EXCITING: PKP Intercity Strengthens Its Fleet with 81 New Carriages

PKP Intercity has taken delivery of the last of the 81 carriages produced for the carrier by the Poznań-based company H. Cegielski Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych. The entire contract, worth almost PLN 700 million gross, has thus been completed. The 81 modern carriages are already being used by passengers throughout Poland. The last of them appeared on tracks at the beginning of January, contributing to an increase in the standard of travel on PKP Intercity trains in the new timetable.

The completed investment is the result of an agreement signed in February 2018 between the carrier and the manufacturer. The gross value of the entire order was PLN 697.3 million. The premiere carriages were first shown by PKP Intercity during the TRAKO fair in Gdańsk in 2021, and the first vehicles were received by the carrier in December 2021. The modern carriages are planned to serve InterCity (IC) and Express InterCity (EIC) category trainsets running on the routes:

• Warsaw - Krakow - Zakopane,
• Kołobrzeg/Gdynia - Bielsko-Biała,
• Kołobrzeg/Hel - Gdynia - Warsaw,
• Warsaw - Wrocław - Warsaw,
• Warsaw - Szczecin - Warsaw,
• Warsaw - Berlin - Warsaw,
• Gdynia - Berlin - Gdynia,
• Kraków - Berlin - Kraków,
• Gdynia/Warsaw - Vienna - Warsaw/Gdynia,
• Wrocław - Gdynia.

"We constantly strive to make railways safe, comfortable, predictable, accessible and environmentally friendly. We keep our word because every PKP Intercity investment is another step in this direction. Another completed order will allow us to strengthen the carrier's operational capabilities and make better use of the continuously modernised railway infrastructure. We are also investing in accessibility - more and more carriages and infrastructure elements are friendly for people with mobility problems. We aim to make transport and infrastructure accessible to every citizen," stresses Andrzej Adamczyk, Polish Minister of Infrastructure.

"The cooperation between PKP Intercity and the Poznan Railway Vehicles Factory is an example of a project beneficial for everyone – companies, the railway sector, the labour market and the passengers who change to modern carriages. Our national carrier will invest more than PLN 24 billion in modern rolling stock. The fact that the majority of tenders for this rolling stock are won by Polish companies shows that our industry is developing all the time and becoming a competition for foreign companies," says Maciej Małecki, Secretary of State at the Ministry of State Assets.

Modern coaches for everyone – coaches with a prestigious certificate

The investment programme implemented by PKP Intercity, the largest in the company's history, is aimed not only at modernising the fleet and improving travel comfort but at making the railway more accessible to as many people as possible. Therefore, among the 81 new vehicles, there are ten 2nd class compartment carriages adapted to transporting people with disabilities.

The vehicles have been awarded the prestigious Transport without barriers certificate, awarded by the Integration Foundation. Receiving the accessibility mark confirms that they are adapted to the needs of people with disabilities, senior citizens or parents travelling with children. To obtain it, a complex, specialised audit, carried out by experienced Integracja experts, takes place beforehand. It is another award in this category for the company. Previously, COMBO carriages were the first in Poland to receive such certification.

"The year 2022 is behind us. It has brought very high popularity of rail travel and record-high results for PKP Intercity. We look to the future with great optimism because the national carrier is constantly investing in modern vehicles, such as those produced in Poznań. We watch the Polish railway become safer, more comfortable, more accessible, more predictable and environmentally friendly," emphasises Andrzej Bittel, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Among the 81 coaches that strengthened the PKP Intercity fleet were:

• seven 1st class compartment coaches;
• 27 compartmentless coaches of 2nd class;
• 27 2nd class compartment coaches;
• ten 2nd class compartmentless carriages with space to carry bicycles (each equipped with eight bicycle racks);
• ten 2nd class compartment carriages adapted to transport people with disabilities.

"PKP Group is continuously strengthening its potential by conducting the largest investment programmes in its history. These include the modernisation and purchase of new rolling stock and investment in railway infrastructure, including railway stations. We want the railway in Poland to be comfortable, accessible and safe, as well as friendly to every passenger, including people with disabilities," says Andrzej Olszewski, a member of the PKP S.A. Management Board.

Greater travel comfort 

Vehicles from H. Cegielski - Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych Sp. z o.o. will allow the route to be travelled faster by adjusting to a speed of 200 km/h. The new carriages are equipped with comfortable seats with access to an individual electric socket and lighting. In addition, mobile signal boosters and wireless internet facilities have been installed. The carriages have air conditioning, a passenger information system and closed-circuit toilets. The investment is fully compliant with the Technical Specifications for Interoperability, which enable smooth and efficient operation on the trans-European rail network.

"Passengers can see with their own eyes what the billion-dollar investments we have been making for several years mean in practice. Thanks to these investments, more and more routes and trains are being served by modern and comfortable vehicles. We want to offer our passengers a high and predictable standard of travel - further purchases and modernisations contribute significantly to this," explains Jarosław Oniszczuk, a member of the PKP Intercity Management Board.

We are pleased that PKP Intercity has set as one of its objectives increasing rail accessibility for people with disabilities, seniors and parents travelling with children. Such actions should be an example for other carriers and an inspiration to increase the accessibility of rolling stock," says Ewa Pawłowska, President of the Board of the Integration Foundation.

Harmonious cooperation between PKP Intercity and H. Cegielski - Railway Vehicles Factory

The ongoing contract is another example of successful cooperation between PKP Intercity and H. Cegielski - Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych. At the end of 2019, five months ahead of schedule, the manufacturer delivered to the carrier the last of the 90 modernised 111A-type carriages, which became 174A after modernisation. The value of the order was nearly PLN 410 million gross. In November 2020, PKP Intercity's fleet was reinforced by ten modernised restoration coaches resulting from periodic repairs at maintenance level 5 and the modernisation of 145Ab compartmentalised coaches. The contract was worth PLN 61.4 million gross, and in 2021, eight more special-purpose carriages were handed over to transport representatives of the Polish Armed Forces. Since the beginning of 2022, the carrier has also taken delivery of 13 modernised diesel universal locomotives of the new SU4220 series. These were created as a result of the modernisation of classic SM42-series diesel locomotives. The total gross value of the contract is PLN 90.3 million.

"We feel great satisfaction that we have realised another order for our national carrier, as a result of which PKP Intercity has new coaches for a steadily growing number of passengers. These are the first Polish carriages fully compliant with the latest European Technical Specifications for Interoperability. And already this year, we will hand over the first wagons which we are modernising under last year's order," says Marcin Rodek, acting President of the Management Board of H. Cegielski - Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych sp. z o.o.

In April 2022, PKP Intercity signed another contract with the Poznań-based factory. Its object is to carry out periodic repairs at the fifth level of maintenance together with the modernisation of 90 wagons of type 111A and 141A and their subsequent maintenance at the third level. The value of the entire order is almost PLN 495 million gross.

In the upgraded carriages, passengers will benefit from comfortable seats, air conditioning, a passenger information system, automatic doors and closed-circuit toilets. There will be CCTV in the vehicles, and Braille signage will also be available. The bogies will be replaced with new and quieter ones. The carriages will be adjusted to a speed of 160 km/h. After modernisation, the vehicles will operate as second-class compartment cars on InterCity (IC) category trains.

In total, as part of the ongoing investment programme, PKP Intercity has concluded contracts worth over PLN 1.83 billion gross with the Greater Poland company. 

Source: PKP Intercity