Alstom has signed a four-year agreement with infrastructure manager PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK) to carry out periodic inspections and overhauls of thousands of electric point machines across the Polish rail network, in what the company describes as its first nationwide, long-term maintenance framework of this kind in the country.
Running from 2026 to 2029, the contract covers nearly 3,500 point-machine inspections and overhauls, with an option for a further 800 units. The scope includes full periodic maintenance and repairs carried out in line with PKP PLK requirements and Alstom’s servicing standards, and applies to Onvia Switch 500, 700 and 2000 models currently in service. The equipment is part of Alstom’s wider Onvia signalling platform for mainline rail, and is built around interchangeable modules to make maintenance and component replacement easier.
The agreement covers equipment installed across both mainline and regional routes and unlike previous arrangements, which were typically organised on a more local or project-by-project basis, the new contract allows periodic maintenance and overhauls of point machines to be planned and delivered on a nationwide, multi-year footing.
A nationwide first
“For the first time, we can plan and carry out work on a nationwide scale, ensuring consistency and continuity of services for many years ahead,” Juretko said.Adam Juretko, Director of Alstom Polska in Katowice, said. “This is the result of our partner’s mature approach to infrastructure management, which allows us to operate in a planned, cost-effective manner and in line with the highest standards.”
Alstom has an established footprint in the Polish signalling market, having delivered the country’s first ERTMS Level 2 implementation, deployed ERTMS Level 2 on ten PKP PLK lines, built more than 30 centralised traffic control systems, equipped over 220 stations with computer-based interlockings, and modernised more than 1,700 level-crossing signalling systems.
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