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A Dynamic fleet for Poland’s new high-speed lines

Poland is investing in its infrastructure. Since the summer of 2019, Plasser & Theurer has supplied several tamping machines for maintaining new high-speed lines. They are the most modern tamping machines in the country.



From its delivery to August 2021, our Unimat 09-4x8/4S Dynamic has already tamped more than 237 km of track, including on Line 9. We are more than satisfied with the quality as well as with the speed of work.

Eugeniusz Dąbek Mechanical Director Pomorskie Przedsiębiorstwo Mechaniezno-Torowe (PPMT)


High-speed lines will make short-haul flights a thing of the past

Poland’s railway network is the fourth largest in Europe. The largest investment programmes in the history of the Polish railway sector are currently under way. In addition, a new mega airport is expected to begin operations as of 2027. It will be located halfway between Warsaw and Łódź. A new high-speed line connecting the airport with both major cities is part of the programme, whose stated aim is to render domestic short-haul flights obsolete. According to PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe SA (PKP PLK), the national railway company that manages most of the Polish railway network and railway land, there are plans to construct 1,600 km of new track.

This means that the state infrastructure manager will need powerful maintenance machines for preparatory work and maintenance.

State-of-the-art technology for Poland: where tendering and the Plasser product portfolio meet

The companies Zakad Robót Komunikacyjnych – DOM w Poznaniu Sp. z o.o. (ZRK DOM), Dolnośląskie Przedsiębiorstwo Napraw Infrastruktury Kolejowej (DOLKOM) and Pomorskie Przedsiębiorstwo Mechaniezno-Torowe (PPMT) are separate companies that are wholly owned by PKP PLK. They all decided in favour of Plasser & Theurer machines: PPMT and DOLKOM each purchased one Unimat 09-4x8/4S Dynamic; ZRK purchased one Unimat 09-4x4/4S Dynamic and one 09-3X Dynamic.

The new machines are the first ones in Poland to be offered from the ModularCustomizing product line. They are equipped with tamping unit rotation speed modulation, a SmartALC with a DRP recorder as well as a CAL (curve alignment laser). All of the new machines will operate on lines with a target speed of 200 km/h following modernisation. A Dynamic Track Stabiliser offers major advantages when it comes to maintenance on Polish high-speed lines. It increases lateral track resistance and ensures a sustainable track geometry through controlled anticipation of the initial track settlement. For that reason, all of the machines were supplied in the Dynamic version – a USP in the Plasser & Theurer product portfolio. Furthermore, it is a trend that is also emerging internationally. At the time of writing, Plasser & Theurer is producing 33 machines with a Dynamic Track Stabiliser.

Deliveries successful despite restrictions

The acceptance of all machines took place between July and August 2020, which was very challenging. Despite the pandemic, temporary travel restrictions, and difficult circumstances, delivery delays could be kept to a minimum; the time was used effectively for training. Deutsche Plasser Poland took care of commissioning on-site.

PLK received three additional high-capacity tamping machines in 2021, with innovations such as the turnout tamping assistance system “Plasser-SmartTamping – The Assistant”, ballast quality inspection, and the digital multi-channel recorder with additional functions. These highlights were presented during the TRAKO railway fair in Gdańsk in September.

Budimex and Torpol, two private companies, have also opted for new ModularCustomizing tamping machines: two Unimat 09-4x8/4S Dynamic machines. We will offer a detailed report on these additional machines.


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