Kraków orders trams from PESA

On 1 December the mayor of the Polish city of Kraków announced that a contract had been signed with Polish rolling stock builder PESA for 20 air-conditioned 43.5m trams for delivery in 2028-2029. They will he equipped with AED driver-assistance software. One tram from the order will as a trial be equipped with traction batteries to permit operation up to 3km away from the overhead wire. The contract is valued at PLN 461.1M. CEO of Pesa Bydgoszcz SA Krzysztof Zdziarski said, 'This is one of the most important tram projects currently underway in Poland and also confirms that Krakow is consistently investing in rolling stock with the highest capacity, accessibility, and safety parameters. We will provide the city with modern, over 43-meter-long trams, designed with intensive passenger traffic and high passenger comfort in mind. The use of traction batteries in such long vehicles is an innovative solution on a national scale, increasing operational flexibility and aligning with the direction of sustainable urban transport’. 

The new trams are expected to replace three-car trains of Konstal 105Na trams on line 52. The purchase of the new trams was possible thanks to a 20-year investment loan to MPK Kraków by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego under the National Plan for Reconstruction and Increasing Resilience with a favourable interest rate of just 1%. Deputy Mayor Stanislaw Kracik, Deputy Mayor of Kraków, said, 'These are probably the most anticipated trams in Krakow. Residents have been calling for these longest trams. That's why I'm pleased that today we're meeting those expectations. A total of 20 Pesa trams will be delivered to Krakow and will carry passengers on the most popular lines. This is an important purchase because it will further improve the safety and comfort of public transport passengers. With the safety of passengers and city residents in mind, AED devices will be installed in each of the 20 trams’. 

 

MPK operates 22 standard-gauge tram lines covering 90km. The last new trams were 36 PESA Krakowiak n42.8m cars delivered from 2015 and 110 Stadler Lajkonik delivered from 2019. there are still 32 Konstantinos 105Na high-floor trams dating from 1979-1992.