These are more new trainsets, following the electric Elf 2 trains, which will soon take to the tracks of Lower Silesia. They will be fast, comfortable, modern and environmentally friendly. The value of the six electric-diesel trains is almost PLN 170 million. UMWD:
NEWAG S.A. will supply Koleje Dolnośląskie with a total of six hybrid Impuls II trains. The tender procedure concerned two trains, with an added purchase option for six more. The carrier decided to use this option immediately, buying the additional four units.
The first trainsets will appear in Lower Silesia in a year and a half, with the next ones arriving two months later. The NEWAG trains meet all applicable exhaust-emission standards. They are an excellent solution for use on routes that are not fully electrified.
“The purchase of six hybrid Impuls II trains is currently the largest contract for this type of vehicle in Poland. We are firmly and decisively focusing on rail transport. The gradual takeover of railway lines and expansion of the fleet with modern and environmentally friendly trains are important elements of our strategy for developing rail passenger transport,” says Marshal Cezary Przybylski of Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy.
The hybrid Impuls II trains for Koleje Dolnośląskie are comfortable three-car trains adapted to serve people with reduced mobility. Each will be able to carry around 315 passengers comfortably. The trainsets will be equipped with air conditioning and publicly available wireless internet. In electric traction, they will reach speeds of up to 160 km/h, while in diesel mode they will reach up to 120 km/h.
The new trains will run on the Trzebnica–Wrocław–Sobótka–Świdnica route, where they will be able to use their dual-system propulsion. Railway line no. 285 between Wrocław, Sobótka and Świdnica is currently being revitalized, which will allow regular passenger services to return after around 20 years. According to PKP PLK’s announcements, the works are to be completed next year. The revitalization is co-financed by funds from the Regional Operational Programme of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
“Thanks to this investment, residents of, among other places, Sobótka and Świdnica will gain an easy and convenient way to travel to the voivodeship capital. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for Lower Silesia residents to reach workplaces and educational, cultural and recreational centers, so that their quality of life continues to improve,” says Tymoteusz Myrda, member of the Board of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
The contract just signed by Koleje Dolnośląskie and NEWAG, worth PLN 170 million, is another agreement this year to purchase modern trains. At the end of September, the carrier ordered five five-car electric Elf 2 trains from bydgoszcz-based PESA.
“I am pleased that, thanks to the coalition agreement between Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy and Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, Koleje Dolnośląskie is continually expanding its transport offer. The purchase of 11 new trains will receive more than PLN 85 million in funding under an agreement with the Centre for EU Transport Projects,” says Grzegorz Macko, Deputy Marshal of the Voivodeship.
Koleje Dolnośląskie had already been interested in hybrid Impuls II trains last year, with a view to launching services on partially electrified lines. “The final decision to purchase hybrids was preceded by numerous analyses, but they confirmed that our rolling stock should be expanded to include dual-power vehicles. This is the only way to guarantee complete flexibility in operating services and, as a result, create new development prospects for Koleje Dolnośląskie,” explains Damian Stawikowski, president of KD.
The hybrid Impuls II trains from NEWAG S.A. will join the 27 electric Impuls I trains currently operating on routes in the region. “This decision shows that Koleje Dolnośląskie is staying the course and ensuring that its fleet always consists of the most technologically advanced trains available on the market. Our hybrids are a design resulting from NEWAG’s innovative approach to the optimization sought by carriers, responding to expectations regarding the operating economy and environmental performance of railway rolling stock. The electric and diesel engines installed together will make it possible to operate on every type of route,” says Zbigniew Konieczek, president of NEWAG S.A. “Our products are renowned for their reliability, so I am convinced that they will serve Lower Silesia residents for many years, providing them with comfortable journeys.”
The voivodeship government is also implementing its policy of eliminating transport exclusion by taking over and revitalizing railway lines that have often been unused for a dozen or several dozen years. The aim of this initiative is to give residents access to rail transport wherever possible, including for daily journeys to work or school.
“It is also important that other residents of Lower Silesia and tourists visiting us will gain access, via safe, regular public transport, to the voivodeship’s truly outstanding tourist attractions,” emphasizes Patryk Wild, a councillor of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Assembly.
The Lower Silesian Voivodeship government will take over almost 400 km of railway-line properties from PKP S.A. Applications concerning all 26 lines have already been submitted to their current owner; some have been completed successfully, while in the remaining cases the transfer procedure is ongoing.