Stadler Secures Rolling Stock Contracts in Poland
Stadler has two reasons to celebrate: the company’s CEO, Peter Spuhler, recently signed two new contracts in Poland.
The first one involves the construction of 35 trams for MPK Krakow, and includes the option for an additional 15 trains. The second agreement was concluded with the regional rail operator Koleje Mazowieckie for the delivery of 71 Flirt EMU trains. Other promising tenders are in the works.
Modern Low-Floor Trams
The orders consist of modern three-car, low-floor trams with four bogies. Each of the 35 new trams is designed to seat 80 and has room for 147 standing passengers as well as space for a wheelchair. Wide front doors (1.4 meters/4.6 feet) allow passengers to board and alight quickly and comfortably. Stadler worked together with MPK to design the front of the tram to minimize the risk of a pedestrian being pulled under an oncoming train in the event of a collision.
The first trams are expected to arrive in Krakow within the next 24 months, while the last units should be delivered no later than 30 months after the contract signature date. The trams are scheduled to be incorporated into MPK’s regular service in 2020.
Expansion of the Flirt Fleet in Mazovia
Stadler and the railway company Koleje Mazowieckie in Mazovia have reached an agreement for the delivery of 71 new Flirt EMU trains. The contract was signed in Warsaw this morning by Peter Spuhler and Peter Jenelten in the presence of chairman of the board Robert Stępień and member of the board Czesław Sulima.
Stadler received its first order from Poland in 2006 for 14 Flirt trains. These trains are in operation along regional lines in Mazovia, and are also in use in Silesia. Flirt trains are known for their outstanding reliability. And as passenger surveys show, they are also highly popular. Ten of these Flirt trains will be operated by Koleje Mazowieckie in the future.
As well as being spacious, the new Flirt trains can reach speeds of 160 km/hour (100 miles/hour). They come equipped with ETCS level 2 automatic train control systems. Contemporary doors, high-performance air conditioning, visual and audible passenger information systems, and on-board Wi-Fi offer passengers the ultimate in riding comfort. The vehicles are fitted with special supports and toilets designed for people with disabilities. There is also plenty of space for baby carriages and bicycles. Finally, each vehicle is equipped with a defibrillator and an intercom system so passengers can contact the conductor in the event of an emergency. The new order is valued at 2.2 billion PLN, making it the highest bid for regional trains ever to be submitted in Poland.
A Major Achievement for Stadler
Spuhler was in Krakow yesterday with Stadler Sales Director Peter Jenelten to sign the first contract for the supply of the new rail vehicles. The signing of the second contract took place in Warsaw today. Stadler has been operating its plant in Poland for over 10 years now and even opened a subsidiary there. But apart from the occasional domestic order – for the regional operators Koleje Mazowieckie, Koleje Śląskie, and Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna, and the state-run PKP Intercity – the affiliate dealt mostly with exports. Peter Spuhler and his team consider it a major achievement for Stadler to be chosen over local Polish competitors twice:
We’ve now broken into the Polish market.
Our persistence has paid off. At the end of the day, Stadler’s unmatched quality and price–performance ratio prevailed.
The contract with Krakow’s municipal transport company MPK, which was awarded to Stadler and its joint venture partner Solaris Bus & Coach, was signed on Tuesday in a Krakow government building in the presence of Krakow Mayor Jacek Majchrowski, MPK Krakow management board members Rafał Świerczyński und Mariusz Szałkowski, Peter Spuhler, and Solaris owner Solange Olszewska. The order for 50 trams (35 initial trams + an option for 15 more) is valued at 363.5 million PLN.
Stadler Polska
Stadler Polska was founded in 2007 in the city of Siedlce. Back then, the company operated out of an assembly plant on a site leased by the Polish State Railways (PKP). In the years that followed, the factory was modernized and developed into a state-of-the-art production facility. Currently employing around 700 skilled workers, Stadler Polska is one of the largest employers in Siedlce.
Original article © Stadler.
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