Skoda Transportation has signed a contract to supply up to 45 six-car metro trains — worth almost 8 billion crowns (some 320 million euros) — for the Polish capital, Warsaw.

Petr Brzezina, president of the Skoda Transportation group, said: “I am pleased that our victory in one of the largest tenders in Europe has been confirmed, having waited for the result for over two years.

"We have succeeded in strengthening our position in the important Polish market, where we have supplied trams for Wroclaw, as well as traction equipment for trolleybuses and trams for Lublin and Krakow.”

Skoda Transportation (www.skoda.cz) won the tender in competition with some of the world’s largest manufacturers of rail vehicles.

The contract includes spare parts supply, a simulator, an extended warranty and training.

The ‘basic delivery’ will comprise 37 metro trains, with an option for eight more.

Emphasis was placed on the safety and comfort of passengers and operators in the development and design of the metro trains, which will comply with EN and UIC standards.

Skoda Transportation also co-operated with Czech and Polish universities and engineering institutions when developing the specification for these new metro trains.