POLAND: City transport operator MPK Kraków has awarded Pesa Bydgoszcz a firm contract to supply 30 Twist 3.0 trams, which Mayor Aleksander Miszalski said would be ‘a huge step towards accessibility and comfort’ for all residents.
‘Krakow will become a city whose entire tram fleet will consist exclusively of low-floor vehicles, equipped with air-conditioning and a modern passenger information system’, Miszalski said when the order for 32 m to 34 m long bidirectional trams was signed on August 18. ‘The last high-floor trams will disappear, which will be particularly welcome for people with reduced mobility.’
The first of the new trams are scheduled to be delivered in early 2028, and the last in early 2029. The contract is worth 558·5m złoty excluding VAT, and is being co-financed with 74m złoty from the Centre for EU Transport Projects under the FEnIKS infrastructure and climate programme.
Meeting the needs of a modern city
‘The implementation of this contract is the next step in our collaboration with Krakow and the opportunity to deliver rolling stock that meets the needs of a modern city’, said Pesa President Krzysztof Zdziarski.
‘The bidirectional trams we will deliver have been designed with passenger comfort and ease of operation for drivers in mind. We have combined the latest technology with experience gained from delivering services to numerous Polish and European cities. We believe that these new vehicles will become not only a convenient means of transport but also a showcase for modern public transport’.
Funding agreements
The order confirmed on August 18 is the first to be placed under an April 3 framework agreement covering up to 90 trams. That deal also enables MPK Kraków to order 30 unidirectional trams between 32 m and 34 m long, and 30 between 42 m and 45 m long.
The operator has signed agreements for Kraków transport authority KPO to provide a grant of 481m złoty and the FEnIKS programme 74m złoty, and has applied to KPO for loans worth 750m złoty which would be used to fund the other orders. ‘Purchasing new trams is a significant financial challenge’, commented MPK Kraków CEO Rafał Świerczyński.
