AWT orders three Eurosprinter locos

Towards the end of this year, the fleet of the multinational railway operator AWT will be enhanced by three universal high power Siemens electric locomotives. The contract for delivery of the interoperable Eurosprinter ES64U4 locomotives was signed end of August. Besides the Czech Republic, these locomotives can be operated also on German, Austrian and Hungarian tracks. They are equipped with the LZB/PZB and MIREL national train protection systems. The locomotives can also be provided with additional national train protection systems, thus extending their operability to other countries.

The signature of the contract is just the first step in modernization of AWT’s vehicle fleet. However, AWT has recorded a very positive experience with modern locomotives from Siemens. The operator has leased, on a long term basis, two electric locomotives Eurosprinter type ES64F4 from the MRCE Dispolok pool and uses them on tracks in the Czech Republic and surrounding countries from the last year.

The AWT Group is a private provider of rail freight services in Europe. It provides comprehensive solutions mainly to large industrial companies in Central and Eastern Europe, primarily transporting heavy commodities such as coal and steel, and components for the automobile industry. Its activities support the transfer of heavy freight transport from roads and highways to the railway. This brings about a significant reduction of energy consumption and of detrimental impact of freight traffic on the nature, natural environment, road traffic fluency and quality of roads. Most of freight transport cases of this type start or end outside the Czech territory, which is another reason for orientation towards interoperable vehicles, such as the Eurosprinter locomotives from Siemens, capable of operating on long distance European lines.