For many years, rail transport has been successfully competing with road transport and air travel. More and more passengers are becoming convinced that on many routes, the train—an invention from the first half of the 19th century—is the best way to cover long distances quickly and comfortably. Of course, the train that passengers travel on in the 21st century looks completely different than it did when it first revolutionized communication on an unprecedented scale. Since the 1960s, when the first high-speed trains were introduced, railways around the world have been introducing new amenities for their customers.
Cinema Carriage
An example of an amenity for travelers is the PKP Intercity Cinema Carriage, which hit the tracks on July 1st as part of the nationwide “Orange Summer Cinema” campaign. Produced in Poland, the carriage is equipped with two 26-inch LCD screens and 16 speakers. Its air-conditioned, comfortable, and completely darkened interior features 66 comfortable seats where passengers can watch movies throughout their journey.
The Cinema Carriage is another amenity aimed at increasing travel comfort on PKP Intercity trains. Its operation will not end with the “Orange Summer Cinema” project held this summer. PKP Intercity intends to use the carriage year-round, transporting passengers to events such as popular film and music festivals, as well as sporting or cultural events. Negotiations with potential partners are already underway.
Other amenities at PKP Intercity
The modernization of the company’s rolling stock is ongoing, as evidenced by the purchase of 10 multi-system Siemens Eurosprinter locomotives capable of reaching speeds of 230 km/h, and a tender for 20 multiple-unit trainsets that will be able to travel on existing infrastructure at speeds exceeding 200 km/h. The company is also awaiting the delivery of 17 new conventional carriages.
To effectively convince Poles to travel by rail, PKP Intercity is investing in modern sales systems. Soon, passengers on express trains will be able to purchase tickets online, and ticket machines will appear at some stations. Passenger convenience is also served by Customer Service Centers (Poznań, Szczecin, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Warsaw), infomats (electronic information kiosks), and 400 mobile terminals for paying for tickets by credit card on board trains.
PKP Intercity’s offer also includes a state-of-the-art conference carriage, manufactured entirely in Poland. The main part of the carriage is occupied by a twenty-person conference table with built-in power sockets for laptops. Packed with electronic innovations (such as wireless Internet, a 40-inch LCD screen, a sound system, CD, VHS, and DVD players, a radio, and 4 wireless microphones), it serves as a mobile conference center for passengers traveling with Intercity.
Thanks to such innovations, more and more passengers are choosing to travel by rail. While in 2003, 8.5 million passengers used PKP Intercity services, by 2007 this number had grown to 11.5 million, representing an increase of over 25%. According to mass transport specialists, this trend will continue, as in most cases, rail is the most comfortable and fastest way to travel.
PKP Intercity has been in existence since 2001. At the beginning of 2008, it was transformed into a joint-stock company, which is another stage in preparing the enterprise for its debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In December 2008, as part of the implementation of the government’s rail transport strategy, PKP Intercity took over the operation of inter-voivodeship express connections. Currently, the company operates a total of 555 trains.