723 709-2 in Česká Třebová on 8 December 2018. Picture by Dalibor Palko.
As 2017 neared its end, ?EPRO decided to launch a tender for the modernization of locomotive 740.891. In March 2018, the tender was won by CZ LOKO, which had offered its EffiShunter 700 modernization concept. On Wednesday, 18 April 2018, the contract was finalized at the CZ LOKO works in Jihlava. When loco 723 709-2 was delivered, CZ LOKO had already replaced the EffiShunter 500 and 700 variants by a single product name: EffiShunter 600. As a result, the loco was delivered as EffiShunter 600, but with a more powerful engine than other loco's of the type. 723 709-2 would not be the only EffiShunter 600 for ?EPRO. It was later joined by further EffiShunter 600 locos.
