Modernized sleeping cars for ZSSK
posted on 31st Dec 2025 07:27
ZSSK's "Christmas shopping" continues. On 23 December 2025, ZSSK announced that "after careful preparation and negotiations, it officially activated the contract for the purchase of 10 modernized sleeping cars. Together with this, as the contract entered into force, we managed to negotiate a significantly better price for their ten-year maintenance in accordance with the recommendations of the ÚHP". (The latter is Útvaru hodnoty za peniaze, Literally "Value for Money Unit".)
This is the result of the competition for the renewal of the sleeper car fleet, which the ZSSK announced on 20 January 2025. In November, the operator stated that it was negotiating the price with the bidder ŽOS Vrútky, as the submitted offer was higher than ZSSK expected. After the negotiations, the project was submitted to the ÚHP for further assessment in accordance with the applicable legislation.
In this case, the ZSSK is counting on WLABm171 and WLBm172 double-deck cars, which originally came from the DACH Hotelzug, and which were earlier purchased by the Slovak company Yosaria Trains for its bold plans. Now the ZSSK has announced that "with the supplier - ŽOS Vrútky - it was possible to reduce the competitive price for the maintenance by more than 24% . This agreement will bring savings of more than 3 million EUR over the next 10 years compared to the originally planned costs.
The modification of the maintenance contract also responds to the conclusions of the ÚHP from December 2025, which recommended increasing the efficiency of the project and setting up clear control mechanisms. The project is fully financed from the investment framework ZSSK. The first coaches should be deployed in 2026, no later than 24 months from the effective date of the contract".