Hungary has become another member country of the European Union entered by Czech locomotive manufacturer CZ LOKO. The first customer is CER Hungary Central-European Railway Transport, Trading and Service Co. This major Central European freight railway carrier purchased the EffiShunter 1600 locomotive for heavy-duty shunting.
“We have been looking for a locomotive in the market, which would be reliable and as efficient operationally and economically as possible. These requirements are exactly met by CZ LOKO Class 774.714,” said Tamás Heinczinger, CEO of CER Hungary.
“In Hungary, where until now only a few of our locomotives were mediately operated, and where we directly added only a small locomotive to the Budapest underground, we see a great potential. Railway transport with a number of diesel lines and sidings has a strong position in the country. What we also find attractive is the geographical proximity,” says Jaroslav Plhák, Sales Director of CZ LOKO. So far, the company has two locomotives approved: diesel-electric EffiShunter 1600 and EffiLiner 1600. Other types of “shunters” are getting ready for approval. These will mainly include Class 300, 500 and 700.
In the last few years, CZ LOKO has significantly strengthened exports, which already provide more than a half of the company’s two-billion-CZK revenue. The company newly entered, for example, Finland, Turkey and some Balkan countries and strengthened its position in Italy and the Baltic countries. The company’s goal is also to resume locomotive deliveries to the Russian Federation, hampered by the imposition of commercial sanctions by EU countries following the annexation of Crimea.