Polish regional railway operator POLREGIO has signed a contract worth approximately PLN 515 million gross ($133 million or €118 million) with Public Transport Service (PTS) to expand its diesel-powered train fleet as competition in Poland’s passenger railway market intensifies.
The agreement, signed in Zielona Góra on Friday, 16 October, covers the purchase and refurbishment of 15 used diesel multiple units, with an option to acquire another eight.
The announced value relates to the full procurement package, including the optional vehicles. The additional eight trains have not yet been ordered.
According to POLREGIO’s official announcement, the first refurbished trains are expected to begin carrying passengers towards the end of 2027, while the supplier will have up to 24 months to complete work on the 15 units included in the basic order.
The investment is intended to increase available rolling stock on railway lines without overhead electrification, where conventional electric trains cannot operate independently.
Trains from Germany and Italy to be modernised
The vehicles will come from European railway fleets, including Germany and Italy, before undergoing refurbishment and adaptation for operation in Poland.
Public Transport Service, a Warsaw-based rolling-stock supplier, will provide two types of diesel-powered trains: TALENT D644.0 units and Pesa Atribo ATR220M trainsets.
Both are three-car, low-floor vehicles originally manufactured around the beginning of the 2000s.
Each train will have capacity for at least 200 passengers. The vehicles will also be capable of operating together in multiple-unit formations, allowing POLREGIO to increase capacity on busier routes.
The refurbishment programme will include air conditioning, passenger monitoring systems, accessibility improvements and space for bicycles.
The trains are also intended to provide wheelchair spaces and accessible toilets, with ramps, lifts or other boarding equipment to assist passengers with reduced mobility.
Each unit will accommodate at least four bicycles.
These are previously operated trains undergoing modernisation, rather than newly manufactured rolling stock.
That distinction is important because refurbishment can offer railway operators an alternative to ordering entirely new vehicles, particularly when additional capacity is needed before new trains can be manufactured and delivered.
PLN 515m contract includes optional vehicles
The procurement is structured around a guaranteed initial order and an additional purchase option.
| Contract component | Trainsets |
|---|---|
| Basic order | 15 |
| Optional additional order | 8 |
| Maximum potential total | 23 |
If POLREGIO exercises the full option, the additional vehicles would raise the fleet’s combined passenger capacity to at least 4,600 people.
The company has indicated that it intends to pursue the additional eight units, but their acquisition remains conditional on the option being exercised.
The contract’s publicly announced value is approximately PLN 515 million gross.
Earlier procurement reporting by Kolejowy Portal identified Public Transport Service as the sole bidder, with an offer of PLN 515.38 million for the complete procurement, including the optional vehicles.
The reported offer exceeded POLREGIO’s initial procurement budget of PLN 480.93 million by approximately 7.2%.
The operator’s latest announcement does not separately identify the final contractual value attributable to the 15 guaranteed units.
Consequently, the full PLN 515 million should not be presented as the confirmed expenditure on those 15 trains alone.
First refurbished trains expected in late 2027
Public Transport Service will be responsible for refurbishing the units and adapting them to Polish operational requirements.
POLREGIO has established different delivery periods for the guaranteed and optional components.
The supplier has up to 24 months to complete the basic-order refurbishment programme and up to 30 months for the optional vehicles.
However, the operator expects that the first refurbished units could enter passenger service earlier, towards the end of 2027.
The date is a forecast rather than a confirmed entry-into-service milestone.
Before the trains can operate commercially, refurbishment work must be completed and the vehicles must satisfy the relevant Polish technical and operational requirements.
The final allocation of vehicles to individual routes will also depend on regional transport needs.
Lubuskie province, in western Poland, is among the areas expected to benefit from the acquisition.
Speaking at the contract signing, POLREGIO president Andrzej Pawłowski said additional diesel rolling stock was particularly important for regions where non-electrified lines limit the types of trains that can be used.
Regional authorities in Lubuskie have also welcomed the agreement, expressing expectations that part of the new fleet will support services in the province.
Investment ahead of greater railway competition
The contract forms part of POLREGIO’s preparations for changes in Poland’s regional passenger rail market.
POLREGIO is the country’s largest regional passenger railway operator, providing local and interregional services throughout Poland.
The company reported carrying approximately 102.6 million passengers in 2025.
Many of its services are operated under public-service contracts with regional authorities, which organise and fund passenger transport.
As competitive tendering for these contracts becomes increasingly important, railway operators must demonstrate that they have sufficient rolling stock, maintenance capacity and operational reliability to provide the required services.
POLREGIO’s management has identified fleet renewal as a central part of its competitive strategy.
Pawłowski said during the signing ceremony that the company was preparing for what it expects to be the full opening of Poland’s railway market in four years.
The company’s investment strategy therefore extends beyond improving conditions for existing passengers. It is also aimed at strengthening POLREGIO’s position when competing for future regional transport contracts.
The availability of additional diesel trains is particularly significant on non-electrified routes, where operators cannot simply substitute conventional electric rolling stock.
Separate from POLREGIO’s new electric-train orders
The diesel-train agreement is distinct from POLREGIO’s programme to purchase new electric rolling stock.
On 5 August 2026, the operator signed a separate agreement with Pesa Bydgoszcz for six newly manufactured ELF electric multiple units.
That contract was valued at PLN 214.8 million net, with an option to purchase another 16 vehicles.
The new electric trains are expected to enter service in 2029.
By contrast, the October agreement concerns used diesel-powered vehicles supplied and refurbished by Public Transport Service.
The two procurement programmes address different operational requirements.
Electric trains are suited to routes equipped with the necessary power infrastructure, while diesel-powered units remain essential for many regional lines that have not been electrified.
The latest contract also continues POLREGIO’s existing relationship with PTS.
In 2025, the operator agreed to purchase five used diesel multiple units from the same supplier.
The first of those trains, a LINT41 unit, has already undergone testing at the Żmigród railway test centre. Other LINT and TALENT vehicles from the earlier order are being refurbished and adapted for Polish operations.
Refurbishment provides an alternative to new trains
The purchase highlights the commercial importance of the European second-hand rolling-stock market.
For transport operators, acquiring used vehicles can provide an alternative to waiting for newly manufactured units, particularly when fleets need to expand within a relatively short period.
However, the economic benefits depend on refurbishment costs, future maintenance requirements, remaining service life and operational reliability.
Public Transport Service president Robert Karwasz described the used vehicles as a competitive alternative in terms of passenger comfort, delivery times, operating economics and purchase price.
Those advantages remain the supplier’s assessment and will ultimately depend on the performance of the refurbished fleet.
For railway engineering and maintenance businesses, the contract also represents a substantial programme of technical work, including adaptation to Polish requirements and the installation or renewal of passenger equipment.
The next milestones will be refurbishment progress, technical acceptance and the entry into service of the first trains expected in late 2027.
A further commercial decision will be whether POLREGIO exercises its option to acquire the additional eight units, potentially expanding the procurement to 23 refurbished trains.
