Rolling stock manufacturer CZ Loko has won the contract to modernise Czech Railways’ fleet of 14 Class 742 locomotives.
The contract, valued at over 684 million Czech koruna (28.12m euros | 32.12m USD), is part of Czech Railways’ 2030 Strategy to upgrade a significant part of its rolling stock.
CZ Loko will upgrade the four-axle ČKD diesel locomotives dating back to between 1977 to 1986 into new 742.71X Class locomotives, which also go under the trading name EffiShunter 1000M.
The vehicles will be equipped with the ETCS train control system, online monitoring and diagnostics and a new generation of traction and auxiliary equipment.
Only the bogie and main frame will remain the same, but they will also undergo a general overhaul.
The 1,000 kilowatt combustion engine will enable a maximum speed of 100 kilometres an hour.
“The ambition of our modernisation programme is to improve the working conditions of engine drivers and increase the safety of operators and railway operation, increase the reliability of locomotives, extend the service life of the vehicles and provide a more versatile option for use and deployment on lines equipped with ETCS.
“The management of maintenance costs is essential for the company’s economy and within the framework of our social responsibility, the reduction of energy consumption and of exhaust emissions is substantial.”
The first vehicle will be taken over by Czech Railways by the end of February 2023 and the last one by the end of 2024.
The modernised locomotives will be used during voltage closures, for technological and operational runs on ETCS lines, at the front of accident trains and for other service needs.
“Complex modernisation and production of new universal independent traction vehicles is our main production programme with our own know-how. We’re now expanding this programme to include hybrid and dual-system vehicles, with the aim of operating as efficiently and environmentally friendly as possible.
“Even the EffiShunter 1000M Class locomotive, after modernisation, has significantly lower emissions than the original 742 Class that has been running on Czech tracks for more than 40 years.”
