Škoda Group, the Czech rolling-stock manufacturer owned by PPF Group and distinct from carmaker Škoda Auto is showcasing its battery-electric multiple unit (BEMU) RegioPanter and its ForCity Plus 52T tram at InnoTrans 2026, the world's leading rail trade fair, running in Berlin from 22nd to 25th September. The RegioPanter is designed to operate seamlessly across both electrified and non-electrified routes, a capability increasingly sought by European rail operators seeking to decarbonise services without the cost and disruption of full-line electrification.

The RegioPanter BEMU delivers at least 80 kilometres of range on battery power alone, reaching up to 120 km/h off-wire and 160 km/h under overhead electrification, with more than 100 units already in production or on order. The ForCity Plus tram, a five-section, fully low-floor design featuring LiDAR- and camera-based collision-avoidance, has accumulated over one million kilometres of testing in Prague. Škoda Group is also presenting battery trolleybus technology, including a 52-vehicle contract for Esslingen am Neckar in Germany, alongside AI-driven predictive diagnostics, its Smart Depot fleet-management system and signalling solutions deployed across 22 European countries.

The relevance to the UK is direct: a substantial share of Britain's rail network remains unelectrified, and battery and bi-mode traction is central to industry and government thinking on how to decarbonise services where full electrification is not cost-effective. Czech-built battery rail technology already proven in revenue service rather than at prototype stage offers UK train operating companies, rolling stock leasing firms and Network Rail a lower-capital decarbonisation route, and positions Czech rolling-stock engineering as a credible partner to domestic UK suppliers as procurement for next-generation regional and branch-line fleets gathers pace. Furthermore, Czech supply chain in the rolling stock industry is also remarkably strong.

Source: Railwaynews.com  

Prepared by the CzechTrade United Kingdom & Ireland office.