The first of twenty high speed Pendolino trains commissioned by Polish State Railways (PKP) has been completed.

The first Polish-bound Pendolino, photographed in Savigliano, Italy on Monday: Photo: PAP/Agata Kalinska

The train was unveiled in Savigliano, Italy, on Monday, and after preliminary tests, it is due to be transported to Poland this August.

“For 25 years, the maximum speed on Polish tracks has been 160 km per hour,” noted Deputy Minister of Transport Andrzej Massel at a press conference yesterday in Savigliano.

“It's time to get out of that vicious circle,” he added.

“This is a new generation of train,” he said of the model, which was prepared at the Italian factory of French firm Alstom, which took over the concern from Fiat in 2000.

Technically, Pendolinos can reach speeds of 250 km per hour. However, Massel acknowledged that modifications need to be made to Polish railways, and that speeds will be increased gradually.

The first commercial rail services using the new model are for December 2014, beginning at 200 km per hour.

“Over time, this will be increased to 220 km per hour, and then 230 km per hour,” Massel said.

The overall investment, including running costs for the first 17 years, comes to 665 million euro.

Estimated journey times include 2 hours and 40 minutes from Warsaw to Gdansk, 2 hours and 15 minutes from Warsaw to Krakow, and 3 hours and 30 minutes from Warsaw to Wroclaw. (nh)