The Class 471 electric motor unit, commonly known as ''CityElefant'', is a double deck

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

operating on 3 kV DC overhead wires produced by Škoda Vagonka, a subsidiary of

Škoda Transportation Škoda Transportation Akciová společnost, a.s. is a Czech Republic, Czech manufacturer of vehicles for public transport, including Tram, trams, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, and Bus, buses. The company was formerly a divisio ...

, since 1997 and operated by the

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

rail transit operator on its suburban services around

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

, Czech Republic. A single unit consists of a Class 471

power car In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle: *a vehicle that propels, and commonly also controls, a passenger train, potentially a multiple unit train, often as the lead vehicle; *a veh ...

with first class seating, a single Class 071

passenger car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

and a Class 971

cab car A control car, cab car (North America), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK, Ireland, Australia and India) is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or t ...

. They are replacement for defunct ČD Class 451, and successor to scrapped ČD Class 470. Czech railways ordered in total 83 units. The last unit for the Czech Railways was delivered in March 2013. In addition, variants differing in power system and other parameters, have been ordered by Lithuanian Railways,

Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko, a.s. (ZSSK) (') is a Slovak state-owned passenger train company based in Bratislava. In 2002 a company Železničná spoločnosť was established as a successor of personal and cargo transport part of the ...

and

Ukrainian Railways The Public JSC Ukrainian Railways or PAT 'Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ)' () is a state-owned joint-stock company administering railway infrastructure and rail transport in Ukraine; a monopoly that controls the vast majority of the railroad transporta ...

Derived units

Czech Railways

In 2019, ČD concluded a contract push-pull sets similar to those for

Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...

. The trainsets will be used from

Frenštát pod Radhoštěm Frenštát pod Radhoštěm (; ) is a town in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument z ...

, in operation with ČD Class 750.7. In March 2021, they were tested in

Cerhenice Cerhenice is a market town in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Cerhenice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 c ...

with ČD Class 242 and ČD Class 750.7. They were originally launched in 2020, but will not be operated until 2021.

Lithuanian Railways

The Lithuanian Railways ordered 13

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...

units of class EJ 575. The first train was delivered in 2008 and the last unit was delivered in 2017. They are operated on the route

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

–

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

since December 2008 ,

–

Trakai Trakai (; see Trakai#Names and etymology, names section for alternative and historic names) is a city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania or just from the administrative limits of the Lithuanian capi ...

and

–

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

(

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

). Units consist of two and three cars. They have very similar interior like Czech class 471. The maximum speed has increased up to .

ZSSK

The ZSSK operates 19 units of class 671 and 10 push-pull units of class 951. All of them are three-car units and the maximum speed has increased to .

Ukrainian Railways

In January 2011, the

ordered two broad gauge units of class EJ 675. Both of them are six-car units. The maximum speed has increased to . The units were to be the first trains of a series of 50 to 60 units, however no further purchases were made. They currently operate on the route

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

–

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

–

Ternopil Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...

Deutsche Bahn

DB Regio DB Regio AG () is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates regional and commuter train services in Germany. It is a 100% subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn Group and therefore part of the DB Regio business segment, which also includes DB Regionn ...

ordered 6 locomotive-hauled push-pull trainsets. Trainsets will be used on Nuremberg–Munich high-speed railway. Push pull units will be hauled by Škoda 109E locomotives. Units are successor of Czech class 471. These new units are designed for speed up to . The maximum speed in operation will be limited to as required by

in the tender. Trainsets were originally expected to be delivered in 2016, but they are entered in service in the 4th quarter of 2020.

Accidents

*On June 28, 2010 a CityElefant derailed in

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction. ...

. 1 driver died and 11 people were injured. *On September 6, 2019 a commuter train collided with a

semi-trailer truck A semi-trailer truck (also known by a wide variety of other terms – see below) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer attaches to the tractor with a type of hitch called ...

at a

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

. 8 people were injured. *In the evening of July 14, 2020 a CityElefant crashed into a stationary postal train near

Český Brod Český Brod (; ) is a town in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zone ...

train station. The CityElefant driver died and 36 passengers were injured. The investigation revealed that the CityElefant driver had a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

shortly before the accident and was not able to avoid a crash.

Gallery

File:ČD Class 471.webm, thumbtime=10 File:471_main.jpg, The whole unit in

Beroun Beroun (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers. Beroun creates a conurbation with Králův Dvůr, former part of Beroun. ...

railway station, October 2006 File:471 035 CD Ostrava.jpg, The whole unit about to arrive Ostrava hlavní nádraží, June 2008 File:Praha, Smíchov, Smíchovské nádraží, City Elephant (nový).jpg, The cab car with new livery File: Vnitřní informační panel vlaku.jpg, The internal information File: Vnější informační panel vlaku.jpg, The external information File:471_lower.jpg, Second class saloon, lower floor File:471_upper.jpg, Second class saloon, upper floor File:471_mezzanine.jpg, Second class saloon, mezzanine File:Czech Raildays 2012, ČD 471, 471 076-5 (09).jpg, Stairs File:471_first_class.jpg, First class saloon, upper floor of the electric car File:471_lifting_platform.jpg, Lifting platform for immobile persons File:471-Traglastenabteil.jpg, Load compartement with bicycle stand for bicycles

References

* * * *

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:CD Class 471 Articles containing video clips Double-decker EMUs Electric multiple units of the Czech Republic Train-related introductions in 1997 3000 V DC multiple units Škoda vehicles