Bydgoszcz 2024-05-23

Geographic coordinates: 53.136N 17.989E. Elevation 48 m.

Railway workshops in Bydgoszcz.

Let’s be clear at the beginning. If the Germanic army had not started the Second World War, the Germans would still be calmly traveling from Berlin to Königsberg and to their Muscovite brothers. And so, over a beer, they reminisce about the good old days and take sentimental journeys, often renting Retro trains in Poland. The Germans are an arrogant nation that treats other nations with superiority. They themselves oppress their weakest citizens. They were the first in the world to introduce eugenics and concentration camps. With their national characteristics, they are close to the Muscovites. Only the Germans could build concentration camps, because they are rational and precise in implementing their plans.

In the Kingdom of Prussia, King Frederick William IV was a supporter of building railway lines. The king participated in all important events related to the railway in Prussia.

The concept of building the Ostbahn railway network was created in 1842. However, various concepts clashed over the route of the route and, above all, its financing. The Ostbahn was to open up the Prussian territories east of Berlin with the cities of Gdańsk, Königsberg (Królewiec), Bromberg (Bydgoszcz), Thorn (Toruń) and the cities of Eydtkuhnen and Alexandrowo (Aleksandrów Kujawski) on the border with the Muscovite state. The classic Ostbahn route was to run from the old Berlin Ostbahnhof on Küstriner Platz via Küstrin (Kostrzyń), Kreuz (Krzyż), Schneidemühl, Dirschau and Königsberg (Prussia) to Eydtkuhnen on the Prussian-Russian border.

The main idea was to connect Berlin with Moscow and St. Petersburg. Officially, the Ostbahn was built to connect Berlin with Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) and further east. The Prussian part of the railway was to end in Eytkunami (now Chernyshevskoye). Next, the Russian Empire Railway was to be built. The Prussian, the main part of the railway route, was to be from 790 km to 810 km long, depending on the chosen variant of the line.

Work on the Ostbahn began in 1846, when construction of a large station and railway line towards Piła, which is 64 km away, began in the town of Krzyż, at the 93rd km of the Stargard Szczeciński – Poznań route. However, work was soon interrupted and resumed in 1848.

Since no private investors were found for the railway to the relatively sparsely populated areas of East Prussia, the Ostbahn was built as a state railway. The draft of the relevant decree was submitted to parliament in mid-1847. The procedure lasted over two years. After administrative changes, the decree was adopted as a law on 7 December 1849.

In June 1848, construction workers arrived at Dragebruch near Kreuz (Cross). By September 1848, the number of workers had already increased to 1,300 people. They worked 12 – 14 hours a day. The workers were quartered with local farmers. Engineers delegated from Berlin supervised the workers. The work went relatively quickly. The Krzyż – Piła route was the first section of the Ostbahn route. The route continued to Bydgoszcz. (Piła – Bydgoszcz 88 km). The first train to Bydgoszcz arrived on July 27, 1851. The route from Kreuz (Krzyż) to Bromberg (Bydgoszcz) was inaugurated by King Frederick William IV, who traveled this route in a special train and was joyfully welcomed at all stations.

The next section Bydgoszcz – Gdańsk, 156 km long, was put into service in 1852. In 1853, the Malbork – Elbląg – Królewiec section, 134 km long, was put into service. For a while, passengers were transported from Gdańsk and Tczew to Malbork by horse-drawn stagecoaches and ferries across the rivers. This was the case until the construction of bridges over the Vistula in Tczew and over the Nogat in Malbork. In 1857, the bridges over the Vistula and Nogat were put into service.

The Bydgoszcz station was an important point on the route. The Ostbahn management building was located in Bydgoszcz and railway workshops were organized, which were given the name Ostbahn-Werkstatt-Bromberg, or Bydgoszcz Eastern Railway Repair Plants. The workshops were located on the premises of the Bocianowo farm, the area of ​​which was taken over by the railway.

The workshop work began in 1851. Initially, the plant employed 22 people, including a manager-master. The plant carried out inspections and repairs of locomotives and wagons. In the locomotive shed, 3-4 steam locomotives and 8-10 wagons were serviced daily. There was a forge and a mechanical workshop. In 1855, an administrative building was put into use. In 1856, the forge was expanded. By the end of the 19th century, further buildings had been built; a wagon repair hall, a new locomotive shed with 44 stations, a tender repair hall, a new forge, a varnish brewery, a sheet metal shop, a paint shop, a copper forge for steam locomotive furnaces. A switch construction department was built.

