ESTONIA: Passenger operator Elron has awarded Škoda Group a firm order to supply a further 10 electric multiple-units.
The order announced by the Czech manufacturer on January 24 has been placed using an option in a 2021 contract for initial six EMUs which are now being produced at its Ostrava site for delivery by the end of 2024, and takes the total value of the order to €147m.
The design is derived from RegioPanter regional EMUs supplied to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as units supplied to Latvia which has similar characteristics to Estonia and provided experience which ‘has enabled us to offer Elron a unique tailor-made solution’, said Zdeněk Sváta, President of the Region Central East at Škoda Group.
The 1 520 mm gauge EMUs will be equipped to use the legacy 3 kV DC and more recent 25 kV 50 Hz electrification systems, including on the Tallinn to Tartu route where electrification is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
They will be winterised for the local climate, and features will include low-floor entrances, space for two wheelchairs and four prams, air-conditioning, wi-fi, 230 V and USB sockets, first class area, and seats which can be removed to provide more space for bicycles in the summer and skis in winter. Some trains will have a catering compartment.
