New operator for EffiLiners in the Czech Republic

SD - Kolejová doprava (SD-KD) has added one Class 365 electric locomotive to its fleet and is interested in purchasing up to four of these from CZ LOKO.

In recent years, CZ LOKO has rebuilt in total nine of these 3/25 kV electrics, branded as EffiLiner 3000. Some of them were sold, some stayed in the CZ LOKO fleet and made available for rent. Actually, majority of them is in ownership of financing banks. Now CZ LOKO is putting those locomotives staying in its fleet for sale.

SD-KD has taken over 365.008. Following maintenance provided by ČMŽO, Přerov, it was handed over on 4 October 2023 and moved to the SD-KD base in Tušimice.

The reason given by the operator for the acquisition of locomotive(s) is the modernisation of the fleet and the preparation for compulsory operation under the ETCS supervision, which is to come on two main corridors in the country as of 1 January 2025. Both SD-KD and IDS CARGO are envisaging to retrofit the ETCS OBUs in their Class 365 machines.

SD-KD is a subsidiary of Severočeské doly (SD) which can be literally translated as North Bohemian Mines and is one of the Czech principal producers of lignite. SD-KD is not much active on public network, but can be, its operations will expand in the future. SD, in turn, is a subsidiary of ČEZ, the dominating Czech electricity producer and supplier, with majority owned by the state, which owns several power plants across the country. Railway operations of SD-KD involve exclusively transports of lignite produced by SD or input raw materials for the ČEZ power plants.

While the current fleet of SD-KD electrics includes only DC locomotives, the dual-voltage ones may be useful in the future given the plan to switch consequently the entire 3 kV DC part of the Czech network to 25 kV 50 Hz. This process is not due to be completed until 2045 on the earliest, however, one of the stations where SD-KD trains start their operation, namely Kadaň-Prunéřov, is due to be converted in 2027.