POLISH State Railways has announced plans to update its rolling stock fleet. Investment in 1999-2010 will include acquisition of 16 tilting trains from Fiat Ferroviaria, 42 Type EU11 locomotives from Adtranz-Pafawag, and eight dual-system EU43 units from the same supplier. The locos are already being assembled, and the first has been trialled on PKP’s own test track near Zmigród.
Later in the programme PKP hopes to acquire 200 railbuses for lightly-used routes. However, this is subject to an agreement with local authorities over the financing of regional lines, reversing the central responsibility for funding the rail network which has existed since the 1890s.
The plans also foresee purchase of 9280 freight wagons, and 1500 including flat wagons and sliding roof vans will be acquired this year. A total of 777 open wagons of four types was purchased last year, and 2354 were rebuilt. As the new and rebuilt wagons become available, numerous older ones will be withdrawn, leading to a net reduction in the size of the fleet.
Similar objectives exist for PKP’s motive power fleet, and during 1998 PKP carried out modernisation of 204 electric and 120 diesel locomotives. This allowed withdrawal of one-fifth of the fleet.
EMUs for suburban services in Warszawa and other cities are being updated too, and by 2010 as many as 500 units of Type EN57 and EN71 should have been refurbished.
The main line passenger fleet already includes a number of modern coaches for InterCity and EuroCity services. During 1998 PKP bought 17 air-conditioned coaches able to run at 200 km/h, and this year it is acquiring two first class, 15 second class, and two business class vehicles plus one Type 305AB sleeping car. Last year saw 119 coaches modernised, including 14 sleeping cars. PKP’s first EuroNight service, the Warszawa - K
