Kraków 2021-05-05

St. John Paul II has in Poland not only the “Papal Helicopter”, but also the “Papal Train”.

“Papal Train” is an EZT unit EN61-001, 14WE-07, built in 2006, by Newag in Nowy Sącz. The train belongs to Przewozy Regionalne, currently PolRegio.

The Origin of the “Papal Train”.

The idea of ​​the “Papal Train” had its origins in the idea of ​​the “Papal Trail”. On April 2, 2005, at 9:37 p.m., the greatest of the Slavic Races, John Paul II the Great, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, died in the Vatican. After John Paul II’s departure to the Father’s house, the idea of ​​connecting the places most close to the Holy Father by rail was born: Kraków, Łagiewniki, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and Wadowice. These were and are places eagerly visited by pilgrims and tourists from Poland and all over the world. Several institutions and local authorities decided that it would be a good idea to build a special train that would run through these towns.

Construction of the “Papal Train”.

The construction of the “Papal Train” was undertaken by the Newag plant in Nowy Sącz. The plant was established in 2005, based on the Railway Rolling Stock Repair Plants. Newag won the tender for the construction of six EZT type 14WE for the Fast Urban Railway in Warsaw. The trains were given numbers from 14WE-01 to 14WE-06. The “Papal Train” was proposed as a ETZ type 14WE-07, three-unit, electric, which was designated EN61-001 by PKP.

The train was based on the well-known ETZ series EN57. The car frame, car bogies and their traction motors remained unchanged. The train body was completely changed. The vehicle was equipped with glued aluminium sheet skin and elements made of stainless steel and plastic sheets. The windows are glued. The carriages are connected using a concertina without additional walls, similar to articulated buses. Each carriage has two automatic doors on each side. An opening step, which is used for low platforms, has been installed under each door. Driver’s cabins are located at both ends of the ETZ, which are accessed through internal doors from the passenger cabin. Both ends of the train have an aerodynamic shape. All the headlights are inscribed in the outline of the train and do not disturb the air flow. Only the automatic coupler protrudes beyond the outline of the train. The driver does not have external rear-view mirrors at his disposal. A camera system has been used instead.

The driver’s and passenger cabins are air-conditioned. The floor along the entire length of the train is on one level. The passenger seats are upholstered with yellow fabric. In general, the arrangement of the seats is at the 2nd class level. The passenger cabins have LCD monitors, which display railway information, as well as films about John Paul II. Additionally, photos of John Paul II have been placed on the internal walls. In the first carriage, one toilet cabin was installed, also adapted for disabled people. The toilet is a closed system.

Two half-pantographs are mounted on the roof of the middle, engine-driven carriage. Air conditioning systems are visible on the roofs of the carriages. The train is equipped with a monitoring system with recording. The drive uses electronic control, which makes the train quieter than the traditional ETZ EN57. A new screw-type compressor is used in the braking system.

The train’s exterior is painted gold. The carriages feature the papal coat of arms, stylized silver doves and silver inscriptions “Totus Tuus All Yours”. The sides of the roof are painted silver, and the elements below the carriage bodies are painted grey. The bogies are black. The operating inscriptions are white.

Operation of the “Papal Train”.

From the beginning, the train attracted great interest. The ETZ unit, EN61-001, 14WE-07 was ready in May 2006. On May 27, 2006, the Holy Father Benedict XVI, departing from the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Łagiewniki, consecrated the “Papal Train”. The ceremony was accompanied by bishops, priests, nuns and thousands of the faithful gathered around the Kraków Łagiewniki station.

On June 3, 2006, the “Papal Train” set off on its first route with pilgrims and tourists. The route led from the Kraków Główny station – Kraków Płaszów – Kraków Łagiewniki – Skawina – Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – Wadowice. The Railway Trail of St. John Paul II is over 59 km of railway lines, which have been modernized, mainly to increase travel speed. As a result of the works, the travel time from Kraków Główny to Wadowice was shortened from 104 minutes to 77 minutes. The second stage included the construction of the Kraków Zabłocie – Kraków Krzemionki connecting line. The latter investment was made in 2018-2019. Thanks to this, trains from Kraków Główny do not have to enter Kraków Płaszów station to change direction and go towards Skawina.

Rides on the “Papal Train” were very popular, and tickets had to be purchased in advance. In the summer, the train covered the route three times a day. In the winter, the train ran only twice a day.

In October 2007, the train was taken over by Przewozy Regionalne, currently PolRegio. This involved changing the train’s designation from 14WE-07 to EN61-001. Since then, the train has been under the care of the Małopolskie ZPR in Kraków.

In 2008, the number of people willing to travel decreased and the number of journeys began to be limited to one per day. The journeys were also shortened, only to the Kalwaria Zebrzydowska station. In September 2009, the journeys were completely suspended, with plans to run only during the summer of 2010. The ETZ, EN61-001, 14WE-07 train was therefore sent to other cities in Poland and abroad. The train was in Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In 2010, the train was directed to regular service on the Kraków – Zakopane route.

In the spring of 2011, the train was temporarily resumed on the Kraków – Wadowice route. However, the train had to be sent for a revision repair of level R1. This was mainly due to the repair of the bogies, which wear out faster on mountain trails. The bogies do not have an installation for lubricating the wheel flanges. The repair was carried out at PR Łódź.

The train returned to the routes, but it is difficult to speak of its regular purchase. The train was rented by various associations for occasional trips.

In 2016, the “Papal Train” was included in the World Youth Day, which took place in Kraków with Pope Francis. The train carried pilgrims from 26 to 31 July 2016.

In May 2017, the train underwent a repair of level P4/2, at ZNT Kruszewiec, near Opoczno. This plant is part of the PolRegio company and specializes in the repair and modernization of EZT EN57.

In June 2017, the “Papal Train” ran between three towns visited by St. John Paul II during his pilgrimages – Włocławek (in 1991), Bydgoszcz (in 1999) and Toruń (in 1999).

Since 2018, due to major renovations of the railway infrastructure in the Kraków DOKP, the “Papal Train” has been seen on various routes, especially those south of Kraków. Currently, the “Papal Train” runs most often on the Kraków – Sucha Beskidzka – Żywiec route.

In 2019, when the Kraków Zabłocie – Kraków Krzemionki link was opened, the “Papal Train” was the first to transport VIPs on this route.

In connection with the resolution of the Senate of the Republic of Poland to establish 2020 as the “Year of Saint John Paul II” and the 100th anniversary of his birth, the PolRegio carrier honored the memory of the Holy Father John Paul II by organizing a nationwide pilgrimage on the Papal Train. The train traveled around Poland visiting places associated with St. John Paul II. The train toured in October 2020.

The next repair of the P4 level of the “Papal Train” is scheduled for May 2022.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman