MPK to buy PESA trams [VISUALISATIONS]

New, three-section Wrocław trams are to come from the TWIST family. For the first time in our city, they will be one hundred percent low-floor. This means not only easier boarding the vehicles, but also no barriers in moving around them, such as steps. A PESA tram can accommodate 222 passengers, and offers 58 seats. It is 32 m long and 2.4 m wide. "The model is equipped with braking energy recuperation system, owing to which energy can come back to traction and be used by other trams located in the same section - say the representatives of MPK Wrocław. A PESA is also adapted for assembling super-capacitors that can store energy recovered from braking, and use them for e.g. starting a tram, thus decreasing its operating costs.

The city of Wrocław will provide funds for MPK to purchase six vehicles for ca. 50 million PLN and signing a contract with the manufacturer who won the tender, i.e. PESA Bydgoszcz S.A. The tender allowed a possibility of purchasing from 6 to 25 trams, depending on the amount of EU co-financing.

"Though institutions responsible for granting subsidies have not made a decision regarding co-financing for the project, a part of which is purchasing new trams for Wrocław, but nevertheless, the city has decided to support the investment financially due to very high probability of receiving a subsidy and the need to modernise Wrocław trams - say the representatives of MPK.

Not only trams

Purchasing new trams is but one of the elements of project Zintegrowany System Transportu Szynowego w Aglomeracji i we Wrocławiu - Etap II [Integrated Rail Transport System in Wrocław And Agglomeration - Stage II] ( ZSTS II), which is a continuation of stage I of the investment. It includes, for example, building a tram line to Gaj and Kozanów, modernising rail infrastructure, and purchasing new two-way trams. Starge II is planned for EU co-financing, as a part of the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment for years 2007-2013, and this means it needs to be completed and accounted for in 2015. "Eight component tasks are carried out in the current, second stage, including re-building tracks in ul. Skłodowskiej-Curie, Przyjaźni, Krupnicza and Nowowiejska, as well as replacing turnouts for modern, automatically operated and purchasing modern, low-floor vehicles - enumerates Zbigniew Komar, Deputy Head of the Infrastructure and Economy Department.

New tracks

Some of the investments carried out as a part of the project are already finished. New, fully air-conditioned low-floor PESA trams will be launched on the streets of Wrocław in the second half of 2015. It is also worth mentioning that the city is working on a number of projects regarding development of city communication, to be co-financed in the new EU budget perspective, i.e. in years 2014-2020. These will include such enterprises as: building tram lines along ul. Popowicka, Długa and Starogroblowa, which will become an alternative for tram route in ul. Legnicka, as well as building a tram track in ul. Hubska, from ul. Gliniana to ul. Dyrekcyjna, and further purchases of modern vehicles for Wrocław MPK. Works are also in progress to improve transport connections in other parts of the city, e.g. Jagodno housing estate, or the vicinity of the Centennial Hall, and integrating railway and tram connections within the agglomeration. A novelty project will be METROBUS, a separate bus lane route to Nowy Dwór housing estate. The above mentioned investments are planned for EU co-financing, as a part of national and regional programmes.