PKP Intercity announces its fleet plan for the next decade

[Stephen Lee]

As I don't think I am able to subscribe the article so I wonder if they have any new fleet that will be introduced like double-decker coaches.....

 

[peterinsurrey]

PKP Intercity has signed a 10-year contract for the provision of passenger rail services in Poland until 2030. With an aim to increase rail share in the transportation mix, large investments into new and modernized rolling stock have been announced along with it.

In ten years from now, there should be 196,000 trains a year on Polish rails by PKP Intercity, an increase of 64% compared to 2021. The increased number of trains, that should transport 74 million passengers annually by 2030, ofcourse requires investements in rolling stock; PKP Intercity has committed to invest approximately EUR 4.19 billion, so that in 2030 all trains will be either new or modernized.

For many years, ES64U4s, nicknamed “Husarz” have been the MS power horses of PKP IC. With many damaged from accidents, PKP IC lacks new MS rolling stock.

Following rolling stock investments have been announced:​

• 38 double-deck push-pull trains for the Warsaw – Łódź and Kraków – Katowice lines. PKP IC thinks it will need 45 multisystem (!) 200 km/h locomotives;
• 63x new multisystem locomotives with an option for 32 additional ones for 200 km/h – with multisystem electrics international trains to Czechia, Slovakia, Germany, Austria are possible;
• 16x dual-mode locomotives capable to reach 160 km/h in electric and 120 km/h in diesel mode;
• 20x ‘hybrid’ multiple units for a maximum speed of 160 km/h;
• In addition, a purchase of 500 new passenger coaches for 200 km/h;
• modernization of an additional 500 coaches for 160 and 200 km/h respectively was also part of the commitment.

Service improvements:

• Higher frequencies: hourly services on the routes Warsaw – Białystok, Warsaw – Lublin, Warsaw – Radom – Kielce – Kraków, Warsaw – Częstochowa, Poznań – Szczecin.
• Higher frequencies (2): Warsaw and Łódź, as well as Kraków with Poznań via Katowice and Wrocław will be connected by trains running more frequently than once an hour.
• In the coming years PKP Intercity will work on developing on fixed interval time tables – Currently only 30% of the services have fixed intervals.
• IC network will grow: More long-distance trains to cities such as Grudziądz, Sierpc, Rypin, Brodnica, Sztum, Kartuzy, Kościerzyna, Kłobuck, Ostrołęka, Olecko, Mielec, Hajnówka.

But wait, wasn’t there already a tender for new MS locomotives?​

Announced at the end of 2019, thetender for 10 MS locomotives for PKP Intercity has not yet been concluded. It got postponed several times. PKP IC now expects to open the envelope in March 2021.

The availabiliy of the Siemens ES64U4 locomotives is still very low due to various accidents. Yet, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on international passenger traffic, the are enough machines to cover for he remaining services.

 

[gordonthemoron]

No more Pendolinos?

 

[ainsworth74]

No more Pendolinos?

I hope not! I only used one once but it was an excellent train.

 

[Stephen Lee]

I hope not! I only used one once but it was an excellent train.

hope they will order EC250

 

[43096]

hope they will order EC250

If you read the piece above, that's not listed. More locomotives, though. Which is nice.

 

[TravelDream]

Really hope they work on fixed interval timetables. Some of their current inter-city ones are shocking. Stuff where there are trains at 5.50 and 6.10, and then there's a massive gap until 10.30 until the next. This continues throughout the rest of the day. What purpose does that serve passengers?

 

[Alfonso]

Really hope they work on fixed interval timetables. Some of their current inter-city ones are shocking. Stuff where there are trains at 5.50 and 6.10, and then there's a massive gap until 10.30 until the next. This continues throughout the rest of the day. What purpose does that serve passengers?

This could either be getting trains out of depots, or more likely they both arrive somewhere big at rush hour in time to shift lots of commuters to work or study

 

[Bletchleyite]

This could either be getting trains out of depots, or more likely they both arrive somewhere big at rush hour in time to shift lots of commuters to work or study

The train categories are also important as there is a wider affordability demographic than the UK, so you might need a TLK/IC for poorer people and an EIP (Pendolino) for richer people at a similar time. Quite different from the UK where there are mostly just "trains", albeit with the odd bit of it being cheaper by using a local train for a non-local journey plus a few quirks.

 

[TravelDream]

This could either be getting trains out of depots, or more likely they both arrive somewhere big at rush hour in time to shift lots of commuters to work or study

The former could be the case (but indicates poor distribution of rolling stock), but certainly not the latter. The trains I am talking about arrive in their major city destination well after 9am.

 

[87015]

The former could be the case (but indicates poor distribution of rolling stock), but certainly not the latter. The trains I am talking about arrive in their major city destination well after 9am.

What services and where is the demand for more services shown? The travelling culture isn't exactly the same as Manchester-Euston...

