EU cash for Polish regional railways

The Fast City Rail service in the country's capital Warsaw and the Masovian Railways in its central Mazowieckie province will each receive PLN 500 million (EUR 118 million) in EU funds.

The Fast City Rail (SKM) service says it will use the money to buy 28 new trains produced by PESA, a leading Polish manufacturer of rail vehicles, including trains and trams, that is based in the north-central city of Bydgoszcz.

Thanks to the new trains, the service will be able to expand its network, increase the number of trains on the most popular routes and offer new connections.

The Masovian Railways, a passenger rail transport service for the Warsaw urban area and the rest of the province, plans to spend its share of EU funds to buy 55 new trains, which the company aims to put into service in 2019.

Witold Słowik, Poland’s deputy investment and development minister, has said that the EU subsidies will allow for more efficient passenger services.

"Warsaw’s transportation system has been seeing an increasing number of passengers in the last few years,” Słowik said.

(tf/gs)