Žilina, December 1 (TASR) – On Tuesday, the Slovak Railway Company (ZSSK) presented and put into operation the first electrical unit Panter, from the workshop of the consortium of the Czech Škoda Transportation and the Slovak ŽOS Trnava.
According to Filip Hlubocký, the chairman of the board of directors and the general director of ZSSK, two three-piece electric units with a capacity of 247 seats will be officially put into use on Tuesday. “In total, there will be 25 electrical units, of which 13 three-piece and 12 four-piece units with a capacity of 343 seats. All of them will operate in the Žilina and Trenčín regions and will strengthen regional routes. It will be a big step forward in quality for the whole region,” said Hlubocký.
“I am pleased that new ecological electric units will be added to the rolling stock of our railways, thanks to which people will be able to travel safer and more comfortably. In addition to new trains, this region is also facing a major modernization of the Žilina railway junction. New trains, which have been added to the Slovak regions in recent years, are another reason for passengers to leave their car at home and travel to work or school by public transport. In my opinion, traveling by train will be more and more important in the future,” said the Minister of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic Andrej Doležal (Sme rodina).
The General Director of ŽOS Trnava, Miloš Kyselica, pointed out that the project is a continuation of a successful long-term Slovak-Czech cooperation. “The new electrical units will bring the customer operating cost savings and reduced maintenance costs. Passengers will appreciate the increased comfort and culture of travel. Improved traction characteristics of the vehicle will make it possible to shorten operating times. For Slovak industry and our company, the project brings an increase in employment, an increase in professional and technical level. Specifically, in our company ŽOS Trnava, we perform highly qualified assembly work of inserted rail cars, assembly, revitalization and testing of the entire unit to the required extent, then we hand over the unit to the customer for operation,” said Kyselica.
The largest tender in the history of the national carrier with a volume of almost 160 million euros will bring a total of 25 electrical units to the Žilina and Trenčín regions. The Cohesion Fund of the European Union covers the amount of 134.59 million euros without VAT, from the state budget is 23.75 million euros without
