ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava: Fleet renewal with Siemens Vectron
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava completes fleet renewal with the seventh Siemens Vectron
www.technikaatrh.cz
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava, a member of the refining and petro-
chemical Group ORLEN Unipetrol, took receipt of the last (se-
venth) 383-series Siemens Vectron MS locomotive in the colours
of ORLEN Unipetrol at Litvínov Chempark site.
The takeover of the new locomotive finalised the planned fleet
renewal, which began in 2017, with the aim of expanding the fle-
et with a total of seven Siemens Vectron MS electric locomotives.
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava, one of the major rail cargo carriers in
the Czech Republic, is strengthening its transport capacities,
which also provide transport to neighbouring countries and bet-
ween ORLEN Group companies, thanks to the gradual moderni-
sation of its fleet, with a view to implementing the ORLEN Grou-
p's strategy of reducing CO
2
emissions. During their operation in
the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, Vectron MS locomotives have alre-
ady covered almost 2.8 million km, which approximately equals
28,000 tonnes of CO
2
produced by diesel locomotives.
"ORLEN Group's strategy is to be emission neutral by 2050. In-
vestments in the sustainable development of the ORLEN Unipet-
rol Group, including the modernisation of the ORLEN Unipetrol
Transport fleet, are key steps towards its fulfilment. The state-of-
the-art Siemens Vectron MS locomotives help us not only to inc-
rease the volume and reliability of transport, optimise operating
costs, but also to reduce CO
2
emissions, which fits in with the sus-
tainable development strategy of the ORLEN Group," said To-
masz Wiatrak, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of
ORLEN Unipetrol.
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava is currently completing the expansi-
on of transport and modernisation of its locomotives with the inc-
lusion of the last and seventh Siemens Vectron MS interoperable
locomotive from Siemens Mobility. The purchase of these modern
locomotives is part of the strategic investment development in
which ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava has already invested hundreds
of millions of crowns since 2017 when it started to renew its fleet.
"We are in the process of the continuous modernisation of our
fleet. The first Siemens Vectron MS locomotive was added to our
fleet in October 2017, with more being added as time went on,
and this February the seventh and final locomotive was added.
Each locomotive travels nearly 120,000 kilometres a year, repla-
cing 45 trucks, and can pull trains weighing around 2,000 tonnes
at 100 km/h. They help us
not only to increase the vo-
lume of transported pro-
ducts, but also to optimize
the overall costs of operati-
on and maintenance of the
fleet," says Managing Direc-
tor Jaroslav Dvořák of
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava.
He adds: "Through recupe-
ration, our Vectron locomo-
tives produced 1,471,000
kWh in 2022, i.e. about
10% of the total traction
electricity consumed. They
are energy efficient, using
only 0.029 kWh of energy
to transport one tonne of
goods per kilometre."
In the colours of ORLEN
Unipetrol, Vectron locomotives with a power of 6,400 kW and a
normal operating speed of 100 km/h transport mainly chemical
products. These Vectrons are capable of operating not only in the
Czech Republic, but also in all neighbouring countries – Poland,
Slovakia, Germany and Austria, as well as Hungary. Great emp-
hasis is placed not only on performance, but also on safety. In ad-
dition to the national train control systems of the respective
countries, the locomotives are also equipped with modern ETCS
(European Train Control System), GSM-R and remote diagnostics.
Another important safety aspect of these locomotives is passive
safety, which provides the driver with survival space in case of
emergencies.
"ETCS is a device that improves the safety of rail transport and
replaces a large number of various, incompatible and often out-
dated national train protection systems in individual countries.
Unlike the majority of vehicles on the Czech railways, which in-
corporate the mobile part of the European Train Control System
ETCS that was implemented additionally, the mobile part of ETCS
is an organic part of the Siemens Vectron MS electric locomoti-
ves. None of them was manufactured and delivered without this
system." says Roman Kokšal, Managing Director of Siemens Mo-
bility Czech Republic, adding: "Product transportation by rail
compared to road brings significant energy savings, reduces car-
bon dioxide emissions and, in the case of electric rail, also com-
pletely eliminates emissions of harmful substances. Furthermore,
and this is extremely important, it relieves motorways and roads
of heavy trucks. This has an incredibly positive effect on the flow
of traffic and the lifetime of roads."
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava is one of the most important railway
cargo carriers in the Czech Republic and, with its contractual
partners, provides transport not only to neighbouring countries,
but also to the Netherlands and the Balkans. It supplies the rail
market with a broad portfolio of services. Apart from transporting
chemical products, it also focuses on freight forwarding, railcar
rental, repair and cleaning services, and consulting. Its customers
include not only members of the international ORLEN Group, but
also independent companies, including major rail shippers, fore-
ign carriers and chemical plants with no links to the holding.
www.siemens.com
ORLEN Unipetrol Doprava completes the planned fleet renewal to
include the seventh
383-series Siemens Vectron MS locomotive
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rail transport
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