A branch of the Bydgoszcz workshops was established in Tczew, which later became independent. The workshops in Tczew were a school for new repair specialists, who, after obtaining their profession, often moved to Bydgoszcz.

In 1867, a pedestrian tunnel was built under the railway tracks on the eastern side of the Bydgoszcz station. The tunnel was built for the workshop workers, after several tragic accidents when the workers crossed the tracks on their way home from work. In 1877, around 600 workers used the tunnel. It is currently at the height of Zygmunta Augusta Street, and the tunnel still exists, although it has been renovated and extended several times.

When writing about the development of the railway, let us also remember the Franco-Prussian War, which lasted from July 19, 1870 to May 10, 1871. Prussia was supported by all the Germanic states. As a result of this war, France lost Alsace and Lorraine to the Germans and had to pay a contribution of 5 billion gold francs within four years. Until this debt was settled, Germanic occupation troops were to remain on French territory. Therefore, the Germanic treasury increased significantly, from which the railway also benefited.

From around 1890, the workshops officially ran a school for new employees, whose number was about 50 people. Germanic language in speech and writing was obligatory. Although almost 100% of Poles spoke Germanic, only 20-30% of them knew Germanic in writing. In 1906, there were already 70 students.

In 1900, the workshops changed their name to Königlich-Ostbahn-Werkstatt-Bromberg, or Royal. At that time, the workshops repaired up to 600 locomotives, up to 9,000 wagons, and produced 2,200 switches per year. In 1906, the plant employed 1,470 workers. The company’s area increased from the initial 10 hectares to 170 hectares, in various locations around the city. At that time, the plant already used the city’s electricity network and its own water supply network.

The Second Polish Republic (1918-1939).

Before we move on to the period of Reborn Poland, it is worth recalling that Bydgoszcz received city rights in 1346, by the location decree of the King of Poland – Casimir the Great. However, in 1914, the Polish population constituted 30-40% of the population. Poles were a significant, but not dominant part of the city’s population. The exact percentage of the Polish population in Bydgoszcz in 1914 is difficult to determine, due to the lack of precise statistical data from that period. In addition, the official language was Germanic, and all Poles were bilingual. There was a Germanization policy, which included various restrictions on the use of the Polish language. Especially in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the Germanic authorities introduced a number of regulations aimed at promoting the Germanic language at the expense of the Polish language. The Germanic language was mandatory in all schools. In public offices, courts and other state institutions, only the Germanic language was used. The authorities promoted the use of Germanic in public places and among local communities.

The outbreak of the Great World War caused major changes, especially in Central and Southern Europe. Several nations regained their independence, including the Republic of Poland, which was supported by France and the United States of America. Ethnographic regions such as; Wielkopolska with Bydgoszcz and Poznań, Kujawy, Pomerania Gdańsk; became part of Reborn Poland. Bydgoszcz returned to Poland on January 20, 1920, taken over by the Wielkopolska Army under the Treaty of Versailles. On the same day, the rolling stock repair plants were taken over by the Polish Commission. One of its representatives, Franciszek Hoffmann, took over the position of the head of the company.

The railway workshops in Bydgoszcz practically did not cease to operate. Organizationally, the Polish State Railways, or PKP, were established, which concentrated the entire railway network in Poland. The workshops in Bydgoszcz were first subordinate to the District Directorate of the State Railways in Gdańsk, and from 1933, to the District Directorate of the State Railways in Toruń. The workshops were named PKP Main Workshops Class-I. There were six such Class-I plants in the interwar period. Additionally, there were seven Class-II plants. In terms of size, the plants in Bydgoszcz were second only to those in Poznań. Initially, the plant had problems with a lack of workers. In 1920, about 1,500 Germans left for the West. But gradually, Polish re-emigrants who had left for bread, mainly from Rhineland-Westphalia, returned from Germany. In 1933, the plant employed 1,948 workers and was the largest workplace in Bydgoszcz. In 1939, the plant employed 2,280 workers.

