Czech Railways order 16 Railjets from ÖBB master agreement with Siemens

Siemens Mobility has received an order from the Czech railway company Ceske Drahy (CD) for the delivery of 16 seven-car Railjet trains. This order involves the takeover of an option that was originally intended for Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). Czech Railways plans to use these Siemens-built intercity trains to modernize its fleet. The Railjets will be deployed on the national mainline between Prague and Brno and in cross-border traffic to Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. Delivery of the trains is expected to start in 2013. All 16 Railjets are due to be delivered to Czech Railways by 2014.

The Railjet trains reach a top speed of 230 km/h and meet all the requirements for international high-speed rail operation. The technical design is based on the service-proven Viaggio Comfort type intercity vehicles. The standard configuration consists of a driving trailer and six intermediate cars that are coupled to a locomotive operating in push-pull mode. The onboard amenities include a bistro car, a restroom that is accessible for persons with reduced mobility, a wheelchair lift on each exit side, spaces reserved for baby carriages and strollers, and a mini-cinema for children. The entire train is 185.5 meters long.

This order involves the takeover of a contract option that was originally intended for Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). The order is worth more than 200 million euros. The trains now being ordered by Czech Railways were actually the third and final part of a large-scale order placed by ÖBB for 67 Railjet trains. In the end, ÖBB ordered 51 of these trains from Siemens, 40 of which have meanwhile been delivered.