Czech Railways holds hope for small hybrid unit development
Several manufacturers are looking into the possibility of developing and producing a small hybrid unit, CD market consultations reveal.
The CD-organized market consultations revealed that a small hybrid unit combining trolley and battery power to replace the 810 series is not on the market yet. However, manufacturers are interested in developing such a vehicle, the carrier concluded after eleven of them signed up for the consultations.
The Czech Railways is interested in a 50–70 passenger unit. Since several manufacturers are looking into the possibility of developing and producing a similar unit, CD abandoned the idea of financially participating in the development of such a vehicle. In the meantime, the carrier plans to use existing cars and buy modern used motor units such as class 841.
Based on the preliminary market consultations, CD initially intended to call for tender for the delivery of up to 200 dual-source units with batteries recharged from the trolley or from a charger at the terminals. The units would be deployed mainly on local lines connecting to the corridors.
The outcome of the market consultations is no surprise. An earlier conventional diesel consultation produced similar results, and the tender for the lease of vehicles was canceled. The replacement of the outdated class 810 and 814 units thus remains unresolved.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková.