The twelfth edition of the Expo Ferroviaria trade fair will take place from 30 September to 2 October 2025 in Milan, Italy. DAKO-CZ, a manufacturer of braking systems and components for rail vehicles based in Třemošnice in eastern Bohemia, will not be missing from the event. The company exhibited there with its own stand for the first time in 2023 and is returning again this year. It has prepared a range of new products for visitors from both the professional and the general public, including a demonstration of a hybrid coupler for a hybrid hydrogen locomotive, which will be one of the fair's main attractions.
"I greatly value the cooperation we have established with the Italian company Sitav, one of the pioneers in the development of hybrid locomotives," says Stanislav Pometlo, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of DAKO-CZ, adding: "Strategic partnerships like these move us forward and give us unique opportunities to apply new technologies to customer projects."
In addition to the hybrid digital automatic coupler, a complete DAKO braking system will be supplied for this project. The locomotive itself, designated FENHYCE (Fuel cell ENergy HYdrogen Converted Engine), will be presented on Wednesday 1 October at 12:30 at outdoor stand AT-A02. The presentation will cover the DAKO hybrid digital automatic coupler as well as the design of the hydrogen locomotive and the thinking behind its development.
Among its other products, DAKO-CZ will present a tread brake unit at Expo Ferroviaria. This unit is a compressed-air-driven brake designed for passenger rail vehicles. It is equipped with a pneumatic cylinder, a slack adjuster and a gear mechanism. Models of brake units and brake components developed in accordance with UIC standards will also be on display.
"We believe the DAKO-CZ stand will attract visitors from both the professional and the wider technical public, and that it will become a place where we make new contacts and strengthen relationships with clients. For the Italian fair we have also prepared an impressive slide show covering the event's core themes: digitalisation, electronics, sustainability and innovation," concludes Stanislav Pometlo.
Visitors will find the DAKO-CZ stand in Hall F, stand 80. Expo Ferroviaria is the most important railway event in Italy. At the previous edition in 2023, 274 exhibitors from more than 15 countries presented their products and solutions, 80 of them for the first time, and the fair was attended by almost 12,000 visitors.
About DAKO-CZ, a.s.
DAKO-CZ is a leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail vehicles – pneumatic, electromechanical, electromagnetic and hydraulic – with a heritage spanning more than 200 years.
The company supplies braking systems and components for freight wagons, passenger coaches, suburban units, locomotives, metro trains and trams. Vehicles equipped with DAKO technology run not only across Europe but also in South America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and the company works with leading global rolling stock manufacturers and rail operators.
DAKO-CZ has its own R&D department, a modern testing laboratory and a design centre. Beyond developing and manufacturing braking systems and components, it also provides after-sales service, and in 2020 it opened a new service centre on its site.
That same year, with a full order book, the company expanded its production hall and completely overhauled its logistics, significantly boosting production capacity. It also began supplying a new customer, the Spanish manufacturer TALGO, for trainsets bound for Egypt. Other orders went to Poland, Slovenia, Austria and India, among others.
The company's success has also been recognised with awards. DAKO-CZ came second in the Pardubice Region Company of the Year competition in 2020 and won it the following year. In 2022 it received the prestigious Czech Superbrands award, which it went on to retain in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Also in 2022, it became a member of UNIFE, the European rail supply industry association.