Alstom’s Pendolino, the first high-speed train to operate in Poland, entered commercial service on 14 December. This inauguration opens a new era for railway travel in Poland, offering passengers enhanced comfort, safety, new standards and shorter travel time between the northern and the southern parts of the country. The Pendolino trains will be operated on existing lines by PKP Intercity to connect the main cities of Warsaw, Gdansk, Gdynia, Krakow, Katowice and Wroclaw.
The PKP Pendolino has seven cars and can carry up to 402 people in three classes: first, second, and dedicated close compartments for families. The cars are all equipped with air conditioning, passenger information on LED screens, table and sockets for each passenger, high luggage capacity, and bicycle storage.
Other services provided on the trains are a wide dining area with bar and tables, and universal accessibility including external elevator and a wide toilet with wheelchair access. In cooperation with Alstom’s Design & Styling centre, the Polish designer maradDesign was responsible for the graphic design and colours, and the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro created the aerodynamic front end that covers the crash absorption system.
This commissioning follows the contract worth €665 million awarded by PKP Intercity in 2011 to supply 20 high speed trains, the full maintenance of the fleet for up to 17 years and the construction of a maintenance depot in Warsaw. The 12,000 m2 newly-built depot is equipped with the most high-tech servicing tools. Alstom currently employs 92 people in the depot. This figure will reach 130 at full capacity.
In September 2014, the Polish Office of Rail Transport, responsible for the supervision of the railway sector’s safety in Poland, certified the Pendolino trains. During the tests performed, the Pendolino beat its own speed record by attaining 293 km/h, also establishing Poland’s highest ever speed record on rail.
The trains were manufactured in Savigliano, Italy; the traction and auxiliary were manufactured in Sesto, Italy; the bogies and motors were produced in Le Creusot, Ornans, France and the on-board electronics come from Villeurbanne, France and Charleroi, Belgium.
The European Union is supporting sustainable transport initiatives and allocated €74 million for this high speed project in Poland. An additional €10 billion will be granted within the EU cohesion fund 2014 – 2020 to further support the development of the Polish railway network. With 20,000 km of tracks, Poland has the third biggest railway network in Europe.
(Source: Alstom)