 

[TravelDream]

The train categories are also important as there is a wider affordability demographic than the UK, so you might need a TLK/IC for poorer people and an EIP (Pendolino) for richer people at a similar time. Quite different from the UK where there are mostly just "trains", albeit with the odd bit of it being cheaper by using a local train for a non-local journey plus a few quirks.

True, though PKP now sells EIP and EIC advanced fares that can be cheaper than the standard IC/TLK fare if you book early enough. I've never quite understood the purpose of TLK in its format today. It usually just signifies that the trains are old and crappy and stop at every village halt - but that isn't always the case. IC has some very modern express trains, however, it also has some older trains that stop at every village halt like TLK.
Just like the UK, the real discount demographic tends to take the bus which is almost always cheaper and can on some routes provide comparable timings.

What services and where is the demand for more services shown? The travelling culture isn't exactly the same as Manchester-Euston...

How on earth do you know that? PKP have never tried offering clock-face timetables. The fact they plan to increase dramatically the number that they do offer shows that they think there is demand.
I personally have flown rather than take the train due to the convenience of timings. Take Warsaw to Poznan (western Poland's largest city). When I traveled, your choices were (around) 0630, 0830 and then 1230. At each point there were two trains a few minutes apart. One EIC to Berlin that ran express (2hr50) and one IC which stopped every few minutes (3hr40). A four hour difference from 0830 and 1230 is not exactly going to attract passengers from their cars/ the bus/ LOT. I flew as LOT (0hr50) domestic fares can be dirt cheap (£30 return) and the timings worked out and both airports are close to the city centre.
Take another route I have done several times. Krakow to Katowice which are the two biggest cities in southern Poland. Unibus offers a clock-face (every 20 minutes) service through the day and does the route in 70 minutes. There are other operators too. The train offers an incredibly random schedule with between 5 and 50 (literally, the trains can be (e.g.) 1003, 1008, 1101, 1110, 1158 and so on) minutes between trains through the day. It does compete on time though with journeys scheduled to take between 60 and 90 mins.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Completely forgot to reply to this, but:

Take Warsaw to Poznan

A textbook example of where the Polish railway system simply isn't fit for purpose. The Poznań-Warsaw route should really be on a clockface timetable with departures every hour, but instead, the schedule is such that it simply encourages people to drive or fly instead. Even if there were departures every two hours, it would be far more suitable than the current system where trains depart at random times without any real logic or sense. And that's before you even think about the travel time: Poznan-Warsaw should be around 2 hours maximum in order to get people off the road/plane, but nope.

But there are many other bad examples too. Warsaw-Łódź is a perfect example where a complete lack of common sense rules: the morning departures should serve Fabryczna, Widzew and then non-stop to W-wa Zachodnia, but nope, it also calls at three other places along the way. Without those stops, it would be possible to offer a connection in an hour. Again, stupidity rules with the timetable, as there's no train between 6:30 and 8:00. If you've got a meeting that starts at 8 in Warsaw, then the only realistic train is at 5:26am, which is nonsense, you're just going to drive instead.

I've never quite understood the purpose of TLK in its format today

The general idea is that TLK trains should now only be old trains while IC trains are modernised or new, but well, this doesn't always work in practice. The major issue with both IC and TLK trains is that the network is heavily based around politics and lobbying, so you end up with IC/TLK trains stopping at random shacks because such and such a person is from there.

But the railways in Poland have never really been about passengers. Even companies such as Koleje Dolnośląskie have some truly absurd timetables with some large breaks in the middle of rush hour.

 

[TravelDream]

But the railways in Poland have never really been about passengers. Even companies such as Koleje Dolnośląskie have some truly absurd timetables with some large breaks in the middle of rush hour.

Having travelled across Poland more than most Brits I imagine, I can't help but agree with this. You can't help but get the distinct impression some services are designed for general public.
That is why I just didn't get some of the replies above from people that the travel culture is different. In which culture do people want long multi-hour gaps between trains and then two at the same time? In which culture do people want trains that don't arrive in city centres during rush hour? The answer to both questions is surely none.

I've done Lodz - Warsaw and, TBH, didn't find it too bad (I actually though it was one of the better organised routes). I get what you are saying though. They are close enough to be commutable*, but I can't imagine anyone would. It's the same going Krakow-Katowice. Possible to do in under and hour, but awful timetable and comparable/ superior car speed makes it difficult.
*Not a good or easy commute, but theoretically possible.


On TLK and IC, I completely get the idea and it makes sense.
However, in their current form, TLK and IC are just pointless. The fares are the same, the routes are almost all the same and very often (as you state) the stops are the same as well. I've been on some very nice TLK trains (with A/C no less) and some not so nice IC ones. Though IC trains are nicer overall and they now have lots of EMUs which have improved the experience.