In 1994, Poland ordered one ETR460 multiple unit from Fiat Ferroviaria (Alstom subdivision) to check whether it was possible to build a high-speed railway. During the tests, the train reached a speed of 250 km/h, breaking the record on Polish tracks. In 1996, PKP announced a tender for the order of 16 trains of this series. Unfortunately, in 1997, the Supreme Audit Office revealed a number of shortcomings related to the preparation and conduct of the tender. The main reason for such an assessment was the auditors' finding that PKP did not have the infrastructure to use the capabilities of the ordered train and was not financially prepared for the investment. It was also shown that the decision to conduct the tender was made on the basis of the financial results from 1996, and when the carrier's management board adopted a resolution on the acceptance of the selected train supplier, it was not supported by a current profitability analysis. The Supreme Audit Office issued a recommendation to discontinue negotiations with Fiat and invalidate the proceedings. On December 7, 1999, the PKP management board issued a decision in accordance with the recommendations of the Supreme Audit Office. Another tender for high-speed rail took place in 2011, this time the Polish government chose Alstom, which produces EMU250 series trains, also known as Super Pendolino, in Poland known as ED250. In 2013, the first four trains arrived in Poland. In total, PKP has 14 ED250 trains running on the following lines: Warsaw-Gdynia, Warsaw-Katowice, Warsaw-Kraków, Warsaw-Wrocław, Warsaw-Bielsko-Biała, Warsaw-Gliwice and Warsaw-Rzeszów.
2024-05-11 20:36:54 +0000