Czech Railways (České dráhy) has ordered 79 Škoda 7Ev electric multiple units, which are known as RegioPanters in the Czech Republic.
The order is based on two framework contracts and comprises 50 two-car trains and 29 three-car trains. Škoda will deliver these trains over the next four years. Czech Railways will put them into passenger service in the Olomouc, Moravian-Silesian and South Bohemian regions in 2023 and 2024.
“RegioPanter trains contribute to significantly improving the quality of domestic rail travel. However, our modern, ecological and comfortable vehicles not only operate on the lines of many regions in the Czech Republic, but also in Slovakia and soon in Latvia. Thanks to new contracts at our plants in Plzeň and Ostrava, we are investing hundreds of millions in expanding and innovating production and also hiring more employees.”
The low-floor RegioPanters will be equipped with modern passenger information systems, wifi and cameras and they will also be ready for automatic train control. Furthermore, they will be equipped with the latest ETCS train control solution. The trains will have a top speed of 160km/h.
The first train from a series of two-car units previously ordered is currently undergoing testing at the VUZ test centre.
“We concluded the first contract for the delivery of up to 50 trains with České dráhy in February 2019. Within this contract we are now producing two-car RegioPanter trains, which have 140 seats. The second framework agreement, up to 60 units of this kind, was recently concluded. From this new contract, České dráhy has already ordered 29 three-car units with a capacity of 234 seats. After the delivery of these newly ordered trains, a total of 167 modern low-floor Panther units will be in operation in the Czech Republic.”
Czech Railways already operates 12 Class 440 and eight Class 640 three-car RegioPanters, 17 Class 650 two-car RegioPanters and 14 long-distance InterPanter trains, Class 660 (three-car) and Class 661 (five-car).
