed a contract for the delivery of up to 50 Traxx MS3 locomotives, with a first call-off order for 10. ČD Cargo will use the locomotives for freight and passenger transport in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary while extending the fleet’s operability to Slovenia and Croatia.
The first two of these locomotives started commercial trials pulling freight trains on 3 July 2020.
Ivan Bednárik, chairman of ČD Cargo, said: “Using this modern locomotive in our fleet will enable us to offer our customers additional services, thanks to its increased power and efficiency.”
“We are also proud to be the first ones to operate the Traxx MS3 locomotive, the first locomotive to be fully compliant with the new Czech Electromagnetic Compatibility standard, which is one of the most stringent in Europe.
“This recently achieved authorization shows that our new locomotive is at the forefront of modern rail vehicles in Europe.”
The ČD Cargo fleet includes almost 800 locomotives and more than 20,000 freight wagons. It transports around 65 million tonnes of freight annually and offers services, not only in the Czech Republic, but also to Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia.
Tomáš Holý, Bombardier Transportation’s sales Representative for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, added: “It’s a very proud moment, not just for me, but for everyone at Bombardier to see the Traxx MS3 locomotive enter in commercial operation.
“The vehicle addresses our customer’s need for a forward-looking product based on a proven platform: to date, more than 2,000 Traxx locomotives are operating in 20 countries, covering a combined distance of 300 million kilometres per year.”
Bombardier is the second largest rolling stock manufacturing company in the Czech Republic. It has around 1,300 employees in its Ceska Lipa manufacturing site, which supplies welded components for Bombardier’s regional and commuter trains, trams and metros. In addition, almost 50 Traxx locomotives are in service for several Czech operators, for whom Bombardier also provides service and maintenance.
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