At that time (1920) the locomotive depot had 58 steam locomotive repair stations. In separate halls, 10 trends, 53 passenger cars and 83 freight cars were repaired at the same time. In 30 years, the plant repaired up to 300 steam locomotives, 3,000 freight cars and about 360 passenger cars per year. The former railway switch production department now produced a much larger range. In 1937, the locomotive repair hall was rebuilt to accommodate the largest Polish steam locomotives of the Pt31 type (total length with tender 23.95 m) and Pu29 (total length with tender 24.60 m).

German occupation (1939-1945).

And again the Germans started another great world war. The defensive war of 1939 did not spare Bydgoszcz. Many Polish employees of the plant stood up to defend the city. It was not until 1984 that the employees of the plant who died in the September Campaign of 1939 were commemorated and adopted the name PKP Rolling Stock Repair Plant named after the Defenders of Bydgoszcz.

The plant was taken over by the German administration and was given the name Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk Bromberg, or Reich Railway Repair Workshop Bydgoszcz. Polish administrative employees were thrown out. Only workers who worked 10-hour shifts, in two shifts, were left. During the occupation, the number of employees increased, because the work was also performed by prisoners of war. At its peak in 1943, the plant employed 3,200 people.

A novelty was the organization of repair trains, the so-called “Bauzugi”, which went out to repair war damage, for example after partisan attacks. In addition to servicing rolling stock, the plant produced brake components and track maintenance machines.

In the period from January 20-27, 1945, fierce fighting took place between brothers (Germans and Muscovites), in the vicinity of Bydgoszcz and in the city itself. The Germans tried to evacuate machines and equipment to the west. However, sabotage actions by Polish workers prevented these deportations. Railway bridges were blown up. On January 27, 1945, Germanic and Latvian troops withdrew from Bydgoszcz.

Rolling Stock Repair Plants in Bydgoszcz (1945-2000).

Already on 28 January 1945, a meeting of the staff was held at the plant, at which a temporary management was elected. A few months later, Mr. Jan Rupiński, the pre-war head, returned to his position as head. The plant returned to its pre-war name; PKP Main Workshops Class-I. In April 1945, the Muscovites in the form of a trophy unit entered the plant with a list of 30 factories in Bydgoszcz, from which they planned to take machines and equipment to Moscow. Intervention at the highest party-military level spared the looting of the railway workshops, but not other factories.

The first repaired steam locomotive left the plant on 30 January 1945. The repair profile initially included the following locomotives: Pd4, Pd5, Pk1, Pk2, Pm2, Pm3, Pm36, OKl2, OKl27, Ok1, Os24, TKw2, Tp4, Tr20, Ty1, Ty2, Ty4. By the end of 1945, 389 locomotives and 8,056 wagons had been repaired. In 1946, all departments of the plant were already operating. In 1948, construction of new facilities began: a model shop, a boiler shop, an acetylene plant, a fittings department, and warehouses. A fire station and a staff hotel were built.

In 1950, the organization of PKP repair plants was changed. Centralization took place. The plants were subordinated to Poznań; the Directorate of Production Plants in Poznań, but from 1956, to Warsaw; Central Board of Rolling Stock Repair Plants, and from 1958, under the Union of Rolling Stock Repair Plants in Warsaw. The name of the Bydgoszcz plant also changed; Steam Locomotive and Wagon Repair Plants No. 13 in Bydgoszcz (1950), State Enterprise Rolling Stock Repair Plants in Bydgoszcz (1952). In short ZNTK Bydgoszcz.

The tasks also changed. In Bydgoszcz, passenger cars were no longer repaired, but mainly coal wagons. This was logical, because Bydgoszcz was on the main Silesia – Porty railway routes.

By 1975, more new facilities had been built: a hydrophore, a paint shop, a medical clinic, a canteen, a community center (which was demolished in 2011 due to the construction of a tram line on Zygmunta Augusta Street). The office building was expanded. The machinery park was modernized. In 1965, new lighting was installed in the plant, and in 1973, ventilation was installed in the halls. In 1975, a new foundry was opened. Sandblasting was replaced with shot blasting. Spray painting was introduced. Riveting was replaced with welding. In the period 1945-1975, about 15,000 steam locomotives and about 323,000 freight wagons were repaired.

