Czech Republic transfers trains to alternating current

Czech Republic transfers trains to alternating current

Czech Railways handed over the first passenger electric train RegioPanter to Pars Nova, part of the Škoda Transportation Group, for modernization. It is planned to re-equip the DC rolling stock into a two-system one for use in the AC network, informs Railway Supply magazine with reference to the website of the Czech railway.

The measures are being implemented in accordance with plans to unify the traction system in the Czech Republic and replace the 3 kV DC power supply in the north of the republic with 25 kV alternating current. Since the transition will take place gradually, Czech Railways plans to use two-system trains on the lines.

The first is to switch to alternating current the section between the Prunerzow and Kadan stations in the stí nad Labem Region.

By the end of 2022, it is planned to convert all 12 RegioPanter 440 trains into a dual-system 640 series. The modernization includes the installation of additional traction transformers and adjustment due to the increased weight of the braking system. The contract value is CZK 286.8 million (EUR 11 million).

Other carriers are also converting rolling stock for AC operation. For example, ČD Cargo is modernizing its 163 series freight locomotives.

Related:

More than a hundred railway stations will be repaired in the Czech Republic