According to a report in the Railway Gazette, the long-distance Polish train operator PKP Intercity has signed a contract with Poznan-based FPS H Cegielski (FPS) (www.fpspoznan.pl/en) for the design and manufacture of up to 81 TSI-compliant (technical specifications for interoperability) coaches capable of operating at speeds up to 200kph.

At the end of last year, FPS was announced as sole bidder for the tender issued in June 2017; at that time, the base order for 55 coaches was valued at about 112 million euros, with options for 26 more worth a further 53 million euros.

FPS will develop five variants within the base order, supplying five first-class compartment coaches and 36 second-class vehicles with both compartment and open-saloon configurations.

The vehicles will be equipped with Type 25AN bogies manufactured by FPS, which the company said have already been proven in service, with more than 40 million km of operation.

Delivery of all vehicles (including the option) must be completed within 48 months.

A further four-year period has been allowed for the supplier to obtain the necessary certification for the vehicles to operate in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.