The state-owned train company PKP Intercity has now formally started its first procurement of high-speed trains for traffic up to 320 kilometers per hour. It is the first time Poland has procured passenger trains in this speed class, marking an important step in the country’s long-term plans for a new high-speed rail network.
The procurement includes 20 electric motorcar trains, with an option for a further 35 trainsets. In addition to the delivery of vehicles, long-term maintenance as well as the design and construction of a special technical depot for the high-speed trains are also included.
Long and complex procurement
The procedure is carried out as a so-called competitive dialogue, a model used in technically complex projects where the client wants to develop the solutions together with the market. According to PKP Intercity, the unusually long schedule reflects both the technical difficulty of the project and the great interest from manufacturers.
Applications to participate must be submitted by April 2026 at the latest. Then follows the dialogue phase with selected bidders, which is planned to be longer than in previous vehicle procurements. Final tenders are to be submitted in May 2027, with contract award in August of the same year.
A basic requirement in the procurement is documented experience in delivering trains with a maximum speed of at least 250 kilometers per hour. Prior to the announcement, PKP Intercity held dialogue with nine vehicle manufacturers, also based in Poland. According to the operator, several of these have signaled that they intend to participate through consortia together with partners who have the necessary high-speed expertise.
Trains for international traffic
Each set of trains is planned to be approximately 200 meters long and equipped with two comfort classes, a bistro or restaurant section, spaces for travelers with reduced mobility and special areas for families with children. During the dialogue phase, manufacturers also get the opportunity to propose additional technical and functional solutions.
The first 20 trains are primarily intended for the planned high-speed line in the so-called Y network, designed for at least 320 kilometers per hour. According to current plans, the first traffic phase includes, among other things:
– Warsaw–Łódź–Wrocław med timmestrafik
– Warsaw–Łódź–Poznań–Szczecin varannan timme
– Warsaw–Łódź–Poznań–Berlin varannan timme
If the option for an additional 35 trains is exercised, the traffic can be condensed. It would enable hourly services also to Szczecin and Berlin and half-hourly services between Warsaw, Łódź and Wrocław.
Part of larger infrastructure investment
PKP Intercity is also analyzing the possibility of extending certain high-speed services to more international destinations, including Prague and Leipzig, with services every two or four hours. In the longer term, the use of high-speed trains on the planned new railway line number 5, which will connect Warsaw with Płock, Grudziądz, Gdańsk and Gdynia, is also being studied.
The investment is taking place in parallel with the development of Poland’s new airport and railway system around Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, CPK. At the same time, critics point out that high-speed rail entails very high investment costs and a long implementation time, while the benefit is highly dependent on the completion of the entire infrastructure according to plan. Experience from other European countries shows that both cost increases and delays are common in projects of this scale.
Source: PKP, Rail Journal