POLAND: Freight operator Lotos Kolej has placed orders for an electric locomotive and flat wagons with co-financing from an EU programme which aims to increase the use of intermodal freight and move containerised traffic from road to rail.
The EU’s aim is to reduce the negative effects of road transport, including emissions, congestion and accidents, while the operator is seeking to benefit from the development of Polish ports and the increase in intermodal transport from Asia to Europe. The support from the EU’s Operational Programme Infrastructure & Environment 2014-20 ‘means that we will be competitive with other entities providing this type of transport’, said Lotos Kolej President Anatol Kupryciuk.
The four-axle Newag Griffin electric locomotive is the third to be ordered by Lotos Kolej. It will be equipped with ETCS Level 2 and will be able to haul up to 3 200 tonnes at speeds up to 160 km/h. ‘Its high availability and reliability will contribute to strengthening the leading position of Lotos Kolej in the freight market’, said Newag management board Vice-President Józef Michalik. The order is worth 13·8m złoty, with EU co-financing of 6·5m złoty.
The operator has now ordered 12 Newag electric locomotives in the past year, adding to its fleet of around 130 locos and more than 4 000 wagons.
A separate contract has been signed for Bulgarian company Kolowag to supply 216 Type Sggrss articulated wagons between July 2020 and March 2021. The order is worth 98·3m złoty, including 42·6m złoty of EU co-financing.
