Pesa 214M
The Pesa 214M is a family of standard-gauge diesel railcars produced by Pesa Bydgoszcz between 2001 and 2016, intended for regional transport on non-electrified lines. The family includes: 214M, 214Ma, and 214Mb. A total of 56 units were produced, which are operated by Arriva, Koleje Dolnośląskie, Masovian Railways, and Polregio.
History
State of Polish railways after 1990
By the mid-90s, Polish State Railways owned 6 railbuses produced by Kolzam in Racibórz and 6 by .In the 90s, Polish State Railways planned several purchases of rolling stock: 16 Pendolino trainsets, 50 electric locomotives, and several hundred railbuses for local connections. None of these purchases were realized. In light of these plans, Kolzam and Poznań Railway Repair Plant, the only railbus manufacturers in Poland at that time, made some preparations. Kolzam, for instance, developed the design of a three-section railbus based on the, which never went into service.
The enactment of the 2000 Polish State Railways Restructuring Act changed the financing of regional transport, creating Przewozy Regionalne and obliging local governments to allocate part of their funds for rolling stock purchases.
Origins
Given the rolling stock situation of the Polish railways, the transforming Rail Rolling Stock Repair Workshop in Bydgoszcz aimed to develop new rail vehicles and decided to produce a diesel railcar using their own funds.In 2000, Rail Rolling Stock Repair Workshop in Bydgoszcz proposed developing a comprehensive new vehicle project to an informal design group D7, which had previously designed several equipment components for the Rail Rolling Stock Repair Workshop. The designers accepted the proposal and began the actual work in January 2001. The main designers were, Bogumiła Jóźwicka, Jarosław Szymański, and Marek Średniawa, collaborating with Magdalena Berlińska, Rafał Dętkoś, Paweł Gełesz, Adam Szczepocki, Michał Mirski, Tomasz Kwiatkowski, and Piotr Mikołajczak. Construction of the railcar also began in January, with the prototype scheduled to be showcased 9 months later at the, leading to simultaneous design and production efforts. Initially, the external form was developed based on competitive solutions, potential user requirements, and production capabilities. Subsequently, the interior layout was designed, and a full-scale cab mock-up was built for ergonomic studies, involving Studio 1:1.
The prototype diesel railcar, offered under the trade name Partner, was presented as planned in mid-October 2001 at the Trako fair in Oliwa by Pesa Bydgoszcz. Following the event, promotional shows were organized in various Polish cities to attract local governments' interest in the new regional rail solution. From 10 to 12 May 2002, test runs were conducted by the Railway Scientific and Technical Centre.
Related vehicles
- The 214M design was based on the compartmentless railroad car. Many parts from an existing 120A vehicle were used in building the first 214M unit.
- The 214M railcar was a direct precursor to the production of the two-section 218M vehicles and the broad-gauge 610M and 620M railcars.
Series SA106, SA103, and SA135
The base type 214M vehicles were assigned the series SA106, even though there were no vehicles classified under the SA103 series at that time. In subsequent years, the series numbers from SA107 to SA110 were used up, exhausting the allocation for railbuses within the diesel railcar designation system. When the 214Ma subtype was produced, it was decided to assign it the previously unused SA103 series. Later Pesa diesel vehicles received numbers from SA131 to SA134, starting from the lowest number not designated by the standard. The 214Mb subtype was designated as SA135.
Construction
The 214M family of diesel railcars are single-space vehicles powered by diesel engines. Some design solutions from the railroad car were used in their construction. The railcar's dimensions are 24.5 m in length, 2.89 m in width, and 4.135 m or 4.084 m in height. The service weight of the railcars ranges from 52 to 62 t. The first produced railcar, weighing 52 t, was the lightest and matched the initial design specifications for the 214Mx vehicles.Drive system
The 214M family vehicles have one diesel engine connected to a hydrodynamic transmission. The drive unit is linked by a drive shaft to an intermediate axle gearbox on the first wheelset of the powered bogie. Through another shaft, power is transmitted from the intermediate axle gearbox to the final axle gearbox on the second wheelset of the powered bogie.Multiple traction is possible for up to 3 vehicles, including those from the 218M family. The 214Mx models were equipped with engines producing from 350 to 390 kW or 500 kW. The SA106 series, due to its powerful 500 kW engine, can pull an additional wagon, such as the Pesa 401M designed for this purpose, but it cannot provide interior heating for the additional wagon. Vehicles with less powerful engines are more economical but struggle on steep gradients. The manufacturer claims the vehicle is comfortable to operate, featuring an ergonomic driver’s cab and cruise control. The 214M is equipped with a vehicle control and diagnostics system.
