The end of motor trains? According to Councilor Borecký, the locals can save the state
Under the title Pitfalls of Renewal (not only) of Central Bohemian locals, Borecký writes, among other things, that today’s children go to schools or on trips on the same trains as their parents or grandparents. Mostly diesel machines of the 810 series, which were manufactured in the years 1973–1982. Many have not visibly changed, although they have received newer engines. They run not only in the middle, but city train lines also provide in Prague. Some took on a new look as part of the modernization in 2005-2012, when they were converted into units known as Regionova. According to Borecký, neither of them is promising, being a councilor does not deny that “at one time” they were quality machines.
“If there is no other connection on the track, I take it,” Facebook user Michal Müller responded to his words. However, according to Borecký, the cards are not dealt in the style I want-I don’t want: they are so outdated that it is not worth installing ETCS security devices in them – and that is said to deal a fatal blow to them.
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“If ETCS is not to deal a fatal blow to the local lines themselves, the rolling stock must be modernized,” the councilor added. But it’s easier said than done. And no, the main problem is not in the money: there are no railway vehicles. European manufacturers do not supply small machines like this now: due to low demand, the development and approval process is not worthwhile. In addition, Czech standards (for example, for the rigidity of the body) are so strict that no one even wants to do it. And if he had, he left the plans after quantifying the costs. It is thus possible to count on the fact that the locals with such a low occupancy will gradually replace the buses.
Another problem is the very future of motorbikes: as part of the transition to zero-emission transport, it will be a problem to operate diesel engines within 15 years – they would be modern. “Today, they are practically the only reasonably available solution for Czech local lines. We will have them in Central Bohemia as well. From 2024, RegioShark diesel sets with 120 seats will run on the Prague – Kladno – Rakovník – Beroun lines, ”stated Borecký. With the addition that they are modern, air-conditioned, low-floor, with emission-friendly engines – however, diesel… One costs around 120 million crowns; precisely because of the price, new trains are bought for a period of 30-35 years. According to Borecký, about 70 Stadler RS1-sized vehicles, which are used 70-seater trains purchased from Germany, and 60 RegioShark-sized cars would be needed to cover the needs of Central Bohemian local lines.
Solution? Change the state’s approach
Buying new trains is not just about raising money. By the time they live, European efforts would move to zero-emission transport, where diesel engines will either be banned or fuel burdened with such a high environmental tax that their operation will lose its meaning. According to Borecký, the solution could be full electrification of more than 700 kilometers of Central Bohemian regional lines. The councilors do not see the necessary roughly 10 billion crowns as an unsolvable problem, but there is a lack of designers and a complicated permitting procedure. “The idea that it would be possible to electrify regional lines by the Central Bohemian Region by 2029, when the Central Bohemian Region’s contract ends, is a sci-fi,” Borecký pointed out.
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According to him, purchases of battery or hydrogen trains could be used as a solution – which are now technologies mainly in the prototype stages. And in addition to several times higher prices compared to diesels, there is also the problem of recharging (probably the easiest solution would be sought for the sections Sedlčany – Benešov – Vlašim or Prague – Čerčany) or refueling. As a financially and ecologically most sensible solution, Borecký sees maximum effort in electrifying regional lines – and only where this is not possible, to bet on batteries or hydrogen. Even so, it is said that all regions will rely on a massive subsidy from the state, because the purchase of new railway vehicles will not pay. According to Borecký, the future of the locals will be sealed without the massive help of the state in the purchase of new vehicles, electrification and changes to the rules, for example in the form of a train permit. “This raises the question of whether it makes sense to maintain such a dense railway network as we have,” Borecký predicts future discussions.
Facebook response to Borecký’s thoughts:
– The solution is simple. Listen to scientists, not money. Submit your study at BUT and CTU and stop ignoring the Czech development. Place an order for the development of unique solutions. Hybrid LPG-electro, diesel-electro systems can be solved with reliable, stable, environmentally friendly engines that are simpler and cheaper than direct drives. They had the hydrogen infrastructure completed in Řež in 2011; no one uses it to this day. We have the know-how for fuel cells, the know-how for the infrastructure for producing hydrogen from the core too. Put it into practice. Develop something that the West will buy from us.
– By the way, the bars are served by 50-year-old diesels in Austria as well. They are reliable, comfortable and there is no reason to replace them. … The site should serve for efficient economic transport with an emphasis on reliability. We don’t need Euro 6 engines to be serviced every month. We need a felicia on the tracks: a simple machine that is reliable and cheap.
Source: Marek Šnapka, Vienna