PKP Intercity and H Cegielski Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych (FPS) of Poznań signed a contract for the supply of 300 new railcars with an option for 150 additional vehicles. PLN 4.24 billion (EUR 993 million) is the value of the contract which will increase to PLN 6.36 billion (EUR 1.5 billion) after exercising the options.
This is the largest rolling stock tender in the history of PKP Intercity and the ordered carriages will enter passenger services in 2026.
The contractor was selected through an open tender procedure and the winner has been announced this spring.
“PKP Intercity’s priority is to increase the number of seats for our passengers. Fulfilling the order for up to 450 new railcars will provide the necessary rolling stock to serve the growing number of passengers. The coaches will provide passengers with a new standard of travel, they will be more comfortable than those we have used so far. We are also buying them with the intention of opening the domestic rail market to competition,” the president of PKP Intercity, Janusz Malinowski, said.
The coaches will provide Express InterCity and Intercity services and will be able to reach speeds of up to 200 km/h. The ordered coaches will be designed with a high standard for passenger comfort. The interiors will feature new colours and new equipment, such as inductive chargers and decorative lighting, giving the interiors a cosier and more atmospheric feel, highlighted by wood-coloured elements.
The interior of the new railcars will be diverse. Passengers will have at their disposal compartments, a space without compartments with seats in an aircraft layout and with tables. The vehicles will be adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. There will also be cars designed for transport of bicycles, restaurant railcars, and vehicles with places to lie down and sleep or relax.
PKP Intercity may exercise the right to extend the order to 450 coaches, with each of their categories being expanded by additional units, from 13 to 40 pieces.
All purchased carriages will be air-conditioned. They will have Wi-Fi, an individual lighting system, and electrical sockets and USB ports that will be installed at the seats. The interior will have a dynamic passenger information system on light boards. The coaches will be equipped with a remote diagnostics system, monitoring with the possibility of remote data transmission and a fire protection system.
In 1st and 2nd class the carriages will provide additional space for luggage under the seats. An innovative solution will be a space for parents travelling with children, it will be a combination of a passenger section with a safe space for playing, which will allow for comfortable travel with young passengers. Seats in first class will gain a new standard, which will include carriages with compartments and those without compartments, and inside, apart from standard amenities, there will be novelties such as inductive chargers. In restaurant carriages, passengers will see a more intimate and atmospheric interior.
“Such railcars are a novelty on Polish tracks. Their innovative design will stand out among the rest of the operating trains. We are eagerly awaiting their production so that they can please the eyes of our passengers as soon as possible. Our common goal that we have set is a new quality on tracks,” said Grzegorz Kucia, the President of the Management Board of H. Cegielski – Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych.
The new cars will serve domestic and international transport services, including to destinations in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania.
After obtaining homologation, they will be able to serve the following routes:
- Warsaw – Poznań – Berlin;
- Warsaw – Poznań – Szczecin;
- Warsaw – Katowice – Bohumin;
- Przemyśl – Kraków – Katowice – Wrocław – Berlin;
- Przemyśl – Kraków – Katowice – Wrocław – Szczecin;
- Gdynia – Poznań – Wrocław – Prague;
- Kraków/Wrocław – Bohumin.
Share on:
