CD to purchase more used Stadler RS1 cars to replace class 814 units
Czech Railways believes class 841 units could run for another 15–20 years.
In addition to the previously announced purchase of new units from the Polish manufacturer PESA, CD intends to purchase additional Stadler RS1 cars. These are no longer in production, but are gradually being phased out by carriers west of the Czech border.
Further plans for the transformation of the CD fleet on regional lines were presented by the carrier in a report on the forthcoming contract in the Plzen Region for performance in the Plzensko and Cesky les networks. Negotiations between the region and the carrier are being finalized; this will be a ten-year contract.
The first half of the contract is to be operated by class 814 units, then Stadler RS1 equipped with ETCS. The service is 520,000 kilometers per year in the Cesky les network and almost three times as much in the Plzensko network. The value of the ten-year contract is approximately CZK 4 billion. For now, Czech Railways is still looking for used vehicles for the Plzen Region. GW Train Regio will also deploy Stadler RS1 vehicles in the Plzen Region.
Demand for dozens of vehicles
In addition to its own 34 RS1 units, CD purchased 22 used units from Germany at the end of 2020. These have been gradually put into service mainly in the Usti nad Labem and Central Bohemia regions. The class 841 units should become key for operations on regional lines in the coming years. The cars were discontinued in 2013 as they no longer met the new TSI standards. ETCS can no longer be installed on class 810 and 814 units. Czech Railways has also requested a replacement for class 810, designated XMU 70, but no manufacturer has signed up to produce such a vehicle.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková.