“The fleet modernisation helps us increase transport volumes. Besides, the Vectrons are very favourable in terms of operating expenses because they can recuperate electricity and supply it back to the traction system. Their energy consumption is at 50% compared to diesel locomotives,” said Ryszard Pilch, Member of the Unipetrol Group Board of Directors who is responsible for logistics and fuel and product transport.

Unipetrol Doprava continues gradually expanding and modernising its locomotives with the purchase of four more interoperable Siemens Vectron MS locos from Siemens Mobility. The manufacturer will deliver the first of the newly ordered locomotives by the end of 2020; the delivery of the remaining three units will follow later. The purchase is part of the strategic investment development in which Unipetrol Doprava has invested hundreds of millions of korunas since 2017.

“We are continuously modernising our fleet. We bought the first Siemens Vectron MS in October 2017 and added two more in the spring of 2018. They have driven more than 1,020,000 km since then, transporting 2,133,000 tonnes of materials and goods. They helped us increase the volume of transported products and optimise the total costs of fleet maintenance. As this locomotive type has proved useful in our fleet, we have decided to invest in four more,” says Jaroslav Dvořák, Executive Director of Unipetrol Doprava.

The new Vectron locos with the power of 6,400 kW and the maximum operating speed of 160 km/h will primarily carry chemical products in Unipetrol colours. They are operating not only in the Czech Republic, but also in the neighbouring countries – Poland, Slovakia, Germany, and Austria. They are not only powerful but also safe and secure. Besides the national train security and interlocking systems of the respective countries, the locomotives are equipped with the state-of-the-art European Train Control System (ETCS), GSM-R and remote diagnostics.

“We are pleased that the Czech carriers, too, prefer vehicles with a direct electrical drive, especially our flagship Vectron,” says Roman Kokšal, Director of Siemens Mobility Czech Republic. “Transport is a segment that strongly contributes to the production of CO2 emissions. The aim of the Siemens Group companies, including Siemens Mobility, is to reduce this production across the entire portfolio. That is why I am happy that also carriers in the Czech Republic are slowly deploying environmentally friendly vehicles while maintaining high performance and reliability.”

Siemens Mobility has sold more than 1,000 Vectron locomotives that have driven more than 300 million km. They are currently approved for operation in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and Belgium.

Unipetrol Doprava is a significant railway carrier in the Czech Republic. Together with its contracted partners, it also arranges transport to the neighbouring countries. It offers a broad portfolio of services on the railway market. Besides the transport of chemical products, it focuses on forwarding, leasing of rail trucks, repairs, and cleaning services, as well as on consulting services. Its customers include both members of the international ORLEN Group and independent companies, including significant railway forwarding firms, foreign carriers and chemical plants without any ties to the Group.​

The Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude-oil processing and on the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it belongs among the important players on the Czech and Central European market. The Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo with its Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, Spolana Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also includes a network of Benzina filling stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With 417 filling stations, Benzina is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in terms of turnover in the Czech Republic. It earned CZK 129 billion last year and employs more than 4,800 persons. In addition to its business development, Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays an equal amount of attention to initiatives which focus on the cultivation and support of sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In 2005, Unipetrol became a member of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest crude-oil processor in Central Europe.

For more information, please visit the “Responsible Company” section at www.unipetrol.cz.

Contact information: Pavel Kaidl, spokesman, telephone: +420 225 001 407, +420 736 502 520, e-mail: pavel.kaidl@unipetrol.cz