The Class 380 is a tri-voltage electric locomotive manufactured by

Škoda Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...

for Czech railways

České dráhy České dráhy (English: ''Czech Railways''), often shortened to ČD, is the major railway operator in the Czech Republic providing regional and long-distance services. Overview The company was established in 1993, after the dissolution of Cze ...

History

The Class 380 is

's entry into the modern

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas ...

market. Internally designated Type 109E, the locomotives were originally conceived in 2004 and designed for operation in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

as well as the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. The 109E Škoda has a top speed of 200 km/h and is compatible with both AC and DC catenaries, as is expected of current multisystem locomotives. The locomotives are equipped to work on three electrification systems: 3 kV DC,

25 kV 50 Hz AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

and 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC, drawing power from overhead lines. In 2005

(ČD) ordered 20 locomotives with delivery in 2009 and certifications for service in all of the above-mentioned countries. The first locomotive was not delivered until 2010 and lacked any national service certification (only trial service certification for the Czech Republic). As a result, České dráhy refused to accept the locomotives. In April 2013 the locomotive received the TSI certificate and in 2015 an arbitration court ruled on the protracted dispute between ČD and Škoda Transportation regarding the late delivery of the locomotives. While the German railway authority granted approval for the locomotives at up to 200km/h in Germany, their planned use on the Prague - Dresden - Berlin - Hamburg route never happened, with ČD choosing to lease

Siemens Vectron The Vectron is a locomotive series made by Siemens Mobility, introduced at the 2010 InnoTrans trade fair in four prototype versions: diesel, multi-system, and both AC and DC electric power. The diesel version has been replaced in 2018 by a dua ...

locomotives instead.

Orders of similar locomotives

Despite the problems with the approval of CD locomotives, in 2013 Deutsche Bahn signed a contract with Skoda for 6 locomotives of 109E type, designated Class 102 in Germany. The contract was also for push-pull carriages to be deployed with the locomotives on RegionalExpress services on the Munich - Nuremberg High Speed Line. TSI Certification was granted for the trains in November 2018, almost two years after the expected start of service with the trains, with the expectation of services beginning in 2019.TSI certification for Škoda Transportation push-pull trainsets
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References

External links

Locomotive 109 E (ČD) on Skoda Transportation site

Locomotive 109 E (ZSSK) on Skoda Transportation site }

Comprehensive fansite
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History

Orders of similar locomotives

See also

References

External links