On July 25, the PKP CARGO fleet grew by three more Siemens Vectron multi-system locomotives. The largest Polish carrier uses them to operate connections outside the country. Each of the nine modern machines received by PKP CARGO from the manufacturer so far is approved for operation in Poland and five other EU countries: Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary. PKP CARGO will receive another three similar locomotives in August, and the delivery of the final three out of 15, which can additionally enter the Netherlands, is planned by the end of June 2017.
– The new Vectrons are constantly in motion, we are using them at one hundred percent – says Jarosław Klasa, member of the PKP CARGO Management Board for Operations. – Multi-system locomotives allow us to independently haul trains from Poland to several European Union countries, without the need to change traction units at the border. This means optimal transport time and a higher level of customer service.
Siemens Vectron locomotives are designated in PKP CARGO as the EU46 series. The three newly received locomotives have side numbers 507, 509, and 510. Until recently, they were garaged by PKP CARGO at the locomotive depot in Czechowice in the Silesian Voivodeship, together with three other locomotives of this series, numbered 508, 511, and 512, which PKP CARGO will receive in August.
Until the first three Vectrons were received from Siemens in January of this year, PKP CARGO owned one multi-system locomotive and leased nine others. Performing international connections mostly with leased rolling stock enabled the largest Polish operator to react quickly and flexibly to changing transport conditions and allowed it to obtain permits for independent railway operations in nine EU countries. Currently, PKP CARGO has a stabilized level of multi-system locomotive utilization. Under these conditions, purchasing is the most favorable option.
PKP CARGO signed the contract for the purchase of 15 Siemens Vectron multi-system locomotives in September 2015.