POLAND: Freight operator Orlen Kolej has signed contracts worth more than 800m złoty for Pesa and Newag to supply 40 electric locomotives through PKO Leasing. Tomasz Bogus, President of the Management Board of PKO Leasing, said the transaction signed on November 24 ‘is exceptional on many levels’ because ‘a deal of this scale has not been seen on the Polish market before’.
Pesa is to supply Poland’s second-largest rail freight operator with 20 Type 304E Gama 3·0 locomotives rated at 5·6 MW.
President of the Pesa management board Krzysztof Zdziarski said ‘Gama 3·0 is a locomotive that opens a new chapter in Pesa’s history — combining experience with innovation and setting the direction for the development of rail transport in Poland and across Europe.’
Newag will supply 20 Type E6SCVTadnb Dragon 2 locos rated at 5 MW.
Newag management board President Zbigniew Konieczek said ‘we are very pleased to continue our co-operation with Orlen Kolej, which for years has prioritised modern, reliable and efficient solutions. We have previously carried out diesel locomotive upgrades for the carrier, and today’s contract confirms the trust placed in us by one of the key players in the freight market.’
Both types of locomotive will be 3 kV DC locos with last-mile diesel engines, GSM-R and ETCS. Deliveries are scheduled for 2027-28, for use primarily on fuel and petrochemical trains in Poland. The new locos will offer a 30% reduction in energy consumption per tonne transported compared to the older locos they will replace, and avoid costs associated with current leasing arrangements.
‘We promised the largest investment programme in our history — and we are delivering it’, said PKN Orlen Management Board President Ireneusz Fąfara. ‘In the first nine months of 2025, we recorded the highest capital expenditure in the group’s history at 21bn złoty. Today we are adding another billion with this record order. We are purchasing 40 locomotives from two Polish manufacturers because working with domestic companies is integral to every part of our business.’
