A joint venture is to be established between Zerz, a Ukrainian state-owned electric locomotive maintenance and repair company, and Skoda, of the Czech Republic, to build dual-voltage passenger trains for Ukrainian Railways (UZ). A prototype, based on a type 109E locomotive, will be produced by Skoda next year and sent to Ukraine for certification.

Production in Ukraine will start in 2015 at a new plant that is expected to produce 25 locomotives a year. The proportion of Ukrainian components will eventually reach 90%.

These trains will be able to operate on lines electrified at 25kV AC and 3kV DC. They will have a maximum speed of 160kph, which could be increased to 200kph if necessary. UZ wants 50 dual-voltage passenger units, 330 conventional passenger locomotives, and 100 dual-voltage freight units. The new factory will produce other types of locomotive in the future.