POLAND: Koleje Małopolskie and Newag have signed a 1·3bn złoty framework contract for the purchase of six 3 kV DC electric multiple-units with an option for 19 more, Małopolskie voivodship announced on September 9.
The 345m złoty firm order for six trainsets is being financed from the European Funds for Małopolska 2021-27 programme.
The option for another 14 EMUs is expected to be exercised at a cost of 770m złoty using funds either from the European Union’s Recovery & Resilience Fund or the European Fund for Infrastructure, Climate & Environment 2021-27. The remaining five trains at a cost of 277m złoty would be purchased later using FEM 2021-27 sources.
The trainsets will be capable of carrying 550 passengers of which 236 would be seated. They will be designed for carrying visually impaired and hearing-impaired passengers, equipped with a ramp to ease boarding and alighting, and an accessible toilet equipped with a baby changing table as well as designated spaces for luggage, bicycles and pushchairs.
The trains are due to be delivered from 2027. They are expected to be used on routes in Małopolska and neighbouring voivodships.
‘We can see that since 2014 the number of passengers has increased significantly. In 2014, about 7 million passengers were transported by regional railways, and in 2024 this number will be almost 22 million passengers. This means that we have to buy modern and well-equipped trains’, said Łukasz Smółka, Marshal of Małopolska.
