Ljubljana, 21 January (STA) - Czech company CZ Loko won a public tender to supply Tovorni Promet, the cargo branch of the Slovenian railway operator Slovenske Železnice, with four new diesel shunters for the Koper freight station. The Czech company was the only applicant to submit a bid on time with the price tag at EUR 7.46m VAT excluded or EUR 9.10m VAT included.
Slovenske Železnice said last year that Tovorni Promet had launched an effort to update its fleet of 139 engines, of which 69 are diesel engines. The effort was launched in 2017, when the company bought four new locomotives.
The company has plans to buy 15 new multi-system electric locomotives as well as new electric locomotives to replace old ones after 2025. It also plans to buy additional diesel locomotives.
To help with the efforts, Slovenske Železnice wishes to attract a strategic partner for Tovorni Promet. Two bidders, the French giant SNCF and Czech EPH, submitted binding bids for a 49% stake in the company, but it is unclear as of yet who will get the stake.
The passenger branch of Slovenske Železnice is undergoing a modernisation drive of its own, with the company signing a EUR 169m contract with Swiss Stadler Rail for the acquisition of 26 new passenger trains. Talks are also underway with Stadler for the purchase of 26 additional trains
New trains are expected to transport the first passengers in the second half of this year.