Alstom’s Pendolino sets new standard for railway travel in Poland

Alstom’s high speed Pendolino trains have set a new standard for railway travel in Poland by reaching 5 million kilometres in revenue service.

Pendolino trains, owned and operated by PKP Intercity, were inaugurated in December 2014 as the first high speed train in Poland. Since then, it has provided a new standard for railway travel, offering passengers enhanced comfort, safety and shorter travel times between cities. The trains currently run between the key metropolitan areas of the country, and since the start of commercial operation, Alstom, as maintainer of the fleet, has secured a 100% availability of the trains.

CEO of PKP Intercity, Jack Leonkiewicz, said “We are pleased to observe how the “Pendolino effect” attracts passengers and results in over 2.8 million travellers in the last ten months. Now we are focused on reaching new markets by extending Pendolino’s routes to Rzeszów, Bielsko Biała and Gliwice in mid-December.”

More than 500 Pendolino trainsets have now been sold worldwide, covering over 700 million kilometres in commercial service. This makes it the most sold high-speed train in the world, as today, Pendolino crosses seven European borders and operates in 14 countries worldwide.

Pendolino trains have carried 2.8 million travellers in Poland over the last ten months

Regular maintenance is conducted in Alstom’s Train Technical Service Centre, in Olszynka Grochowska (Warsaw). The workshop hall is equipped with three maintenance tracks and two repair tracks that can handle 7-car trains. Moreover, the property has a spare parts warehouse and an automatic car wash. As a promoter of sustainable mobility, Alstom Transport develops and markets a complete range of systems, equipment and services in the railway sector. As a result, the facility is equipped with the most technologically advanced service tools. Alstom Transport manages entire transport systems, including trains, signalling, maintenance and modernisation, infrastructure and offers integrated solutions, which in turn has helped to set a new standard for railway travel in Poland.

Nicolas Halamek, Managing Director of Alstom Transport in Poland, stated that “Alstom is proud of the success of this project in Poland for which it has supplied the trains, designed and constructed the technical facilities and begun the 17-year maintenance contract. It is a confirmation of Alstom Transport’s international expertise”.