PKP Intercity expands its rolling stock traveling at 200 km per hour

PKP Intercity signed or awarded contracts for 200 km/h locomotives and railcars in early 2024. The carrier's fleet will be strengthened by 95 state-of-the art locomotives and 450 railcars that can run at 200 km/h. 

WARSAW, Poland, March 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PKP Intercity is implementing its €6.25 billion 'Large Projects Railway' strategy to solely run a fleet of vehicles reaching speeds of 160 km/h or more. More than 60% of locomotives and nearly 50% of railcars are to run at 200 km/h. 

This represents a major upgrade of the PKP Intercity fleet at both quantitative and qualitative levels. The latest contracts will help the company offer a premium service allowing passengers to travel faster and more comfortably. 

Modern Locomotives

Earlier this year, PKP Intercity signed a contract for 63 multi-system Griffin locomotives with an option for 32 more. The contract is worth nearly €533 million and may increase to nearly €810 million if the option is exercised. The contract will help the carrier align its rolling stock and increase its operational capabilities. Another order is in the pipeline for 15 Griffin multi-system locomotives to be delivered in early 2024. PKP Intercity will have 110 high-speed electric locomotives In total.

The new locomotives will be able to operate on railroad lines supplied with various voltages. The manufacturer plans to get the vehicles approved 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 travel at speeds of 200 km/h. The company announced earlier in February the selected vendor for a contract to buy 300 new railcars with an option for additional 150. This is by far the largest rolling stock project ever in PKP Intercity both in terms of the number of vehicles and the total value of the purchase. The company will allocate €1 billion for the main order of 300 vehicles, expanding it by another 150 railcars will increase the amount to €1.5 billion. Once the delivery is completed, the number of railcars running at a speed of 200 km/h will increase to more than 700. The tender will include the purchase of railcars of various types: compartmental, compartmentless, restaurant and day-night. With a brand-new design, the railcards will be type approved for rail networks in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania.