PKP Intercity continues investing in rolling stock
Polish national rail operator PKP Intercity continues to implement its strategy “The Railway of Big Investments” on renewing the rolling stock. The company has concluded contracts on upgrading its electric multiple units, shunting locomotives and on supplying the brand new passenger carriages. The passenger rail operator also plans to hire additional staff for its fleet maintenance subsidiary.
14 multiple electric units of the type ED74 will be retrofitted by a consortium of Polish companies Pesa Bydgoszcz and ZNTK Mińsk Mazowiecki. The two-year modernisation project includes the installation of the air-conditioning system, comfortable chairs with sockets and Wi-Fi. Each vehicle will be also equipped with vending machines with drinks and snacks. The ED74 trains will be improved to provide better service for passengers with reduced mobility or those who travel with bicycles. This project is worth 274.8 million Zlotys (around 64.6 million Euros). The retrofitted trains will run from Wrocław to Lublin and Kielce.
Another part of the rolling stock investments is the shunting locomotives. Polish rolling stock manufacturer H. Cegielski – Poznań will upgrade 13 shunting locomotives of the series SM42. After the modernisation, these vehicles of PKP Intercity will consume less fuel, provide better comfort for train drivers, have less noise and vibrations. The rail operator uses shunting locomotives only for shunting operations or for haulage in emergency situations. The deal costs 90.3 million Zlotys (21.2 million Euros).
New carriages
Besides the retrofitting, PKP Intercity invests in purchasing of new rolling stock. At the end of May, the company has ordered 26 new passenger carriages from H. Cegielski – Poznań. “We are constantly improving the comfort of our trains, as well as investing in better comply of our fleet with the needs of different groups of passengers. Therefore, we decided to purchase more modern cars, where travellers will be able to enjoy an array of amenities,” said Marek Chraniuk, CEO of PKP Intercity. The order is worth 223.8 million Zlotys (52.6 million Euros).
In the previous years, the company has already ordered 55 passenger cars from H. Cegielski – Poznań. The manufacturer should complete the delivery until February 2022. New carriages will be used on the routes of the Express InterCity (EIC) trains: from Warsaw to Krakow, Kołobrzeg/Gdynia, Zielona Góra, Szczecin, Berlin, Vienna, from Gdynia to Zakopane, Bielsko-Biała, Berlin and others.
Remtrak
PKP Intercity also develops its own fleet maintenance facilities operated via a subsidiary of Remtrak. Since 2016, the rail operator is modernising the Remtrak’s workshops. New phase includes the construction of a new hall for the repair of locomotives, carriages, bogies and wheelsets in Idzikowice, Opole Voivodeship. The works should be completed in January 2021. PKP Intercity intends to hire 400-450 new employers for a new facility in Idzikowice. Currently, the Remtrak’s staff consists of more than employers, 350 of them work in Idzikowice.
Also read:
