Modernisation of the RegioShuttle RS 1 Rail Cars for the Central Bohemian Region and of Another Two Rail Cars for the Ústí nad Labem Region Has Started

The DPOV company, a subsidiary of České dráhy, will modernise rail cars of the RegioShuttle RS 1 type, which bear the RegioSpider commercial name at České dráhy, in its plants situated in Přerov and Veselí nad Moravou.

"The first three rail cars originally operated by German transport companies have already been transported from Germany to the Czech Republic. In Germany, they have undergone a periodic renewal intervention and installation of a barrier-free toilet. The so-called Bohemianisation and further modernisation will be carried out in the Přerov-based workshops by DPOV, which is a subsidiary of our company. The rail car interiors will be modified, the air conditioning system will be installed in some of the rail cars, all of them will get an on-board Wi-Fi network and 230 V and USB electrical sockets for the charging of travel electronics, such as mobile phones, laptops or tablets," says Jiří Ješeta, Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General of České dráhy for Passenger Transport.

The vehicles will be newly equipped with a modern information system and will be painted according to the requirements of the client ordering transport services. They will be adapted for operation on the railway network of Správa železnic, railway infrastructure manager in the Czech Republic. There will be installed, for example, a train control system and on some rail cars also new GSM-R radio communication systems and other elements.

Currently, 11 RegioShuttle RS 1 type rail cars purchased from Heros will be modernised at DPOV. They were manufactured in 1997 and 1998 and they have been operated so far by the German carriers "HZL", "BSB" and "SWEG". All the rail cars from this contract will be transported from Germany to the Czech Republic in the course of this year and will be delivered to DPOV for modernisation, from where two of them will head for the Ústí nad Labem Region. They will complement the same type of rail cars already in service in that region and will serve the U21 Roudnice nad Labem - Bříza obec line and the U22 Vraňany - Strašov (- Bříza obec) line.

Nine cars after modernisation will be operated in the Central Bohemian Region where they are to ensure services in the Benešov Area operating set. In this area, they will serve train connections from Benešov u Prahy to Vlašim, Sedlčany and Tábor. Concerning their administration, they will be placed in the Tábor depot.

České dráhy has already taken over and is gradually putting into operation 22 rail cars from Heros in the Ústí nad Labem and Pardubice Regions. These rail cars are being modernised in ŽOS Vrútky. Half of them will be running in the Ústí nad Labem Region and the other half in the Pardubice Region. As far as the Ústí nad Labem Region is concerned, the RS 1 "rail cars" are already running there and the first of the rail cars in the colours of the Pardubice Region is now undergoing the installation of the new ETCS train control system in Zvolen. In the Přerov-based DPOV, these additional 11 rail cars for the Ústí nad Labem and Central Bohemian Regions will undergo modernisation works. Another four RegioShuttle RS 1 railcars purchased from DB were transported to the Czech Republic last week. After the necessary Bohemianisation and periodic renewal activities, they will ensure operation in the eastern part of the Central Bohemian Region.

The RegioShuttle RS1 rail cars feature a modern low-floor design. Two engines with a total power output of more than 500 kW drive all axles in two-axle bogies. As a result, the rail cars feature ideal driving characteristics: comfortable and soft running and high driving dynamics. The maximum speed of the rail cars is 120 km/h and the seating capacity is approximately 70 seats, depending on the particular interior design. České dráhy currently has 55 rail cars of this type in its rolling stock, which represent virtually the only modern alternative for its 810 class rail cars at present.