As part of the planned tender procedure, the company intends to purchase six three-car vehicles with a dual-system electric-diesel (hybrid, HZT) drive, capable of carrying at least 320 passengers, as well as five five-car electric trainsets (EZT) capable of carrying at least 550 passengers.
– I am pleased that today we can announce the long-awaited plan to purchase new rolling stock for Koleje Dolnośląskie. The estimated value of purchasing 11 trains is as much as PLN 280 million – said Cezary Przybylski, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, which will guarantee the bank loan for the purchase of the rolling stock.
The purchase will receive PLN 85.1 million in funding.
The first new trains will appear in Lower Silesia in mid-2022. According to the schedule, all eleven trainsets will be delivered to the company at the turn of 2022 and 2023. Damian Stawikowski, president of Koleje Dolnośląskie:
We plan to purchase six hybrid and five electric trainsets. However, in the future we want to use the purchase option provided by the tender, which allows us to order as many as 41 trains in total. By exercising this option, we will increase our fleet by 75%. This is a historic investment—the largest in the history of our region—which we estimate at more than PLN 1 billion.
The new rolling stock is a response to the growing number of Koleje Dolnośląskie passengers. The purchase option allows for the ordering of an additional 10 hybrid trainsets and 20 electric trainsets. The company intends to complete the purchase of the additional 30 vehicles under the option if external funding, mainly EU funds, is available.
Hybrids for new routes
The hybrid vehicles purchased through the EU-funded project will operate on the route from Trzebnica to Świdnica via Wrocław and Sobótka, which will be launched after the revitalisation work is completed. The dual-system drive of the new trains means that along the entire section of the line, including the city of Wrocław, Koleje Dolnośląskie vehicles will emit no pollutants into the atmosphere.
– The decision to purchase new rolling stock will help create an agglomeration railway in Wrocław, as well as in the Copper Basin. We are holding talks with local governments interested in developing rail transport – said Tymoteusz Myrda, member of the Board of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship responsible for developing rail infrastructure in the region.
The new electric trains will also connect Jelcz-Laskowice with Wrocław, serving two routes:
- to Wrocław Główny via Wrocław Wojnów
- extended for the purposes of the agglomeration railway project to Oleśnica via Siechnice and Wrocław Główny.
