Czechia: The three-car trainset was assembled at the Skoda production plant in Ostrava, Czechia, and shipped to another plant in Pilsen for testing on a nearly one km test track.
Once these tests have been successfully completed, the EMU will be transported by truck to Estonia for route testing.
Under the 2020 contract and the option exercised in January 2023, Elron, the national operator, expects to receive 16 trains, worth €147 mln, by 2027. The first six vehicles are scheduled to start operation in 2025.
The rolling stock is built on the partially low-floor RegioPanter platform. Recently, these trains were taken out of service in Latvia due to defects. Meanwhile, 12 of the 17 trains are back in service, and the rest are undergoing dynamic tests after repairs. By mid-March, Skoda Group promises to ensure 95% technical readiness of the new trains.
