Kraków 2022-11-23
Pesa Elf.
Pesa Elf trains are Polish modern electric multiple units adapted to regional traffic. The trains have been built since 2010 at the Polish Pesa factory in Bydgoszcz. "Elf" is an acronym for the English phrase electric low floor, i.e. a low-floor electric vehicle. Pesa Elf trains are produced with a different number of cars, from two to six. The equipment, the layout of the seats, the number of toilets, etc. are also different.
The Elf train family includes the following models: Type EN62 = 21WE, Type EN76 = 22WE, Type EN96 = 34WE and 27WE for SKM Warszawa and Koleje Śląskie. Apart from them, ETZ trains marked Acatus II and Acatus Plus were built. Type EN77 = 32WE Acatus II - 4-car. Type EN64 = 40WE Acatus Plus - 3-car. Type EN99 = 41WE Actus Plus - 2-car. By 2020, over 120 Pesa Elf trains have been produced.
Pesa Elf trains are powered by 3 kV DC electric traction. The width of the train is 2.88 m, the height is 4.28 m, the length depends on the number of cars. The design speed of Elf trains is 160 km/h. Although the first copy was designed for a cruising speed of 120 km/h. None of the users ordered the Pesa Elf train with a running speed of 190 km/h, although such variants are in the factory's offer. The Pesa Dart train drove at a speed of over 200 km/h during tests and behaved without any reservations. There are constructions with a speed of 250 km/h within the factory's reach, but until now (2022), no user has placed such an order.
Photo description: Krakow - Katowice train. Kraków Główny railway station, Platform 1. At the front of the train, wagon "F".
History of Pesa Elf trains.
The competitor of the Pesa factory in Bydgoszcz was and is the second Polish company Newag from Nowy Sącz. But this competition has a positive impact on the quality of Polish structures and passenger satisfaction. In 1998, Pesa was deeply restructured and started building diesel passenger cars. In 2004, the factory undertook to build the first EMUs for the Warsaw Commuter Railway. It was a type 13WE (EN95) train. Despite plans to buy 10 units, production was completed on one train. In 2006, the ETZ 15WE was produced, and in 2007, the ETZ 16WEk. Both trains were also built in only one copy.
However, the interest of carriers in new ETZ trains was growing. There has been cooperation between producers and users. Operators wanted trains for fast boarding of passengers, and as a result, with a low floor, which makes it easier to get on and off. In addition, more and more travelers were carrying bicycles, prams and wheelchairs. The plant in Bydgoszcz designed the Acatus train, which is designed for platforms with a height of 0.55 - 0.76 m from the rail head. The train has no boarding steps. The Elf train has also been designed, which has access steps and is intended for lower platforms. About 150 engineers and scientists from Pesa, sub-suppliers and research institutions participated in the program. Foreign solutions were also observed.
In December 2009, before the Elf train was ready, the first contract for the supply of 8 ETZ trains for the Silesian Voivodeship had already been signed. More contracts were signed in the following years. The Elf train was shown in 2010 during the InnoTrans fair in Berlin. The EN76-001 train, which was built for the Silesian Voivodeship, was presented at that time. In 2010, a variation of the Elf train was created, which was named Acatus II. These trains were ordered only by the Małopolskie Voivodeship.
The Pesa Elf family has been designed as a universal train platform. When in 2013, Pesa began to lose contracts with Newag (in terms of price), EMU Acatus Plus was built in Bydgoszcz, in which the costs of train construction were reduced, while maintaining the basic advantages of the train. The train marked Elf II is the Elf train set adapted to the new regulations, i.e. technical specifications for interoperability.
Pesa Elf 27WEb-002.
The PESA factory received an order for 6 EMU trains from Koleje Śląskie on September 10, 2012. These were the next trains ordered in Bydgoszcz for Koleje Śląskie. ETZ type 27WEb is a six-car train produced especially for Koleje Śląskie. In total, 6 trains of this type were built: In 2012, 4 trains were built, with numbers from 27WEb-001 to 27WEb-004. In 2013, two more of this series were built, No. 27WEb-005, 27WEb-006, which were handed over to the user in March 2013.
Train No. 27WEb-002 was to be handed over to the user on January 4, 2013, but technical problems occurred and the train returned to the production hall. It was handed over to the user on January 30, 2013. In July 2018, the train underwent level P4 repairs.
On March 5, 2020, as a result of the shifting of the railway switch under the passing train, two carriages (A and B) derailed. The incident took place at the Gliwice station. There were no casualties or injuries among the passengers. As there was a suspicion that the damage was serious, the train was sent for inspection and possible repair. There was no tender, because only PESA Bydgoszcz SA has full knowledge of the train structure. The repair contract was signed at the beginning of March 2021. The technical crossing from Gliwice to Bydgoszcz was performed at a maximum speed of 30 km/h. The repair covered wagon A and B and concerned mainly elements of the structure of the underframe of the wagons. The repair was carried out in March-April 2021. Train No. 27WEb-002 returned to service.
Description of the Pesa Elf 27WEb-002 train.
The Pesa Elf 27WEb-002 train has six cars (sections). Inside, it has 282 seats and 270 standing places. It is adapted to handle large flows of passengers, servicing agglomeration connections. It is also suitable for servicing intercity routes with a distance of up to 150 km, due to the lack of a bar area (gastronomy). The interior of the train is compartmentless. Each car has two pairs of doors, which facilitates and speeds up the process of boarding and boarding passengers. All doors are located in the zone with a low floor, under which there are retractable steps to facilitate boarding from platforms lower than 0.55 - 0.76 m from the rail head.
The train is characterized by high dynamics, thanks to the use of three driving bogies. The first bogie of car A is driven, the last bogie of car C, the last bogie of car F. Car D has the first running bogie. The others are Jacobs bogies, between the cars: A-B, B-C, D-E, E-F. The train is adapted to a running speed of 160 km/h, but in fact the train could travel at a speed of 190 km/h. The drive bogies are of the 26MN type, with a wheelbase of 2.80 m. Rolling bogies, type 40AN in the Jacobs system, with a wheelbase of 3.00 m. Above all bogies there are raised floor zones accessible by stairs or ramps. Stairs in the form of three steps are located only in the area above the drive trolleys. The diameter of the wheels is 0.85 m. The train has a lubrication system for the wheel flanges, but only for the first axle of the drive bogie. It is possible to connect up to three trains in multiple traction.
The train is adapted to serve disabled people who use wheelchairs. In car A there is a toilet for the disabled. There is a second toilet in car F. Both toilets are in a closed system vacuum system. Bicycles can be transported on the train in a designated area. The train is air-conditioned (ventilation and heating). There is full information for passengers; audio and video. The train is monitored both inside and outside.
Photo description: Wagon "A".
Photo description: Wagon "C-D", middle section. The cart on the left is driving. The cart on the right is rolling only.
Data T-T 27WEb:
ETZ 6-car. Axis system Bo'2'2'Bo'+2'2'2'Bo'. Power supply 3 kV DC. Six motors of 500 kW each. Width 2.88 m. Height 4.28 m. Length 114.75 m. The entrance to the wagon is at a height of 0.76 m, from the top of the rail. Travel speed 160 km/h. Top speed 190 km/h. Service weight 211,000 kg. Wheel diameter 0.850 m.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman