Estonian Railways ordered ten more electric trains from Škoda

Less than two years after signing a contract with the Estonian state carrier Elron, Škoda Transportation received another order for new electric trains in the Baltic countries.

Elron has announced that it will exercise the full option and order an additional ten units in addition to the six three-wheel sections. The agreement has already been approved by the government, the purchase must be supported by the European Union. All sixteen three-car trains must be delivered by 2027. Production of the first series begins, they should be delivered by 2024, reports Railway Supply with reference to Zdopravy.

According to Lauri Bethlem, the chairman of the board of Elron , the need for new trains for Estonia is great, so they decided to buy more. “In addition, this is also a big step towards a cleaner environment. These days Elron already uses 100% of electricity from renewable sources. Our goal is to reduce the share of diesel fuel in our energy consumption to a minimum by 2030 and, if possible, completely abandon it,” he added. According to him, the number of passengers on the railway is constantly growing, and the company should plan 10-15 years ahead.

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The carrier did not specify the cost of the order. The first contract for six units cost 56.2 million euros. If the price has not fundamentally changed, it should be about 93 million euros.

Škoda will deliver two-system units to Estonia, the maximum length of which will be 85 meters. They will run on the Tallinn-Tartu line. According to Elron, the electric units will have some removable seats to accommodate more bikes in the summer. Places for eating and drinking should also be a novelty.

In the competition, Elron evaluated not only price, but also a total of eleven criteria, such as electricity costs, maintenance or acceleration. “Škoda’s offer turned out to be better in terms of price and operating costs,” the carrier said.

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