SA 135-003, which is what we are talking about, does not look much like a train today. It stands at the base on Pątnowska Street, dismantled almost down to its frame. It is hard to believe that in just a few months it will once again carry passengers along the tracks of Lower Silesia. This railcar is special because it is… the same age as Koleje Dolnośląskie.
A facelift for its 18th birthday
This vehicle operated the first routes on which Koleje Dolnośląskie trains appeared 18 years ago. It ran from Legnica to Kamieniec Ząbkowicki, from Wałbrzych to Kłodzko, and from Jelenia Góra to Zgorzelec.
Now, as the Lower Silesian Voivodeship consistently restores railway lines closed in a bygone era, this unit will reach Lwówek Śląski, Lądek-Zdrój and Stronie Śląskie in the coming years, as well as Kowary, where work is underway to restore passenger services.
– These lines are another step in rebuilding regional railways as part of our “Lower Silesia on good tracks” programme. We are beginning concrete work to restore connections that the people of Lower Silesia have been waiting for years. Investment in railway infrastructure remains among our top priorities – says Paweł Gancarz, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
Rebuilding the railway network creates a need to purchase and repair more vehicles. After its “facelift”, the SA135 will look like new.
– The railway network must be coherent and form a single whole, so that residents can travel by train throughout the region without difficulty. As we revitalize more lines in Lower Silesia, we are thinking precisely about creating a coherent network rather than just individual sections – says Michał Rado, Deputy Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, responsible, among other things, for railways.
An 18-year-old is a rarity in Koleje Dolnośląskie’s rolling stock fleet, but thanks to P4 inspections, such trains can remain in service. Units are designed from the outset to be able to cover millions of kilometres during their service life.
– This train was delivered to Lower Silesia in 2008 as part of one of the first major rolling-stock purchase contracts concluded by the Lower Silesian regional government. We now have nine such vehicles in our fleet. SA 135-003 has just reached adulthood, and for its “18th birthday” it is undergoing a P4 inspection – says Damian Stawikowski, president of Koleje Dolnośląskie.
SA 135-003 has already travelled 2.3 million kilometres in Koleje Dolnośląskie’s colours. As part of the P4 inspection, it will undergo a thorough facelift.
– It can be said that the vehicle will be dismantled practically down to the last part and assembled from scratch. In addition to engine refurbishment and a new heating system, it will receive modern multimedia systems, LED lighting, seats, electrical outlets and ports. It will be more environmentally friendly: fuel consumption and noise levels will be reduced – explains Wojciech Zdanowski, vice-president of Koleje Dolnośląskie, who, from the perspective of the Marshal’s Office, coordinated the purchase of this vehicle, among others, in 2008.
As early as June, the completely transformed railcar, looking “straight off the production line”, will return to service. It is estimated to have more than 1 million kilometres still ahead of it. This means it will serve passengers for several more years.
A base with EU support
The rising costs of maintaining rolling stock are encouraging more operators to develop their own service facilities. This applies not only to the largest players, such as PKP Intercity, but also to rapidly developing regional-government operators.
From 2010 to 2018, Koleje Dolnośląskie serviced its vehicles in a more-than-100-year-old hall in nearby Miłkowice. Eight years ago, a service hall on Pątnowska Street was commissioned at a cost of PLN 12 million, on the site of the former passenger-carriage stabling section at Legnica station.
It quickly became clear, however, that Koleje Dolnośląskie needed a much larger and more modern facility. In 2023, another new service hall was opened on Pątnowska Street, with a total area of 6,500 square metres, three 120-metre-long tracks, one track intended for a year-round automatic washing facility, an underfloor wheel lathe, above-ground and underground technical infrastructure, and fuel tanks and dispensers. The project was completed with European Union support under the Regional Operational Programme. The total construction cost was PLN 75 million.
It simply pays off!
This investment enabled a major leap into the future. Thanks to the modern service hall and qualified staff, since 2024 Koleje Dolnośląskie has been independently carrying out P4 inspections. So far, three electric vehicles, 31WE, have been given a new lease of life; the first left the base at the beginning of 2025. Now, on Pątnowska Street, a diesel railcar is undergoing a thorough facelift for the first time in the Company’s history. This train will operate on non-electrified routes with low or medium traffic levels. In the near future, in addition to the diesel and hybrid units (electric + diesel) already in use, 10 new eco-diesels manufactured by the PESA factory in Bydgoszcz will appear in Lower Silesia. This is a model of which 100 units have already been delivered to České dráhy. In March 2026, the Polish manufacturer announced the delivery of the 100th unit to its southern neighbours.