One of the biggest new railway buildings in the post-war Czechoslovakia was construction of broad-gauge line from Ukrainian Uzhgorod through Maťovce to Haniska pri Košiciach. In 1972 there was decided about electrification of the line by DC 3 kV system. The Czech locomotives manufacturer ŠKODA Plzeň produced 44 electric locomotives of the type ŠKODA 67 E 1, which could be operated only in pairs. The operator used the class E 469.5 (now 125) for these locomotives (the number 5 means, that the class is for broad-gauge lines). The locomotive of the class E 469.5 has a box frame with one driver’s cab and one head with passageway. The body of the locomotive is stored on two two-axle bogies. The production of 44 locomotives of that class was started in 1975 and locomotives were handed over during the second quarter of 1976. All locomotives were put into locomotive depot (RD) Košice, respectively into inferior branch depot of Haniska pri Košiciach.

After 1989 the importance of this broad-gauge line and also of these locomotives has somewhat fallen. In connection with withdrawing of locomotives of the class 182 in Slovakia there was thought to rebuild the locomotives of the class 125 into normal gauge. But it seems that the current number of these locomotives is meeting the requirements.