The first 214Mx was fitted with a MAN engine, subsequent SA106 units received Iveco engines, and SA103 and SA135 units were equipped with MTU engines. The SA106 vehicles have a hydraulic transmission from Voith, while the SA103 and SA135 models use a hydromechanical transmission from ZF.
Bogies and suspension
Each 214Mx runs on two two-axle bogies: a powered bogie and a trailer bogie. The distance between the pivot pins is 17.2 m.The vehicle suspension system has two stages of springing. The first stage includes metal-rubber elements, and the second stage consists of pneumatic springs that connect the body to the bogies.
Car body
The 214Mx vehicles were produced with 4 different body stylizations. The first 10 units have the original design. From unit number 011 onwards in the 214Ma and later in the 214M, changes were introduced, including a new front design. Another design change occurred with the introduction of the 214Mb. Vehicles marked by Mińsk Mazowiecki Railway Repair Plant have yet another external appearance. The vehicle frames of the 214M family are made of welded steel, with aluminum cladding bonded to the structure. The structural strength complies with the PN-EN 12663 standard. The vehicles feature plug-sliding doors.Passenger space
The train is designed to accommodate disabled passengers, featuring approximately 50% low-floor area, a boarding ramp, and a specially adapted closed-system toilet. The floor height is 600 mm above the railhead in the low-floor section and 1,290 mm in the high-floor section. The vehicles have either one or two pairs of double-leaf doors with a clearance of 1,300 mm. Heating is provided by the engine's cooling system, a Webasto Thermo 350 heater, and additional electric blowers installed in the door vestibules. The interior arrangement, seating capacity, monitoring, and air conditioning are tailored to the customer's requirements. The materials used differ between versions branded by Pesa and those by Mińsk Mazowiecki Railway Repair Plant. The vehicles are also equipped with interior monitoring and some have factory-installed Wi-Fi.Safety
The 214Mx vehicles are equipped with standard train protection systems: an active vigilance control device, automatic train braking,, and fire detection signaling.Modernizations
Lower Silesian
At the turn of 2016 and 2017, the Lower Silesian SA106-011 underwent a revision repair, which included repainting and replacing passenger seats.In early 2018, the SA135-003 was modernized, receiving external reflectors, USB chargers, and new seats during the process.
Kuyavian-Pomeranian
In 2011, plans were made to modernize the SA106-001 and convert it into a two-section vehicle. A contract was signed between the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and Pesa, but the agreement was annulled by the after an appeal by Newag.Lublin
In October 2015, the local government signed a contract with Pesa to modernize SA103-005, 007, and 012. The modernization included replacing passenger seats, updating the vehicle monitoring system, overhauling the air conditioning system, replacing luggage racks, installing air dryers, and changing pneumatic connections to threaded connections.Opole
In 2014, SA103-003 and 004 were sent to Pesa for inspections, which included replacing the seats.Subcarpathian
On 24 June 2014, the Subcarpathian Voivodeship signed a contract with Pesa for the modernization and revision repair of SA103-001 and 002. The modernization included installing monitoring systems, dynamic passenger information systems, passenger counting systems, and ticket vending machines. The driver’s cab was also modified, and the vehicle was repainted.On 10 June 2015, the voivodeship announced a tender for the modernization of SA135-010 to 014, which included equipping the vehicles with monitoring systems, dynamic passenger information systems, passenger counting systems, ticket vending machines, and Wi-Fi. All seats were to be replaced, and the vehicles repainted. Pesa won the tender, but the contract was not signed.
In early November 2015, the voivodeship announced a tender to equip SA135-012 to 014 with ticket vending machines.
In October 2017, another tender was announced for the modernization of SA135-010 to 014, with similar scope as in 2015. Pesa submitted the only bid, and a contract was signed with them in March 2018 for the modernization.