Hitachi has entered a strategic partnership with Polish train manufacturer PESA Bydgoszcz to increase its presence in Poland’s rail market.

With the partnership, the PESA Bydgoszcz factory at Bydgoszcz will be established as a centre of excellence for advanced rail technologies, for the design and construction of high-speed trains.

The collaboration will significantly boost the Polish railway industry and improve local expertise in areas where the Polish market has little experience.

By having a partnership with Poland’s largest manufacturer of rolling stock, Hitachi aims to significantly improve its presence in Poland, especially in areas such as transport, energy and finance.

The Hitachi Rail and PESA Bydgoszcz partnership was enabled through a Memorandum of Understanding.

One of their first joint projects will be to submit a tender for the construction of 20 electric multiple units (EMUs) with a maximum speed of 320 km/h for the Polish train operator, PKP Intercity.

The tender will include an option for an additional 35 trains and a 30-year maintenance contract. Under the contract, the first 20 units would be built at a Hitachi Rail factory in Italy, with the Bydgoszcz factory later becoming more involved in the production process.

The contract plans for the new trains to be based on Hitachi Rail’s ETR1000 train, which has been in use on European high-speed routes for over ten years, which have been approved for use in Germany, Austria, Italy, and France, and can accommodate the different power supply and signalling systems used across Europe.

Hitachi Rail is also the manufacturer of the legendary Japanese Shinkansen trains, and, for PESA, the collaboration opens up new technological opportunities such as the welding of aluminium train bodies and the construction of double-deck trains.

To accommodate the planned centre of excellence, modern production halls will be built in Bydgoszcz, which will enable modern double-decker vehicles to be built locally in Poland.

Hitachi Rail is currently building 30 ETR1000 high-speed trains for Italian operator Trenitalia, and is building new Aurora trains for East Midlands Railway.

“Our collaboration with Hitachi Rail, a global pioneer in high-speed rail and a leader in innovative railway technologies, marks a historic moment for us. Thanks to the technology transfer and the establishment of a centre of excellence for aluminium structures in Bydgoszcz, PESA is joining the European league of manufacturers of the fastest trains. This is not only a joint bid for PKP Intercity, but also the foundation for the production of modern double-decker trains at our Bydgoszcz plant for markets across the CEE region.”

Krzysztof Zdziarski, CEO of PESA Bydgoszcz SA.