Warsaw, Poland, March 2, 2024 (ots/PRNewswire) –PKP Intercity signed or awarded contracts for 200 km/h locomotives and railcars in early 2024. The company’s fleet is reinforced by 95 state-of-the-art locomotives and 450 railcars capable of traveling at 200 km/h.
PKP Intercity is implementing its 6.25 billion euro “Major Rail Projects” strategy to exclusively operate a vehicle fleet that reaches speeds of 160 km/h or more. More than 60% of the locomotives and almost 50% of the railcars will be at 200 drive km/h.
This represents a significant upgrade of the PKP Intercity fleet in both quantitative and qualitative terms. The new contracts will allow the company to offer a premium service that will allow passengers to travel faster and more comfortably.
Modern locomotives
Earlier this year, PKP Intercity signed a contract for 63 Griffin multi-system locomotives with an option for 32 more. The contract is worth almost €533 million and can increase to almost €810 million if the option is exercised. The contract will help the carrier align its rolling stock and increase its operational capacity. A further order for 15 Griffin multi-system locomotives, which are to be delivered in early 2024, is in preparation. PKP Intercity will have a total of 110 high-speed electric locomotives.
The new locomotives will be able to be used on railway lines with different voltages. The manufacturer plans to register the vehicles for operation in six countries: Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
New design of railcars
PKP Intercity operates 265 railcars that can reach a speed of 200 km/h. In early February, the company announced the selected supplier for a contract to purchase 300 new railcars, with an option for an additional 150. This is by far the largest vehicle project that PKP Intercity has ever undertaken, both in terms of the number of vehicles and the total value of the purchase. The company will provide 1 billion euros for the main order of 300 vehicles; the addition of a further 150 railcars will increase the amount to 1.5 billion euros. Once delivery is complete, the number of railcars running at a speed of 200 km/h will increase to over 700. The tender includes the purchase of railcars of various types: with and without compartment, restaurant and day and night. The newly designed Railcards will be approved for rail networks in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania.
