Czech state railways ČD has introduced RegioPanter 2-car EMUs in regional services in the Plzeň region. Škoda Transportation has built 9 such trainsets for use on this network. The inauguration of the new trains took place on 28.11.2018 in the presence of high-ranking officials.
Text by Quintus Vosman
According to the 2019 timetable, the new trains will be operating on the electrified lines from Plzeñ hlavní nádraží to Horažďovice and Pñovany, starting from 9 December 2018.
The new RegioPanter EMUs for the Plzeň region are designated as class 650. The low floor trainsets have a maximum speed of 160 km/h and are suitable for operations under both 25kV 50Hz AC and 3kV DC voltage systems, of which the latter is to be phased-out out from the Czech network in the coming decades. The power rating of the trains is 1.320 kW.
ČD already has RegioPanter trainsets in its fleet, in 2- and 3-car versions. There is also a 5-car version for inter-regional services, named “InterPanter”. Where all these EMUs have the standard two-tone blue CD design, the Plzeň got this new blue-white livery with green and yellow accents.
In social media
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Nové šelmy pro Plzeňský kraj. 🙂 #nove #vlaky #RegioPanter #Plzen #Horazdovice #Ceskedrahy
Dnes jsme v Plzni pokřtili jednotku RegioPanter. Jde o nový vlak, kterých bude od prosince jezdit v Plzeňském kraji 9. Jsou klimatizované, mají připojení k Wi-Fi, umožňují přepravu vozíčkářů a výrazně zvýší kvalitu na spojích Plzeň – Horažďovice. Stály přes miliardu korun. pic.twitter.com/ot6kLeVaZg
— Miroslav Kupec (@KupecMiroslav) November 28, 2018
