Skoda 109E Locomotive Gets TSI

New locomotive 109E from Czech manufacturer Škoda Transportation got as a second in the world a certificate of conformity with the technical specifications for interoperability of the European high-speed rail system for the subsystem of rail vehicles (TSI High Speed ​​RST). The certificate is a key document required to obtain a permit to operate in six European countries.

Locomotive 109E is the latest, three-system, high-speed machine for commercial traffic with speed up to 200 km per hour. The entire production and complete development took place in Pilsen Škoda Transportation. The advantages of locomotive are mainly its high performance, reliability, low power consumption and environmental friendliness. “Certificate TSI is a confirmation that our locomotive is one of the first machines, which fulfill latest requirements and regulations of the European Union, particularly in terms of safety,” says Josef Bernard, Chief Executive Officer of Škoda Transportation.

Certificate of TSI High Speed ​​RST is required for type approval of locomotives for each of European states. “The locomotive has successfully completed a test access in the Czech Republic, Austria and Poland. In Germany, the Slovak Republic and Hungary are either final or the last type of tests, ” says Bernard.

The new three-system locomotive can operate on the railway corridors of all neighbor countries of the Czech Republic and in Hungary. In these countries locomotive can smoothly pass over areas with different power systems. The machine handles with the specific conditions of track and power systems with AC voltage of 25 Hz kV/50, or 15 kV/16, 7 Hz and also possibly with a DC voltage of 3 kV.
Škoda Transportation has invested more than 38 million euros to the development of the fastest and most powerful domestic locomotive. Locomotive contains thirty kilometers of cables and it has more than ten thousand electrical connections. During its production Škoda Transportation used the most modern materials. For example, fiber composites similar to those used in Formula 1 cars which greatly improve driving attributes.

Locomotive 109E is highly durable. This corresponds to its structure – for example in the driver cabin are deformation zones, which have task to absorb large amounts of energy in the potential collision. Driver remains undamaged and space undistorted when locomotive crash into the truck with a tank weighing around 15 tons at speed 110 km/h. Because of its resistance is also possible to fix locomotive relatively easy.

Škoda Transportation paid much attention to maximum security. New locomotive have to fulfill the most strict safety limits. Locomotive has successfully completed tests of fire protection. The machine has fire detectors and effective fire extinguishers. The wall between the cabin and the engine room resisted fire for the fifteen minutes.

Pilsen company continues with the long tradition of electric locomotives, which company supplied to the market for more than 5500 pieces. The beginning of modern electric locomotives is dating in the 1928, when the Škoda developed locomotive 1Elo, which then was bought by the Czechoslovak Railways. Škoda Transportation confirms its role as one of the leading players in engineering in the world.

Source & Photo : Skoda Railway