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Track upgrade announced for new express trains

PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge 09.09.2013 10:44
Polish State Railways (PKP) has announced upgrades to its signalling systems to maximise the potential of its new high speed Pendolino trains.

PKP
PKP Pendolino. Photo: wikipedia

The first waves of upgrades will take place on the lines between Warsaw and Katowice and Warsaw and Gdynia.

At present, 160 km per hour is the maximum speed that can be reached on Polish railways, but Pendolinos can potentially travel at 250 km per hour.

According to PKP spokesman Piotr Malepszak, upgrades to signalling systems over the next four years will allow for trains to travel at 200 km per hour on a combined 700 km of tracks. Higher speeds are hoped for in the future.

The first upgrade will take place on a 100-km stretch between Olszamowice and Zawiercie on the route between Warsaw and Katowice.

Upgrades on the route between Warsaw and Rzeszow have not been prioritised. Likewise, parts of the route between Warsaw and Wroclaw are so meandering that even after signalling upgrades, it will not be possible to travel faster than 140 km per hour.

PKP has purchased 20 Pendolinos, the first of which arrived in Poland last month from Savigliano, Italy. The cost of construction of the trains amounts to 400 million euro, and their running costs for the first 17 years will be 265 million euros.

Services using the trains are due to commence in December 2014, and Piotr Malepszak confirmed that work on timetables will begin this coming January. (nh)

Source: PAP

tags: pendolino, pkp
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