České dráhy to take over 12 Siemens Vectron locomotives this year
A dozen Vectrons will be delivered by RSL leasing company between May and the end of 2023.
České dráhy will take delivery of twelve more Siemens Vectron locomotives this year. The locomotives will be leased from Rolling Stock Lease (RSL). The Czech national operator has a contract with the leasing company for the delivery of 50 locomotives. The contract will end next year with the takeover of the last 22 vehicles.
České dráhy currently operates 27 Vectron locomotives, of which 26 are from leasing companies, ELL (10) and RSL (16). ČD owns only one Vectron: a four-system vehicle in the livery of the Railway Research Institute (VUZ).
The locomotives are used mainly on the Prague – Berlin – Hamburg/Kiel line, the Prague – Staré Město u Uherského Hradiště line, the Prague – Plzeň – Cheb line, and the Cheb – Ústí nad Labem line together with non-traction InterJet units.
ČD will be the first Siemens customer to purchase the 230 km/h Vectron. The operator has ordered 50 of these locomotives, which are expected to enter service in 2025. They will run with ComfortJet non-traction units on routes to Hamburg, Graz and Budapest, among others.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková