Łódź Voivodeship has ordered from Pesa Bydgoszcz 10 additional three-car EMUs for regional transport which will be adapted to the needs of people with disabilities and will be equipped with ERTMS. PLN 345.8 million (EUR 80.9 million) is the value of the new trains which will enter operation on the routes of the Łódź Province in 2026.
The contract is co-financed by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO) as part of the project covering the procurement of 10 three-car regional electric trains equipped with ERTMS and adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. In June 2023, Łódź Voivodeship submitted application documentation for obtaining funding under the KPO for rolling stock procurement, which was positively assessed. In March 2024 Łódź Province received funding of PLN 115.4 million (EUR 27 million) of the PLN 281 million (EUR 65.7 million) eligible value.
The trains will accommodate up to 350 people, including 160 seated passengers and will be adapted to passengers with reduced mobility. They will reach speeds of up to 160 km/h and will be equipped with, among others, air conditioning, ticket machines, passenger information system, free Wi-Fi, bicycle spaces, power sockets and LCD monitors. Passengers will have special zones for families with children and for people with disabilities.
“Thanks to the decision to purchase additional trains, the Łódzką Kolej Aglomeracyjną [Łódzką Metropolitan Railway] will be able to further expand its offer. We encourage our passengers to choose public transport, in our case – the railway. I am glad that our fleet of 39 trains will be supplemented by more, which will allow us to meet the needs of residents. We will also be able to service new routes,” Jan Kotynia, Member of the Management Board of the Łódzką Kolej Aglomeracyjną said.
The ordered EMUs for regional transport will improve the transport accessibility of the Łódź province by strengthening the service of connections carried out by the operator Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna. They will be deployed on the Łódź Widzew – Łódź Fabryczna – Łódź Żabieniec – Zgierz, Łódź Widzew – Łódź Fabryczna – Łódź Kaliska – Pabianice rail routes. In order to optimally and effectively use the rolling stock, it is planned to redirect it to other routes, reinforcement is planned on the Sieradz – Skierniewice line. The modern units will run in the Łódź cross-city tunnel currently PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe is constructing and will connect the Łódź Fabryczna station with the Łódź Kaliska and Łódź Żabieniec stations. The tunnel will be essential for changing the mobility of residents and increasing the accessibility of the province for public transport.
“This is very good news for residents of the Łódź Province who travel by regional trains. These will be modern and comfortable vehicles. These are certainly not the last purchases, because I and the entire Board of the Łódź Province are focusing on rail. We want our region to be as well-connected as possible, and for residents to be able to travel efficiently between cities,” Joanna Skrzydlewska, Marshal of the Łódź Voivodeship said.
Łódź Voivodeship says that the new electric multiple units will improve the quality of the transport system, increasing the competitiveness of the railways in relation to other modes of transport, improve the internal cohesion of the region in rail traffic to improve the professional and spatial mobility of the province’s inhabitants. In addition, the new vehicles will reduce the negative impact of road transport on the environment and CO2 emissions and air pollution, reducing the number of accidents in road traffic by increasing the share of rail transport compared to road.
In the Spring of 2023, Łódź Voivodeship and Pesa Bydgoszcz signed a contract for the supply of four EMUs of type Regio160, also operated by Łódź Metropolitan Railway. The contract also included an option for 20 additional EMUs with a capacity of up to 350 passengers including 160 seats.
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