CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator ČD has purchased 12 second-hand Stadler GTW2/6 two-car diesel multiple-units from DB Regio for an undisclosed price.
The Class 646 DMUs were previously deployed on RE6 Prignitz-Express regional services north of Berlin, but were replaced by other types following a series of engine fires in 2017.
ČD intends to put the units into service on regional routes around Olomouc including Olomouc – Uničov –Šumperk and Šumperk – Krnov from December 2019. The air-conditioned low-floor vehicles are to be fitted with a new audio-visual passenger information system, wi-fi, 230 V sockets and a new upholstery.
ČD is believed to have outbid private operator RegioJet, which had planned to convert the DMUs into EMUs for use on recently-won services to be operated under contract in the Ústí nad Labem region.
