Bohumín, September 5,2006 – The world is a step further in the area of railway transport speed. Cooperation between Siemens Transportation, German railways (DB) and Austrian railways (ÖBB) brought breaking of locomotive world speed record. Siemens locomotive reached speed 357 kph at the route from Ingolstadt to Nuremberg (Germany). The world record was reached also due to Czech know-how. Railway wheels and axles that carried the record-setting locomotive come from Bonatrans a.s. of Bohumín, which is a member of the financial group K&K Capital Group.

Testing of locomotive capabilities as well as promotion of German railway industry motivated an unusual idea of trying to break locomotive world speed record. Previous record was kept by French railways and was 331 kph. A recently built new track in Bavaria was selected for the record test. The new world speed record of 357 kph was achieved by Siemens locomotive ES64U4 (Taurus).

The record would not be achieved without significant Czech contribution in a form of railway wheels designed and manufactured in Bonatrans a.s., the biggest European railway wheelset producer. Pavel Manasek, marketing executive, explains that standard batch production components were used: "We have supplied several thousand Taurus wheels and axles to Siemens Transportation. They are designed for speed up to 250 kph, however, the world record project team carefully recalculated behaviour of individual components as well as aerodynamics at the speed 350 kph and endorsed the test.“

Breaking of the speed record means a proof for Bonatrans a.s. that the wheels are designed and manufactured with substantial safety and reliability margin. Mr. Manasek sees a potential in the very high speed transport: "So far our wheels reach speed 280 kph in Germany in ICE trains, however, we intensively work on development of wheels with maximal operational speed 350 kph."

Bonatrans a.s. is the biggest European producer of railway wheelsets and their part for railway rolling stock. Its share of the European market exceeds 30%. The company builds on its forty-years' history and exports over 90% of its production. Approximately 190 thousand products leave the plant each year.

Bonatrans a.s., along with ŽDB a.s. and KOVOSVIT a.s., is a part of the financial group K&K Capital Group, namely its division Industrial Group Holding, that covers industrial activities within the group. Bonatrans and ŽDB, both based in Bohumín, together employ almost 4 thousand people and are among the biggest employers in the region.

K&K Capital Group is among the most significant financial groups in the Cezch Republic and it manages assets exceeding 42 billion Koruna (c. € 1.5 billion) and employs over 7 thousand staff. It is a long-term strategic investor in the fields of oil&gas, industry, finance and investments. The group consists of over 20 Czech and foreign companies, e.g. Moravské naftové doly, SPP Bohemia, Atlantik finanční trhy, Atlantik – Kilcullen Asset Management, ŽDB, Bonatrans, Kovosvit, publishing house Stanford issuing Profit, Czech Business Weekly a TV-channel TOP TV. Besides the Czech Republic it operates in USA, Canada, Pakistan, UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and Middle East.