Czech Republic: As voiced by Petr Novotny, the company’s CEO, in his interview with e15 media, the company is carrying out R&D activities in this area.
“We do not have high-speed trains in our portfolio. The best decision would be to cooperate with train manufacturers who have such trains in their portfolio. Our R&D centres are preparing to build vehicles with speeds of 200 to 230 km/h”, he said.
Previously, Škoda Group had offered a merger with Talgo, Spain, which has extensive experience in the production of high-speed trains. The proposal, however, was rejected, and in February two Spanish companies were chosen for the sale of shares.
Despite this solution, Škoda Group does not renounce the idea of cooperation with Talgo, as both companies can benefit from it. “Talgo is an expert in high-speed trains, and we are an expert in commuter trains. We also have solutions for light rail vehicles, and Talgo is present in regions where we are only partially present, and vice versa”, he explains.
The Czech company is negotiating a partnership with Hyundai Rotem from South Korea. “Our aim is to optimise R&D costs, in which we invest around CZK 2 bln (€79.9 mln) a year”, says Mr. Novotny. It is worth noting that the memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies in September last year provides for the cooperation in the supply of high-speed trains.
Today, Škoda Group offers EMUs with a maximum speed of 160 km/h and Viaggio passenger coaches. The latter are designed for speeds of up to 230 km/h and are built in cooperation with Siemens Mobility, which has developed the platform and owns the technical documentation.
