Siemens has secured a €75m order from Polish logistics operator and rail freight carrier PKP Cargo to deliver 15 multi-system Vectron locomotives.
The contract includes the provision of spare parts and maintenance for eight years, and a fixed-price €26m option for five additional Vectrons, to be exercised by PKP by the end of 2017.
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Of the 15 Vectrons, 12 will be operated between Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, while the remaining three will be used for services between Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia.
All the locomotives will be equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) and be built at Siemens’ München-Allach manufacturing facility.
Delivery of these locos will start in January 2016, with the last one to be delivered in 2017.
PKP Cargo management board president Adam Purwin said: "This is our largest investment with regard to rolling stock for a long time.
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By GlobalData"We have taken another solid step toward enhancing the international position of PKP Cargo and strengthening our presence in neighbouring countries’ markets.
"Multisystem locomotives are the modern basis of rolling stock, which will make our international transport offering even more attractive and competitive for Polish and international customers."
The locomotives enable PKP to operate its cargo trains seamlessly through different rail network voltages in the EU.
PKP said that the system will allow freight from Germany to Hungary via Poland, Czech and Slovakia with a single locomotive and a single carrier.
According to Siemens, its Vectron locomotive family has been specially developed to meet all the requirements of cross-border rail traffic and accommodates third-party train protection systems, facilitating the retrofitting of country packages in the event of a change in transport tasks.
Siemens mobility division CEO Jochen Eickholt said: "With our Vectron locomotive, we were able to completely fulfill the corridor and performance requirements within the specified timeframe. Vectron is currently the only locomotive family in Europe that can do this."
Image: All 15 multi-system Siemens Vectron locomotives will be equipped with the ETCS. Photo: courtesy of PKP Cargo.
