ČD Cargo receives two Vectron Last Mile locomotives, to operate mainly in Austria
For the first time, ČD Cargo's locomotives are painted with Alpine motifs and the Austrian flag.
ČD Cargo has taken delivery of two new Siemens Vectron AC DPM locomotives. The relatively less common version of the Vectron can operate on both AC systems used on Europe’s main electrified lines. The locomotive can also run off electrified lines thanks to a diesel engine called the Diesel Power Module. This module is used for the first and last mile.
Last week, the locomotives were transported to the ČD Cargo depot in České Budějovice for modifications and paintwork. They will be used mainly for services in Austria. The purchase resulted from a tender that ČD Cargo closed at the turn of 2021 and 2022.
The locomotives, designated 393.001 and 393.002, are designed for operation in 15 kV/16.7 Hz and 25 kV/50 Hz power systems. They can therefore be used on some lines in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and especially in Austria and Germany. The diesel unit has an output of 180 kW and is thus designed for speeds of up to 30 km/h and for driving between electrified lines and sidings.
These are the thirteenth and fourteenth Siemens Vectron locomotives owned by ČD Cargo. The company will take over another ten Vectrons next year. These will be multi-system locomotives with the designation A54, approved for operation in Belgium and the Netherlands. This gives us an idea of where the company will be focusing its foreign expansion efforts.
When it comes to new electric locomotives, however, ČD Cargo is betting on the two most popular locomotive series from Siemens and Alstom. In the case of the Traxx series, the company already has sixteen locomotives and will receive ten more in 2024 and eleven in 2025.
By the end of 2025, ČD Cargo will have a total of 61 interoperable locomotives, and this number is far from complete. Negotiations are currently underway to exercise the last part of the option from the framework agreement with Alstom and expand the locomotive fleet in the CD Cargo Poland and Slovakia subsidiaries.
ČD Cargo is in the process of renewing and maintaining its fleet, so these are certainly not the last purchases. It is no secret that the company is also pursuing the development of Vectron locomotives in the dual-mode version.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková