Bombardier Transportation handed over the 40th BOMBARDIER TRAXX Multi-System 2 (MS2) locomotive to Metrans at a ceremony held at Metrans’ container terminal site in Uhříněves near Prague, Czech Republic. Metrans, a private rail transport company based in the Czech Republic and a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen and Logistik AG (HHLA), first ordered the locomotives in 2014 and called off an additional ten locomotives in 2017. Today’s ceremony marks a milestone in the strong strategic partnership between Bombardier and Metrans.
"Our own fleet of locomotives enables us to better control our harbor-to-depot transport processes between North Sea ports and Central and Eastern Europe. Designed for operation on Europe’s varied voltage and control systems, Bombardier’s TRAXX locomotives offer the ideal blend of performance and flexibility to meet this need," said Martin Horinek, Metrans Chief Operating Officer, at the ceremony in Prague.
“Our strong relationship with Metrans and HHLA has enabled us to extend the TRAXX MS2 locomotive’s radius of operation to include the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary”, said Dominik Rohrer, Bombardier Transportation’s Project Manager for the Metrans project. “These innovative and efficient locomotives are now capable of operating in eight countries along Europe’s vital East-West freight corridor.”
European rail customers have chosen the TRAXX MS locomotive almost 600 times, deploying it for both national and international freight and passenger service. Designed to operate on Europe’s four main rail supply voltages – 15 kV and 25 kV AC as well as 1.5 and 3 kV DC – the TRAXX MS locomotive offers the necessary flexibility and interoperability to manage international rail transport across Europe. In addition, the TRAXX MS locomotive offers operators highly-efficient tractive force with low energy consumption, as well as high in-service availability and reliability. It’s a mobility solution that combines long-term spare part availability with a guaranteed high residual value over the entire locomotive service life through obsolescence management and a European-wide service network.
Metrans uses its fleet of TRAXX locomotives primarily to move freight between from Europe’s main harbours to depots within the continent – with an emphasis on connecting Hamburg with the Metrans terminals in Prague and Česká Třebová. Having invested into building its own locomotive fleet, Metrans is now capable of delivering fundamental transport solutions to their customers without having to hire additional locomotives, enabling Metrans and their holding company HHLA to provide clients with high-quality transport services that respond to shifting market requirements.
