4

rail transport l agencies

ROLLING STOCK

IN THE POST-COVID ERA

Rolling stock and the

railway industry have long

been one of the basic

pillars of Czech industry.

The economic situations

of eighty domestic

companies which are

mainly involved in the

production of locomotives,

rolling stock, and

components have been

positive for a long time.

This growth has been

reflected in increasing net

turnover and return on

investment, but also on

the level of average wages

and salaries. According to

statistics from the Ministry

of Industry and Trade

(MIT), these were around

CZK 32 thousand in 2019.

It can already be said that the onset of the

coronavirus pandemic in March undoubtedly impacted these companies. Lockdown and the resulting measures have

negatively affected, and will continue to

affect delivery dates and service in the future. Following on from the monitoring of

the situation carried out by the Association of the Czech Railway Industry (ACRI),

At the beginning of May, Škoda Transportation delivered the first completed one

front cars of single-storey units for the Railway Company of Slovakia

companies are currently facing delays and

losses in subcontracted materials and

components, especially from foreign

suppliers. Due to these delays and established protective measures in production,

there is an expectation that these companies will not be able to deliver some orders on time. A dramatic reduction in exports is also possible. According to ACRI

statistics (see the table for more information), exports have steadily accounted for

over half of the total turnover of these

companies in recent years.

Crisis and domestic companies d

However, domestic companies show that

this fact does not necessarily have to result in a drop deep into the red. Due to

the specific situation in the railway sector,

and therefore longer lead times, it is pos-

Source: Škoda Transportation

sible to survive the pandemic under a state of emergency. Orders can then be

completed, even though there may be some delays.

For example, during the state of emergency, Škoda Transportation expanded its

capacity and sought several hundred new

employees. At the beginning of May, the

company delivered the first completed

front cars for single-deck multiple units for

the Railway Company of Slovakia (ŽOS

Trnava), which enable the control of the

entire train unit. Škoda Electric, a part of

the Škoda Transportation group, also delivered the first trolleybuses to the city of

Mariánské Lázně at the same time. The

trolleybuses are equipped with battery

traction, which allows the vehicle to travel

more than 12 kilometres in pure electric

mode off the overhead contact line. Long-

Exports account for a solid half of the turnover of domestic companies, Source: analysis for 2019, ACRI

Year

special 2020

Turnover mil. CZK

T+T Technika a trh

Export mil. CZK

Employees

Export %