Skoda transports the first EMU for Latvia from Ostrava to Plzen by road
The capacity of the vehicles is 400 seated and up to 450 standing passengers.
Skoda Vagonka (member of Skoda Transportation) has assembled the first RegioPanter EMU for Latvian state carrier Pasazieru Vilciens in Ostrava and begun its transfer to Plzen this week. At the parent company Skoda Transportation, the unit will undergo a series of tests and trials. These will take place over several months.
The train‘s individual cars are being transported to Plzen by road. Transport on rails is not possible due to gauge difference. The other units will be transported directly to Latvia. Latvian railways expect to deploy the first unit this fall.
Skoda will produce a total of 32 trains for Latvian railways, the price of the order is around EUR 245 million inclusive of maintenance, spare parts supply and training. Deliveries are expected to run from September 2022 to December 2023. Latvian railways plan to deploy the Czech trains on routes from Riga to the cities of Aizkraukle, Tukums, Skulte, and Jelgava.
The new electric units are designed to operate on railroads with a gauge of 1,520 mm and a 3 kV supply system with the possibility of a future change to 25 kV. The vehicles must withstand climatic conditions from −40 °C to +40 °C. The capacity of the vehicles is 400 seated and up to 450 standing passengers. The maximum speed is 160 km/h.