Bombardier Transportation and CD Cargo, the freight subsidiary of Czech Railways, have signed a purchase agreement for 54 Bombardier Traxx MS3 locomotives. This is the latest generation of the multi-system locomotive, equipped with a last-mile function to easily bridge non-electrified track sections found in ports or freight terminals.

The first call-off is for 10 Traxx MS3 locomotives. CD Cargo will employ these locomotives for freight and passenger transport in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary while extending the fleet’s operability to Slovenia and Croatia. Ivan Bednárik, Chairman of the Board of Directors, CD Cargo, said: “The new Traxx MS3 locomotive will be the most modern in our fleet. Its powerful traction and cost-effective long-distance performance will support our international business strategy and be fully interoperable in both the domestic market and neighbouring countries.”

Traxx MS3

The new multi-system locomotive will be equipped with the latest version of the European Train Control System, Baseline 3, ensuring seamless operation from day one. It addresses customers’ need for improved profitability, increased flexibility as well as for more reliable performance and availability throughout the locomotive’s entire lifecycle, explained the manufacturer.

For greater planning efficiency and most economical operation, the new Traxx 3 platform has been designed around the freight industry’s latest digital maintenance solutions. Intelligent platforms based on Conditional Based Maintenance, Big Data and IoT technology correlate data coming from the vehicle and the rail infrastructure to monitor the vehicle’s health in real-time, predicting maintenance interventions, while guaranteeing maximum fleet performance and availability.

East-European market

“With this success in the Czech Republic, the order marks the entry of our new locomotive platform in the Central, Eastern and South Eastern European market”, commented Michael Fohrer, President for the regions Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Israel, CIS and China at Bombardier Transportation. “We are proud of the trust and confidence that our new customer CD Cargo has placed in our innovative Traxx MS3 locomotive”,

Bombardier is the second largest rolling stock manufacturing company in Czech Republic. It has more than 1,000 employees in its Ceska Lipa manufacturing site, which is key supplier of welded components for Bombardier’s regional and commuter trains, trams and metros. The Traxx MS3 locomotives will be assembled at Bombardier’s site in Kassel, Germany, with the carbodies coming from Wroclaw, Poland and the bogies produced in Siegen, Germany.