In the period 1959-1964, 27 electric rail cranes were built in Bydgoszcz for Polish ports. In the period 1965–1973, 83 ship cranes were built. Several sets of automatic passenger car washes were built. In Bydgoszcz, iron castings were made as semi-finished products, with a total weight of 1,411,000 tons.

In 1980, employees of ZNTK Bydgoszcz took an active part in social protests and the establishment of NSZZ Solidarność. The main organizers were interned on December 13, 1981, after the introduction of martial law by communist Wojciech Jaruzelski. Later, several of them were forced to emigrate. The plant was militarized, like most state-owned plants in Poland. Militarization lasted until 1983. Let us remember that the actions of the communists did not improve the economic situation in Poland.

Changes in ZNTK Bydgoszcz after 1989.

In 1989, Poland underwent socio-economic changes. Communists transformed themselves into businessmen and seized national assets. There was no vetting or decommunization. Thousands of industrial plants, without support from the central authorities, lost their sales markets and went bankrupt. Thousands of employees became unemployed. There was a great social crisis. The government introduced drastic and uncompromising economic reforms.

This situation also affected ZNTK Bydgoszcz. In July 1991, a decision was made to separate all ZNTK plants from the PKP structures. This was the message: “Cope yourselves”. The Bydgoszcz plant was deprived of permanent orders and looked for ways to stay on the market. The plant began repairing passenger cars. On the basis of railway platforms under tanks that were unnecessary for the Polish Army, freight cars with tilting shoes for the transport of bulk goods began to be built. In the period 1990–1995, the plant performed major repairs of EN94 series units for the Warsaw Commuter Railway.

They also looked for clients abroad. In 1995, orders were received from Lithuania for repairs and modernization of rolling stock. Then there were contracts with companies in Belarus, Ukraine, and even in the Moscow State.

In November 1995, the plant was transformed into a joint-stock company of the State Treasury, whose shares in 1996 went to the National Investment Fund (NFI). Unfortunately, this did not improve the company’s condition.

In 1998, managers employed at ZNTK Bydgoszcz, saving the company from bankruptcy, took a big risk, buying out the plant from the National Investment Fund. This led to the so-called managerial privatization, which after years became a classic of economic transformation. The transformation took place on August 17, 2001. In place of ZNTK Bydgoszcz, a company called; Pojazdy Szynowe Pesa Bydgoszcz Spółka Akcyjna Holding was established. The profile of the plant changed to designing and building new rail vehicles, but repairs and modernization of rolling stock were maintained.

PESA Bydgoszcz.

The beginning of the 21st century was a difficult time for the new company. The management had to make difficult and risky decisions. Let us remember that at that time successive Polish governments were liquidating; rail connections, railway lines, and even stations. In 2001, the staff numbered 1,540 employees. The Research and Development Department was established, with several engineers. At that time, no one expected that in 2015, the department would employ nearly 300 design engineers.

In 2001, the company began producing railbuses under the name “Partner”. Interestingly, until then, such vehicles were referred to as motor (diesel) cars. The car was presented at the TRAKO International Railway Fair in Gdańsk in 2001. PESA anticipated orders for 50 units. In 2003, the Euronight class sleeper car type 306A was awarded at TRAKO.

In 2005, PESA expanded its offer with vehicles for public transport; low-floor trams, which no one in Poland had produced before. It had not produced them, but in the 90s, the KONSTAL Chorzów company had developed such trams, but no city placed an order. The first trams with the PESA logo were purchased by the city of Elbląg. Then the trams were sent to other cities: Warsaw, Łódź, Gdańsk, Bydgoszcz.

PESA became a company producing rail vehicles; trains (EZT, SZT), wagons, trams, for the specific needs of the ordering party. It did not limit itself to just one product and one customer. The factory design office developed entire families of vehicles for railways and tram transport. In order to increase the production potential of PESA in 2008, it bought a majority stake in ZNTK “Mińsk Mazowiecki”, which for many years specialized in EZT repairs.

In 2010, PESA won a contract for the production of 186 “Swing” type trams for Warsaw. The contract amounted to PLN 1.5 billion. Currently (2024) there are about 300 trams with the PESA logo in Warsaw, including new trams from the “Jazz” family.

