Coradia Max trains reshape Poland’s intercity market

Alstom expands its partnership with PKP Intercity through a major order for Coradia Max trains, nearly doubling down on capacity gains and pushing Poland toward cleaner, faster intercity rail travel.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Coradia Max trains and the scale of PKP Intercity’s upgrade

Alstom signs a 6.9 billion złoty (€1.6 billion) contract with PKP Intercity, and the figure shows how seriously the operator treats capacity. It also locks in Coradia Max trains as the backbone of that strategy.

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The deal covers 42 trainsets and 30 years of full-service maintenance. It also includes an option for 30 extra units if demand and funding stay on track.

Alstom locates production in Poland, and that choice matters. Engineering teams in Chorzów and Nadarzyn shorten feedback loops, stabilise the supply chain, and anchor skills that Poland wants to keep in its rail industry.

In Chorzów, specialists handle carbody manufacturing and advanced aluminium welding, and their work already supports projects from Germany to the Gulf. It gives Alstom, frankly, a strong export base inside Poland.

Nadarzyn focuses on bogies for regional and intercity fleets across Europe; as one planner might put it, “you build reliability from the wheelsets up”. That kind of focus still shapes day-to-day reliability.

Coradia Max trains, maintenance strategy, and passenger comfort

PKP Intercity CEO Janusz Malinowski notes that passengers in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Olsztyn, Białystок, and Terespol may see the first units in over three years. For many travellers, that timeline already shapes decisions.

Alstom takes full responsibility for maintenance because both partners want predictable availability rather than constant emergency repairs. Fleet Support Centre teams use the HealthHub platform to monitor data, spot faults early, and keep trains working longer.

Each six-car unit combines four double-deck end cars with two single-deck intermediate cars and delivers more than 550 seats. Quiet zones, family compartments, a bistro, bike and stroller spaces, and wide doors all target everyday comfort.

Step-free boarding from 760 mm platforms and automatic lifts at other heights make the trains usable for many passengers with limited mobility. To be fair, that kind of detail often decides whether people travel at all.

Dual-voltage equipment (3 kV/25 kV) lets PKP Intercity extend services into the Czech Republic on a platform already proven across Europe. It also keeps cross-border planning simpler for timetable planners and infrastructure managers.

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