EffiShunter 1000 produced by CZ LOKO became the first ever locomotive manufactured by us that is equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS). Until now, no manufacturer in the Czech Republic has managed to install it. It will be operated in the colours of ČD Cargo, which received the first of five ordered vehicles today in Břeclav. The rest will follow by the end of the year.
These are the first locomotives equipped with ETCS already in production. Up to now, they have only been produced with so-called preparation. Over the next few years, ETCS will become a prerequisite for the operation of all trains on the main lines not only in the Czech Republic, but throughout the European Union.
“Without a top-class product, nobody would be interested in us. It was a costly strategic decision, because the development of the locomotive itself, including ETCS installation, is not cheap. However, it bears fruit in the form of the interest of many other rail carriers in Europe and beyond,” says Josef Bárta, Chairman of the Board of CZ LOKO.
This is confirmed by the demand for EffiShunter 1000. CZ LOKO has concluded new contracts for these locomotives with Ferrovie Nord Milano, Italy’s second largest rail carrier, and Slovenian LukaKoper, which chose this locomotive to serve the country’s largest seaport. Ferrovie Nord plans to deploy them for line service in Lombardy and Piedmont. Even these are going to be equipped with ETCS.
CZ LOKO has also delivered two locomotives for Italian Rail Traction Company and another two for TPER or, more precisely, for its freight carrier Dinazzano Po. This company also showed interest in a third locomotive. Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal, which already operates five EffiShunter 1000 locomotives, has ordered five more. These will be newly deployed in the colours of the state freight carrier Mercitalia Rail, which will use them for line service across the Italian Peninsula. In Italy alone, 17 or more EffiShunter 1000 locomotives will be in operation by the end of 2020. Along with other orders, this will bring the company annual sales of over 2.5 billion CZK at least until 2023.
“Even taking into account the previous cycle of economic recession, we believe that even the expected one will not change anything about this. This is what makes the railway industry a bit different from, for example, the automotive industry,”said Josef Bárta, the majority owner of the company, which confirms its innovative approach also by the development of the first Czech hybrid locomotive HybridShunter 400, an eco-friendly drive alternative. According to him, not only must products be innovative, but also the company itself. “By its management, functioning, care for employees and their working environment and education,” he added.
At the turn of the millennium, CZ LOKO was mainly repairing and upgrading older locomotives. Today, however, 80 percent of production is new series developed by the company itself. Exports account for over 60 percent of sales and include 18 countries.
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The four-axle EffiShunter 1000 is the flagship of the current CZ LOKO portfolio. The drive unit consists of a CAT C32 diesel engine with an output of 895 kW. The power transfer is electric AC/AC, transferred to four individually controlled asynchronous traction motors. It features on-line diagnostics and monitoring as standard. ETCS is optional. By meeting the demanding TSI standards, it can be operated practically all over Europe.
Previous interest in EffiShunter 1000
5 Czech Republic
ČD Cargo
5 Slovenia
4 SŽ-Tovorni promet (state carrier)
1 Luka Koper
17 Italy
5 Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal (serving of logistics centres in Milan, Ravenna and Livorno)
5 Mercitalia Rail, state freight carrier (line service across the country)
3 Dinazzano PO (subsidiary of TPER) – regions Emilia-Romagna, Liguria and Tuscany
2 Ferrovie Nord Milano – line service in Lombardy and Piedmont
2 Rail Traction Company – freight trains around Verona
EffiShunter 1000 ETCS
ČD Cargo EffiShunter 1000 with ETCS
EffiShunter 1000 ETCS
EffiShunter for Rail Traction Company (IT)
EffiShunter 1000 ETCS
EffiShunter 1000 for TPER
EffiShunter 1000 ETCS
Visualisation of EffiShunter for Mercitalia Rail