5 March 2015, 00:00
Škoda Transportation should supply 39 single-deck electric units to Germany. The total value of the contract will exceed ten billion Czech crowns (approx. over 380 mil. EUR). The RegioPanter-type vehicles will operate on the suburban lines of the Bavarian city of Nuremberg.
“It is an absolutely key order which proves that our products are both high-quality and competitive. Our long-term investments in research and development are paying off. Thanks to these investments we can compete with the largest global manufacturers of rolling-stock vehicles. Last but not least, this contract, which is worth ten billion Czech crowns, means that our strategy to focus on western markets is the right one,” says Tomáš Krsek, Chairman of the Board of Škoda Transportation, adding: “It is not only good news for Škoda, but for all of Czech industry. This contract shows that Czech products can succeed even on the most demanding markets in the world.”
Škoda Transportation was in a tender for the supply of vehicles for the British operator National Express against several of the most significant global players such as Bombardier, Alstom, CAF or Stadler. National Express is one of the largest private operators in the field of railway and bus transportation in the world. At monday evening, the ordering party, the Bavarian railway company BEG (Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft), announced that National Express will probably be the winner of the contract for providing suburban transport (S-Bahn) in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg in the period from 2018 to 2030. Škoda will therefore produce 39 modern vehicles, which will replace the Bombardier Talent 2 trainsets currently being operated by Deutsche Bahn on the suburban lines, at the end of 2018.
“In 2013 we succeeded in concluding a contract with Deutsche Bahn for six trainsets including locomotives for the Nuremberg - Ingolstadt – Munich line. It is also thanks to this order that we can today announce that more Czech trains could be operating on the tracks in Bavaria, the strongest German federal state. In the S-Bahn Nürnberg tender, we offered a very high-quality RegioPanter type vehicle, which offers a competitive combination of low operating costs, low energy consumption and a reasonable price,“ adds Zdeněk Majer, vice president for sales at Škoda Transportation.
In recent years, Škoda Transportation has significantly focused on western markets. In the coming months, we are, for example, expecting the announcement of the winner in a tender for the supply of double-deck regional units in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Škoda has qualified in this tender in a consortium with the French company Alstom.