The locomotive is designed for light and medium-heavy mainline and shunting service. These activities are made available by a powerful diesel engine for hauling freight trains. Whenever possible, the locomotive switches to electric propulsion, thus reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The combination of two power sources thus enables both dependent and independent traction.
"This is a revolutionary innovation. We believe its versatility and high performance will appeal to European customers, as rail transport has changed dramatically in recent decades. And this dual solution brings many advantages," says Irena Müllerová, Marketing Manager at CZ LOKO.
The first prototype, number 190.001, has been tested in diesel and trolley operation. It is due to go into service in Italy early next year, where it will be integrated into the fleet of MERCITALIA Shunting & Terminal. The latter has already ordered a second Dual. The second customer to place a firm order for the new unit is also Italian TPER.
"The Green Deal for Europe, which promotes the reduction of the carbon footprint, is a big challenge for us. We have been following this trend for a long time and have carefully analysed the advantages and disadvantages of these unconventional solutions. Without innovative projects, we would never have moved forward," says Jan Kutálek, CZ LOKO's sales director.
Other eco-friendly CZ LOKO projects under development and currently being evaluated by the company include the E-Shunter 300 for light shunting, the HybridShunter 400 for hybrid shunting and the hydrogen-powered HydrogenShunter 1000.
