České dráhy and Škoda Transportation sign contract for first BEMUs
New units should be delivered for trial operation in the Moravian-Silesian Region by November 2024.
České dráhy signed a contract with Škoda Transportation for the delivery of four battery electric multiple units (BEMUs). An annex to a Škoda Group framework contract for electric units, published by the operator, states that the vehicles will be delivered for trial operation in the Moravian-Silesian Region by the end of November 2024.
These are the first BEMUs for both České dráhy and Škoda Transportation; they will be used on the S8 line Bohumín – Ostrava – Studénka – Štramberk – Veřovice, as required by the Moravian-Silesian Region.
There was no competition for the purchase. České dráhy used an existing contract for the purchase of EMU 160 electric units. Some manufacturers had indicated that they would object to such a change in the subject of the contract, but in the end, according to ČD, this did not happen.
An extra EUR 1.5 million for batteries
A BEMU 160 will cost EUR 6.5 million, i.e. EUR 1.5 million more than the price of an EMU. In other words, converting four EMUs to BEMUs will cost the operator more than one electric unit. A higher price per kilometer paid by the Moravian-Silesian Region will cover the difference. The region can buy these units from the operator before the contract with the operator expires.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková