Czech Railways: Revolutionary fleet renewal (3. strana)
Czech Railways fleet is constantly innovated: new trains and modernisation
This applies to fault diagnosis and running
safety, for example. Various types of auto-
mated operations all the way up to fully au-
tonomous solutions are being tested. Digital
technologies also affect our customer servi-
ce, such as ticketing. We now sell about
60% of travel documents electronically, and
even more in some segments. In internatio-
nal transport, it is as much as 80%.
p Are you taking any steps
towards sustainability and green
operations?
This is certainly a huge and important to-
pic for us. It is rail that is considered the
most environmentally friendly mode of
transport. I am certain the public have no-
ticed our current marketing campaign,
which is centred around eco-friendly tra-
vel. It was penned by young people who
participated in the national round of the
Creative Express contest. The campaign
with the slogan "Think of yourself while
we think of the planet for you" is the result
of the winning team's train journey bet-
ween Prague and Bratislava. Rail is the
most sustainable mode of public transport
when it comes to transporting both peo-
ple and freight. In the coming years, we
therefore intend to continue to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions substantially.
This is made possible by deploying new
modern and efficient trains and the acqui-
sition of battery-powered units or trains
with energy recovery capabilities. Last ye-
ar, for example, our trains generated over
40,000 MWh of electricity while bra-
king or coasting, which they fed back in-
to the grid for further consumption. The
first battery-powered trains will start
running in the Moravian-Silesian Region
as early as the end of this year. For die-
sel trains, the solution is to use the latest
HVO eco-fuels. Hydrogen-powered tra-
ins are also an option; we will see how
their development fares in the coming
years and whether they will also appear
on our services.
p What are the challenges
of implementing new
technologies in an organisation
of the scale of Czech Railways?
New technologies can significantly impro-
ve the efficiency of the company, reduce
costs, and attract new customers through
improved services. They will make many
people's work easier. Therefore, it is vital
to motivate all employees, regardless of
their age, profession, and education, to
use new technologies in their respective
fields. This is made a bit more difficult in
the case of Czech Railways because not
only do we work in shifts but we also ope-
rate throughout the entire country from
Aš to Mosty u Jablunkova. We do not ha-
ve a single plant where we can easily train
and mentor employees in a single place.
p Are there any other
innovation projects
you are working on?
As I have mentioned, as there are many
areas our employees work in, there are
a number of innovations and advanced
technologies of varying scales in many fi-
elds. They concern rolling stock, its main-
tenance and repairs, IT technologies, and
customer service. For example, we have
been using 3D printing for several years
now, specifically to print smaller plastic
parts for vehicle maintenance purposes.
This saves us both time and money. It also
applies to the pilot project for the digitisa-
tion of rolling stock maintenance, which
we have launched this year. It is based on
tracking and managing vehicle mainte-
nance and service via QR codes. It will
make the work of our technicians much
easier and speed up the overall vehicle
maintenance process.
p Can you outline your
long-term innovation goals
and the steps towards
achieving them?
We will continue to develop all the pro-
jects we have already started, but we will
also tackle new challenges. We will use
the latest technologies, innovation, and
digitisation in all areas of our business.
The ultimate goal is to be seen by our cu-
stomers as a modern and reliable opera-
tor. p
Thank you for the interview.
www.ceskedrahy.cz
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