- Traction drives
- Auxiliary converters
- AC & DC power supply systems
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In July this year, PKP Intercity signed a contract worth PLN 3 billion 364 million gross with Newag for the purchase of 35 dual-drive multiple units. This is another order for hybrid EMUs of the Impuls series. The first vehicles of this type were produced in 2021 for the West Pomeranian (Zachodniopomorskie) Voivodeship. Currently, 45 hybrid Impuls 2 EMUs are already in operation, all equipped with silicon carbide (SiC) technology propulsion systems from Medcom.
Impuls 2 is the first Polish rail vehicle to have a diesel engine in addition to an electric drive, which allows it to run on sections without catenary. It was first presented at the TRAKO trade fair in 2019.
“Impuls 2” has so far been the only hybrid rail vehicle of Polish design that draws energy on electrified sections from the catenary via a pantograph and operates in the diesel mode only on non-electrified sections. The dual-drive system of the vehicle developed by Medcom includes traction inverters, which not only control the operation of the asynchronous traction motors, but also generate voltage to power on-board systems while running in the diesel mode,” explained Paweł Choduń, vice president of Medcom. “For the hybrid Impuls EMUs, we also supply auxiliary converters, battery chargers, and low voltage switchgear, he added.
Before the first Impuls 2 was placed on tracks, partially non-electrified lines in Poland were served exclusively by diesel rolling stock. Today, hybrid Impuls EMUs operate on selected passenger lines in the West Pomeranian, Lower Silesian and Łódź Voivodeships (Zachodniopomorskie, Dolnośląskie, and Łódzkie).
“To date Medcom has produced power electronics for 45 Impuls 2 hybrid multiple units. This is a successive project performed with Newag, which makes us truly proud. We are therefore all the more pleased that PKP Intercity has set its sights on the hybrid solutions offered by our partner from Nowy Sącz,” said Paweł Choduń.
The new hybrid multiple units ordered by PKP Intercity will provide seating for 178 people (154 second class seats and 20 first class seats). The vehicles will be equipped with 4 seats for people with disabilities and their caregivers. There will be 8 bicycle racks in each vehicle. In addition, the passengers will be able to buy snacks and beverages from vending machines installed on board. The vehicles will run on domestic InterCity routes, which will reduce the travel time for trains currently operated by electric and diesel locomotives.