Škoda Group, in partnership with ŽOS Trnava, has signed a contract to supply eight new electric trains to Slovakian train operator Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko, a.s. (ZSSK) for operation on long-distance services.

Delivery of the first trains is planned for 2032–2033. And once the first unit has been approved for operation in Slovakia, approval for its operation in Austria should follow within the next 12 months. Included in the contract is ten years of maintenance, including the supply of spare parts, diagnostic equipment, training ZSSK employees, and the appropriate technical documentation.

ZSSK also has an option for another seven units, including obtaining type approval, for operation in the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The new trains are seven-car electric multiple units suitable for international operation from three types of power supply systems: 3 kV DC, 15 kV 16.7 Hz, and 25 kV 50 Hz AC. Each seven-car unit is 190 metres long and has a maximum speed of 200 km/h. The trains can also operate in multiple, with two units controlled by a single driver from one cab.

Seating capacity is 566, with 75 seats in First Class, including 18 in a quiet zone, and 464 in Second Class, plus 27 folding seats. In first class, all seats have a power socket and USB-A and USB-C connectors, whilst in Second Class they are for available each pair of seats. Other features include Wi-Fi, a passenger information system, and adjustable interior lighting, as well as a train manager’s information point with a workstation. One of the carriages will include a compartment for passengers with children, equipped with a children’s cinema and a play area, and will have space for prams and 12 fixed seats arranged facing each other.

Škoda has also been prominent at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, Germany, where it launched a battery-electric multiple-unit zero-emission train and demonstrated a tram already in service in Prague, Czechia, with an advanced anti-collision system incorporating LiDAR, cameras, and precise positioning that alerts the driver of potential hazards and, if necessary, activates emergency braking automatically.

“Rail vehicles are procured for decades, which is why we must plan their renewal well in advance. By signing this contract, we are completing an important stage of the public procurement process and creating the conditions necessary to continue, once financing has been secured, with one of the most significant fleet renewal programmes for long-distance transport. The new train units will provide passengers with greater comfort while also enabling us to redeploy higher-quality coaches from the main corridor to other routes, thereby gradually improving travel standards in additional regions as well.”

Ivana Piňosová, Chairwoman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, ZSSK.