PESA has completed contracts to deliver trams for Bulgaria and trains for Italy. The SZT was bought by Kazakhstan. Over the course of 15 years, the company has conquered 11 foreign sales markets. In 2012, PESA entered the Czech market, beating the domestic company SKODA and delivering the “Link” series vehicles. In 2016, the company obtained German homologation, which was a great success. Since 2009, in Italy, trains run on the Brescia-Iseo line, and then in the Bologna area.

PESA built the 611M vehicle for the Russian Railways, which on October 15, 2013, on the Moscow-Petersburg route reached a speed of 201 km/h. This was the highest speed of all Polish-made diesel trains and one of the highest in the world, using a diesel engine with an electric transmission.

In 2013, PESA obtained a contract for the modernization of 150 passenger cars for PKP InterCity.

In May 2013, the 100th EZT (electric traction set) built by PESA, which was the EN76-033, was handed over to users.

In 2015, PESA delivered to Koleje Mazowieckie the first Polish push-pull double-decker trains and 2 electric locomotives of the “Gama” type and 22 units (including 2 control-distributing) of “Sundeck” cars.

In 2015, the company delivered the first Polish EZT to PKP InterCity to operate long-distance connections of the “Dart” type. The first contract was for 20 trains, and the second contract for 10 trains.

In 2015, PESA ran into trouble. The problems were not only the company’s fault. Several orders piled up and due to delays, contractual penalties had to be paid. At the same time, the Muscovites terminated the contract for 120 trams for Moscow. Additionally, the European collective farm (EU) started a new financing period, so several months passed before potential buyers started bidding. The plant was in real danger of losing its liquidity. In 2017, PESA signed a loan agreement with a consortium of banks for PLN 200 million. Additionally, there were changes in the company’s management. Improvement occurred after only 6 months, although the company had debts for the next 6 years.

In 2018, the Germans bought 36 two-unit DMUs of the “Link” family. After a few months, the contract was increased to 72 vehicles. Exactly 23 two-unit DMUs (BR632) and 49 three-unit DMUs (BR633).

In 2019, PESA concluded another contract for the delivery of more “Swing” trams for Sofia in Bulgaria.

In June 2019, PKP InterCity accepted PESA’s offer to modernize 14 4-car EZT units ED74 (Edyta), delivered years ago (2007) by the Bydgoszcz manufacturer Przewozy Regionalne. The contract was completed and these trains run in PKP InterCity, on intercity connections, with a travel time of up to 4 hours, because the trains do not have a bar.

In 2019, PESA 760M type DMUs were delivered to Belarus, which serve the Minsk – Vitebsk connection. Three new 6-car vehicles were delivered.

In 2019, PESA concluded several other contracts; trams for Romania, more trains for Italy and trams for Częstochowa in Poland.

In 2023, PESA Bydgoszcz signed a second contract with the Romanian Railway Reform Agency for the delivery of 62 EZTs. The EZT trains will be 3-car trains, which are on separate bogies. They reach a speed of 160 km/h. The trains have 224 passenger seats. They are equipped with the Romanian safety system and the European ETCS control system.

So far, PESA has supplied trams to the Romanian market in the period 2012-2023. A total of 37 trams run in Cluj, Iaşi and Craiova. A service center has been established in Romania. Currently, the factory produces trams for Tallinn and vehicles for České Dráhy, (ČD – Czech Railways) and Regio Jet in the Czech Republic, as well as for railways in Ghana.

The Bydgoszcz plant builds hybrid locomotives for PKP InterCity. This is an important moment for the company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy five years ago. In total, PESA has earned around PLN 3 billion on contracts with PKP InterCity. PKP Intercity has purchased 16 hybrid locomotives from PESA for over PLN 550 million.

In 2023, it was decided to increase the robotization of the plant. Within 2-3 years, a new production hall and other investments are to be built. New investments will allow to increase the number of vehicles produced per month from 10-12 to 20-24 units.

Currently (2024) there is no province in Poland where there are no EZT or SZT trains with the PESA logo. There are only two cities in Poland where there are no trams with the PESA logo. Among the diesel train sets, we can distinguish “Partner”, “ATR” (known in Italy as “Atribo”), and later “LINK”. Among the electric trains are “ELF” and “Acatus”. In turn, “Gama” is a family of diesel and electric locomotives, also multi-system. Trams include; “Tramicus”, “Swing”, “Jazz” and “Twist” (known in Moscow as “Fokstrot”). PESA also repairs diesel locomotives: ST44, SU45, SU46, SM42, SM48.

