Czech Railways to lease more diesel units for the Central Bohemia and Pardubice Regions
The lease is to bridge the time until the delivery of new vehicles from PESA.
Ceske drahy (Czech Railways) wants to bridge the wait for new units from PESA by renting up to 23 low-floor units. There are two contracts worth close to CZK 1 billion (41 million EUR).
The first contract is a tender for delivery of 20 DMU 140 units. The lease period is planned for 56 months with the possibility to draw another three-year option. The estimated value of the contract is CZK 956 million. The second contract is a tender for delivery of three DMU 70 railcars or DMU 70 units for just under two years for CZK 22 million.
The lease is for Ceske drahy to bridge the time until the delivery of new PESA motor units. The lease should also serve as a solution for operation on lines that are up for modernization, where the purchase of modern vehicles is yet to be decided.
“We want to offer our passengers the comfort that meets today’s requirements as soon as possible. The low-floor trains we are interested in will offer more comfortable and safer travel for people with reduced mobility, the elderly, but also for cyclists or mothers with baby carriages. The lease will enable us to improve the quality of services in a very short time before the delivery of brand new trains from the Polish manufacturer PESA,” sais Jiri Jeseta, member of the Board of Directors and Deputy CEO of Ceske drahy.
The vehicles should be low-floor with a capacity of approximately 140 seats or at least 65 seats in DMU 70. A universal space for transporting wheelchairs, baby carriages and bicycles must be available. The speed should be at least 120 km/h or 90 km/h respectively. The leased trains should be deployed mainly in the Central Bohemia and Pardubice Regions; their exact deployment will be discussed with the ordering parties.