Poland Runs Two Parallel High-Speed Train Procurements as PKP Intercity Shortlists Four Bidders

PKP Intercity has shortlisted four bidders — Alstom Polska, Siemens Mobility, Talgo, and a Pesa Bydgoszcz-Hitachi consortium — for a tender covering 20 firm electric trainsets plus an option for 35 more, running at a minimum of 320 km/h, according to Poland's Ministry of Infrastructure and PKP Intercity's own press office. The roughly 200-metre trainsets would run Warsaw-CPK airport-Łódź-Wrocław/Poznań routes, with a possible future extension toward Berlin, Prague and Vienna, and the winning bidder would also build a dedicated maintenance depot under a 30-year service contract.

Separately, Port Polska.KDP — a rolling-stock leasing subsidiary of the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) group created on June 2, 2026 — plans to launch its own tenders before the end of 2026: one for KDP high-speed stock at 320 km/h or above for inter-city links, and another for dual-system Aero Express/Regio Express trains at 200 km/h or above for airport and regional connections. Port Polska says the programme is worth more than 10.1 billion złoty through 2035.

Piotr Malepszak, then Deputy Infrastructure Minister, called a separate high-speed rolling-stock pool "unnecessary for this traffic volume" in a July 2025 interview, arguing PKP Intercity's own fleet plans would cover demand through 2050. Malepszak was appointed government plenipotentiary for CPK and Port Polska on June 19, 2026, and in a subsequent interview said Port Polska should prioritise trains of 200 km/h or below because that is "what's most needed today" to serve the airport efficiently. Port Polska's own tender plans, as last stated in its June 2 release, have not been publicly revised or withdrawn.