The shareholders are the Polish Development Fund, which has 99.8% of the shares. The share capital is PLN 61,835,451.09. Address; PESA Bydgoszcz SA, 85-082 Bydgoszcz, ul. Zygmunta Augusta 11.

PESA Bydgoszcz products.

Electric locomotives 111Ed Gama, 9 units, manufactured in the period 2012-2016.

Diesel locomotives 111Db Gama, 11 units, manufactured in the period 2014-2015.

The PESA Mazovia EZT (type 13WE, series EN95) is a standard gauge four-unit electric multiple unit manufactured in 2004, in a single unit for the Warsaw Commuter Railway. This is the first vehicle of this type built by PESA.

EZT 308B, 10 units, manufactured in the period 2005-2007.

EZT 15WE Acatus, 1 unit, manufactured in 2006.

EZT 16WEk Bydgostia, 14 copies, manufactured in the period 2007-2008.

EZT 32WE Acatus II, 5 copies, manufactured in 2011.

EZT 22WE Elf, 53 units, manufactured in the period 2011-2016.

EZT 34WE Elf, 4 copies, manufactured in 2011.

EZT 33WE, 14 units, manufactured in 2011-2012.

EZT 27WE Elf, 19 units, manufactured in 2011-2013.

EZT 21WE Elf, 10th copy, manufactured in 2012.

EZT 40WE Acatus Plus, 9 units, manufactured in 2014-2016.

EZT 41WE Acatus Plus, 4 units, manufactured in 2014-2015.

EZT 43WE Dart, 20 units, manufactured in 2015.

EZT 21WEa Elf II, 8 units, manufactured in 2017-2018.

EZT 22WEd Elf II, 14 units, manufactured in 2018-2019.

EZT 34WEa Elf II, 8 units, manufactured in 2017.

EZT 48WE Elf II, 10 units, manufactured in 2018.

EZT 60WE, 4 units, manufactured in 2019.

SZT 214M, 56 units, manufactured in 2002-2016.

SZT 610M, 1 unit, manufactured in 2004.

SZT 620M, 29 units, manufactured in 2004-2012.

SZT 218M, 76 units, manufactured in 2005-2015.

SZT 219M Atribo, 104 units, production since 2008.

SZT 630M, 6 units, production 2011-2013.

SZT 223M Link, 81 units, produced in the period 2012-2020.

SZT 611M, 2 units, produced in 2013.

SZT 730M, 14 units, produced in the period 2014-2016.

SZT 760M, 6 units, produced in the period 2019-2020.

SZT BR633 Link, 49 units, produced in the period 2018-2020.

SZT Series 847, 76 units ordered.

SZT for Ghana, 2 units.

401M passenger cars, 5 units, 2009.

316B Sundeck passenger cars, 2 units, 2015.

416B Sundeck passenger cars, 20 units, 2015.

121N Tramicus trams, 6 units, manufactured in 2006-2007.

120N Tramicus trams, 15 units, manufactured in 2007.

122N Tramicus trams, 12 units, manufactured in 2008.

120Na Swing trams, 253 units, manufactured in 2010-2014.

120Nb Swing trams, 9 units, manufactured in 2011-2012.

2010N Twist trams, 15 units, manufactured in the period 2012-2015.

121Na Swing trams, 7 units, manufactured since 2012.

2012N Twist trams, 30 units, manufactured in the period 2013-2014.

122Na Swing trams, 71 units, manufactured in the period 2013-2018.

71-414 Fokstrot trams, 117 units delivered, manufactured since 2014.

128N Jazz trams, 55 units, manufactured in the period 2014-2015.

122Nb Swing trams, 11 units, manufactured in the period 2014-2015.

Trams 134N Jazz, 30 units, produced since 2015.

Trams 121Nb Swing, 6 units, produced since 2015.

Tram 2014N Krakowiak, 36 units, produced since 2015.

Tram 2010NW Twist, 8 units, produced since 2015.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman