ČD Negotiated with Suppliers and Train Repairers, Planning Huge Investments in Vehicle Repairs and Rolling Stock Maintenance Facilities

Over the upcoming four years, České dráhy plans to carry out the periodic inspections and repairs prescribed by manufacturers for more than 2,000 railway vehicles. This plan represents significant financial investment activities, with the total cost of planned maintenance exceeding CZK 12 billion.

Train operation safety is a key pillar for České dráhy. Vehicle repairs are carried out in accordance with European and national regulations. Although České dráhy has its own extensive repair service base at its disposal, it also closely cooperates with certified repairers and spare parts manufacturers. This is a key factor to achieving the quality and safety standards set out by the company. Modern times bring not only new challenges, but also new opportunities. Digitisation, as an important element of the repair strategy of České dráhy, will enable us to optimise servicing activities, to increase maintenance efficiency and to improve communication with suppliers. Modern diagnostic tools and vehicle maintenance management software will provide real-time information making a rapid response to rolling stock needs possible. “The transition to a digital environment is essential for us to achieve our objectives in the fields of quality and efficiency. Digitisation will allow us to monitor vehicle performance in real time, to identify maintenance needs in advance and to minimise the time for which our vehicles are out of service,” says Michal Kraus, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General of ČD for Servicing.

Today's meeting, known as “Suppliers’ Day 2023”, held at the headquarters of České dráhy, brought together suppliers, repairers and manufacturers who cooperate in production, modernisation and maintenance of the railway rolling stock, spare parts and other train maintenance activities. “With our partners, we evaluate the current development trends in the area of vehicle maintenance and we present them with an outlook for the coming four years,” comments Michal Kraus, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General of ČD for Servicing. “Although our servicing team is highly qualified and our repair base is undergoing a qualitative change – we will build new halls worth more than CZK 6 billion between 2024 and 2028 alone – we are still dependent on cooperation with our suppliers. Today, vehicle maintenance requires much more than just traditional tools. Modern diagnostics and sophisticated technology instruments have become essential and we expect our suppliers to be able to meet these demands,” adds Michal Kraus.

At present, České dráhy operates 3,410 locomotives, units and passenger cars. During the period 2024 to 2027, more than 2,000 of them will undergo planned periodic maintenance of an advanced level at expected costs of CZK 12 billion.

The covid pandemic, energy price volatility and the ongoing aggression in Ukraine have all caused unreliability of the supply chains. Delayed deliveries and missed deadlines bring with them operational complications, affecting passengers who expect a smooth and reliable service. “Our main objective is to ensure that every passenger can be transported in time and with the utmost comfort. We are fully aware of the fact that our passengers demand a guarantee of quality and reliability from us, and this commitment motivates us to continual improvement,” said Jiří Ješeta, Member of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General of ČD for Passenger Transport.

České dráhy demands guarantees, high quality of the work performed and compliance with the deadlines agreed upon from its suppliers. However, since 2020, the carrier has been facing problems in meeting repair deadlines on the part of some repairers. Comparing figures from this year and last year, the average repair time for traction vehicles has increased from 87 to 98 days, while for passenger carriages it has increased from 35 to 48 days. An unfavourable trend is also clear for warranty defects. The downtime periods for warranty repairs increased by 573 days year-on-year during the first nine months of this year. “The quality of these repairs may be reflected in the reliability of our vehicles. Of course, our main goal is to minimise the impacts of these problems towards our passengers. We are actively negotiating with all our suppliers and in cases where we have a legal entitlement, we apply contractual penalties,” concludes Michal Kraus his comments at today's meeting with suppliers.