PESA at the halfway point of deliveries to Craiova in Romania.

10 out of 17 ordered PESA Twist trams have already arrived in Craiova, Romania. On Thursday, March 15 the first of them started driving with passengers.

Pesa signed a contract for the supply of 17 trams for Craiova in Romania on July 17, 2021. It assumed the delivery of all vehicles within 22 months from the date of signing the contract.  PESA Twist obtained authorization and Technical Approval from the Romanian AFER agency. First tram arrived at Craiova 01.12.2022, now 10 vehicles have already been delivered.

– “All the delivered trams successfully passed 500 km of tests on the local infrastructure; we have completed drivers training – which means that our new Twists can already start operation with passengers. The production of the next trams continues, so our contract will be completed on time.” – said Hanna Wiśniewska – Sibru, representative of PESA on the Romanian market.

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. PESA Twist Craiova is a modern one-way tram, 27m long, with 58 seats and space for the disabled, equipped with diagnostic systems, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and USB sockets.

-„ …I got on the first new tram and I saw the reaction of the passengers. New Twists are comfortable trams with free Internet, they have everything needed to encourage us to leave the car in the garage and use public transport. Plus they’re beautiful! As I asked (…) their design and colors reflect the identity of the people of Craiova. I encourage you to travel by tram, even if you find it difficult to give up your car. I guarantee you’ll like it!” – wrote on her Facebook profile Lia Olguta Vasilescu, Mayor of Craiova

The purchase of 17 PESA Twist trams 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.

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 traction sets from the Regio160 family, in which, apart from passenger vehicles for regional and agglomeration traffic, there are also double-deck and HS vehicles within the company portfolio.

PESA consistently increases its presence on foreign markets. These are not only new tram, but also railway contracts. At the moment, the company is producing passenger vehicles for Ceskie Drahy and Regio Jet, and also participates in tenders organized by the ARF Agency for Romanian Railways.

-” 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.” – said Krzysztof Zdziarski, President & CEO PESA Bydgoszcz

Romania is one of the most important markets for PESA’s foreign expansion, which is one of the key elements of the Pesa2027+ Strategy. Now, the company is involved in two tenders in Romania. In January this year submitted an offer for the supply of 62 RE-R regional electric vehicles, and in February for RE-IR electric interregio vehicles. In both tenders, PESA’s competitor is the French Alstom.