The High Tatras have seen new trains on the popular rack railway, the track connecting Tatranská Štrba and Štrbské pleso. Five three-car rack and pinion sets from Stadler Rail are fitted with brake components from DAKO-CZ. As part of the project, the company from Třemošnice, East Bohemia, also supplied brake components for a multifunctional locomotive, which can also serve as a snow plough during winter. The new trains replaced trains that had been in operation on the Tatra rack railway for over 50 years.
DAKO-CZ has been cooperating with Stadler since 2013 and during this time the companies have implemented dozens of orders. Current projects focus mainly on the supply of brake components for suburban units of this major manufacturer of rail vehicles. In addition to Slovakia, the company from Třemošnice currently supplies components for trains that will run in Poland, Sweden, Italy and Slovenia.
“From the beginning, we perceived the order for the production of components for the Tatra rack railway as very prestigious. Although it was not one of the largest in its scope, we took it as a valuable reference. It proves, among other things, that our braking systems and components are able to work even in very demanding conditions, such as the mountainous environment in the High Tatras,” says Lukáš Andrýsek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DAKO-CZ.
The contract for the production of brake components for rack railway sets, operated by Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko, was awarded to the Třemošnice manufacturer in 2019. For a total of five three-car sets, DAKO-CZ supplied pneumatic brake control panels, panels for controlling the main line, anti-skid modules and other vehicle brake equipment devices.
The trains have a hybrid drive – rack and adhesion, which allows them to be operated on the rack railway between Štrba and Štrbské Pleso and also on other lines of the Tatra Electric Railway. The project also included a multifunctional locomotive that can be used as a snow plough during winter. The brake panel of the plough is produced by DAKO-CZ. An interesting feature of this locomotive is that part of the machine is a retractable turntable, which allows manual rotation of the plough when there is enough space.
The Štrba–Štrbské Pleso line in the length of 4.8 km, equipped with a Strubova rack and pinion, connects to the Tatra Electric Railway with a track width of 1 m, which is 35 km long, in Štrbské Pleso. The rack railway was first launched in 1897 and operated until 1933. Its operation was subsequently restored after a break of almost forty years in February 1969 in connection with the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1970. The sets from 1969 have now been replaced by new ones from Stadler. Since July 2020, when the operation of the line was temporarily suspended, extensive infrastructure modernization has been underway.
The new sets represent a modern generation of low-floor GTW units, specifically adapted for combined rack and adhesion operation and are already in use in France and Switzerland. The 495.95 class electric units are designed to travel at a maximum speed of 80 km/h in adhesion mode. Each of the new units offers 91 seats, two wheelchair spaces, multifunctional bike and baby stroller sections. The vehicles are equipped with a wifi system for passengers, air conditioning, a modern information system and a device for counting passengers.
About DAKO-CZ, a.s.
DAKO-CZ is a leading manufacturer of pneumatic, electromechanical and hydraulic braking systems for rail vehicles with more than 205 years of tradition. The company, with an annual turnover exceeding one and a half billion crowns, 77% of which is accounted for by foreign orders, is based in Třemošnice in Eastern Bohemia. The company’s owner is Czechoslovak Group.
DAKO-CZ supplies braking systems and components for trucks and passenger cars, suburban units, locomotives, metro wagons and trams. In addition to Stadler Rail Group, Tatravagónka Poprad, Siemens Mobility, also Škoda Transportation a.s. and České dráhy are one of the major customers of DAKO-CZ products. Rail vehicles with DAKO braking systems or components are operated not only in Europe, but also, for example, in China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Algeria and Saudi Arabia, where the company cooperates with global manufacturers of rolling stock and rail transport operators. The company has its own development department, a modern testing laboratory and construction workplace. In addition to production, DAKO-CZ is also engaged in the development of braking systems and their subsequent service.
In 2020, DAKO-CZ opened a new service center on its premises. Due to order fulfillment, the company enlarged the production hall in 2020 and completely innovated the logistics, which led to a significant increase in production capacity. In 2020, DAKO-CZ started deliveries for a new customer, the Spanish company TALGO, specifically for its sets intended for Egypt. Other orders were directed to Poland, Slovenia, Austria and India. In 2020, DAKO-CZ placed second in the Company of the Year competition of the Pardubice Region. In 2021, the company won the competition.
