PESA-Built Trams In Regular Service In Craiova

On 15 March 2023 the first of Twist trams built for Craiova started passenger service. PESA signed a contract for the supply of 17 trams for Craiova on 17 July 2021. The purchase is part of the public transport modernization project implemented by the Craiova authorities, financed from the Regional Operational Program for 2014 - 2020, under the 4th priority axis 'Supporting sustainable development of urban areas', and its goal is to reduce CO₂ emissions through investments based on the sustainable urban mobility plan.

The new generation of Twist trams delivered to Craiova are one of the starting points for the entire family of vehicles designed by PESA under the working name Tram.eu. Twist for Craiova is an uni-directional 27 m long tram, with 58 seats and space for the disabled, equipped with diagnostic systems, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and USB sockets.

The contract assumed the delivery of all vehicles within 22 months from the date of the contract signing. The trams recently obtained authorization and Technical Approval from the Romanian AFER agency, and first Twist arrived at Craiova on 1 December 2022. Until mid-March 10 vehicles have already been delivered. Hanna Wiśniewska-Sibru, representative of PESA on the Romanian market, said: “All the delivered trams successfully passed 500 km of tests on the local infrastructure; we have completed driver’s training - which means that our new Twists can already start operation with passengers. The production continues, so our contract will be completed on time.”

PESA trams also run in the Romanian cities of Cluj and Iasi. The company from Bydgoszcz won tenders and is producing trams for other Polish and European cities: Sofia, Tallinn, Wrocław and Bydgoszcz. With foreign markets in mind, PESA is also working on designs of trains from the Regio160 family, as well as on double-deck and high speed vehicles.

Krzysztof Zdziarski, President & CEO of PESA Bydgoszcz, added: ”We would like to strengthen our presence on the Romanian market. That is why we participate in tenders here, and what is equally important for us, we are focused also on a dialogue and cooperation with Romanian partners. Talks with the Romanian Railways about the creation of a joint maintenance center for new vehicles, or consultations with entities interested in experiences in the implementation of hydrogen technologies on the railways are last samples of partnership relations.”

Romania is one of the most important markets for PESA's foreign expansion, which is one of the key elements of the PESA 2027+ Strategy. Now, the company is involved in two tenders in Romania. In January this year it submitted an offer for the supply of 62 RE-R regional EMUs, and in February for RE-IR electric interregio EMUs. In both tenders, PESA's competitor is Alstom.

Representatives of Romanian companies also participated in the presentation of the hydrogen locomotive on the Żmigród test centre, which resulted in ongoing talks about cooperation with PESA in the field of hydrogen technologies.