POLAND: Six companies had expressed interest in the tender to supply a fleet of 250 km/h inter-city EMUs to PKP Intercity, when the deadline for prequalification closed on October 2. PKP is looking to order 20 trainsets at an estimated cost of €400m.

The six bidders are:

• CAF of Spain, believed to be offering a variant of the Class 120 AVE sets;
• Alstom Konstal SA offering a new-generation Pendolino;
• a consortium of Ansaldobreda and Newag with a variant of the V250 Albatros trainset;
• Siemens with a Velaro derivative;
• Bombardier Transportation Sweden with PESA Bydgoszcz offering a design based on the X2000;
• Paseo del Tren Talgo 2 with a version of its Talgo 250 design.

The next stage of the process will see the initial offers assessed, with final specifications to be issued in January 2009. PKP Intercity says the tender will be awarded through competitive negotiation, and it expects to announce the final decision in mid-2009.