POLAND: Škoda Transportation has unveiled the first of the trainsets it is producing for the Warszawa metro. Testing is to be undertaken the Czech manufacturer’s Plzeň plant, ahead of further trials at the Velim test centre and on the Praha metro network before delivery to Poland in spring 2022.
The contract awarded in June 2018 covers 37 six-car trainsets, spare parts, a simulator, an extended guarantee and staff training, with options for eight more trainsets which would take a total value to almost KC8bn. Škoda Transportation beat bids from Stadler, CAF, Alstom and a Siemens-Newag consortium to win the contract, which it said was ‘a breakthrough order’ in the urban rail market as it was one of the largest tenders of its type in Europe. The order is being financed by Metro Warszawskie with contributions from the EU.
The walk-through train is 118·2 m long with a capacity of 1 500 passengers, and spaces for wheelchair users, prams and bicycles. The choice of materials, shapes and colours for the interior is intended to provide a pleasant environment for passengers and the driver. There is an internal and external audio-visual information system and CCTV.
The trains will have a maximum speed of 90 km/h, with full electro-dynamic braking and a preference for regenerative braking.
‘The project is currently giving work to hundreds of people, and not only within our group’, said Petr Brzezina, President of Škoda Transportation, on December 21. ’The aluminium bodies were welded and painted in Ostrava, and final assembly and first testing is being carried out in Plzeň. But many contractors from Poland also contributed to production. We also co-operated with Polish universities on development.’
