Polish long-distance rail operator PKP Intercity purchased six road-rail locotractors Crab 1500E in 2018. The vehicles worth 2.7 million Zlotys (more than 632 thousand Euros) will improve the shunting operations of the Polish carrier. All the locotractors were delivered by Polish supplier Wichary Technologies, an official dealer of the Italian company Zephir.

The rail vehicles were deployed to depots of PKP Intercity in Gdynia, Kraków and Przemyśl. The railway operator sees locotractors as an ideal solution for closed halls due to their compact dimensions (2180x1830x1550 millimetres) and technical specifications. “Their installed electric drive reduces emissions completely and provides a low noise level”, reported PKP Intercity. The procurement is co-financed by EU funds and is part of the company’s strategy to upgrade its rolling stock.

Zephir locotractors

Italian company Zephir is specialised in the manufacturing of railway shunting solutions. The Crab product range includes the most compact locotractors of two models. The road-rail vehicles Crab 1500E have a maximum towing capacity of 300 tonnes that allows to pull a passenger car and a locomotive at a speed of five kilometres per hour. The second model is the Crab 1800E vehicle with a towing capacity of 360 tonnes. Besides the Crab range, Zephir produces other lines of locotractors. They are more powerful but have larger dimensions. Thus, the road-rail vehicles of Lok 13.90 E type can pull rolling stock with a weight up to 2600 tonnes.

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