Pesa Mińsk Mazowiecki

Origins

After World War II, Poland's railway infrastructure was heavily damaged, and Polish State Railways lacked a dedicated facility for repairing electric rolling stock. Initial repairs were conducted at the Warszawa Grochów locomotive depot, followed by workshops in Pruszków, Lubań, and Gdańsk. More complex repairs, particularly those requiring rewinding of electric machines, were outsourced to the Warsaw Commuter Railway depot in Grodzisk Mazowiecki and the Dolmel factory in Wrocław.^[1] The need for a specialized repair facility near the electrified Warsaw railway hub led to the design of the Mińsk Mazowiecki works in 1948, under the direction of engineer Wiktor Tyszka.^[2]

In 1951, due to the development of the railway system in Poland, and in particular the Warsaw Railway Junction, a decision was made to establish Zakłady Naprawcze Taboru Kolejowego in Mińsk Mazowiecki. These were intended to serve as a maintenance and repair base for the rolling stock primarily operating suburban routes.^[3] On 29 November 1952, the Polish United Workers' Party and the state government passed a resolution to build these facilities,^[2] a decision that is considered the founding moment of the company.^[4] The plant was allocated an area of over 26 hectares,^[5] located near the Mińsk Mazowiecki railway station, between the Warszawa Zachodnia–Terespol railway [pl]^[6] and the then Świerczewski Street [pl].^[6][7]

Part of the industrial association and PKP (1952–1991)

The design for the Mińsk Mazowiecki works was developed in 1951 by the Warsaw Industrial Construction Design Bureau, incorporating innovative conoidal structural roofs with a 25-meter span,^[8][9] designed by Zbigniew Ihnatowicz [pl], Jerzy Romański [pl], Witold Sielicki, W. Zaleski, and S. Walczyna.^[8] At the beginning of 1953, construction began on the plant named PKP – Mińsk Mazowiecki Electric Rolling Stock Repair Plant (under construction).^[2] On 22 July 1954, despite ongoing works, the first electric multiple unit entered the repair hall.^[3][10] That same year, the first three halls were completed, the company's name was changed to Mińsk Mazowiecki Rolling Stock Repair Plant,^[2] and its first director was Julian Grodzicki.^[11] From the start, the plant operated as an independent enterprise on a full economic accounting basis^[12] but was subordinate to the Directorate of Production Plants, established in 1950^[13] (later Zakłady Naprawcze Taboru Kolejowego).^[12]

In spring 1954, employees formed a football team, which later became part of the Mazovia Mińsk Mazowiecki sports club. The company also sponsored a table tennis section, formed by merging two clubs, one of which was established by ZNTK workers. Employees also participated in the club's athletics section and later served on its board.^[14]

During the 1950s and 1960s, additional facilities were built, including two auxiliary workshop halls, a boiler house, a housing estate, a 735 m² component warehouse, additional repair halls, a fire station, a mechanical carpentry shop, paint and lubricant storage, a steel warehouse, an electrical substation, a carbide storage, and deep wells. The facility's tracks were electrified.^[10]

The company initially repaired EMUs of the EW51, EW52 [pl], EW53 [pl], EN56 [pl], and ED70 [pl] series.^[15] At the end of 1957, a new hall with an area of over 3,000 m² was commissioned, housing a workshop for the repair of electric traction machinery. It specialized in all types of repairs of all electric machines in use at the time and was the first such workshop within the United Rolling Stock Repair Plants Association (ZNTK). In April 1958, a rotor winding workshop was launched,^[1] where machines were rewound using pre-manufactured imported components.^[16] In August 1959,^[1] in cooperation with the Electric Traction Department of the Electrotechnical Institute, the plant began manufacturing its own winding inductors, and later also commutators and other components.^[16] Additionally, the plant produced leaf springs and plastic parts for railway rolling stock.^[2]

On 1 March 1961,^[2] a Central Design and Technological Bureau for Electric Rolling Stock Repairs was established to handle documentation and organizational tasks for electric motor repairs and to develop technical documentation for PKP's electric rolling stock across all ZNTK facilities.^[16] That year, administrative, social, and gatehouse buildings, as well as a paint shop, hydro station, plastic processing workshop, test station, impregnation facility, battery room, waste storage, and diesel locomotive garage were constructed.^[10]

In 1962, the company implemented technically justified standards and a two-stage technical-organizational subordination program. It collaborated with the Railway Institute in Warsaw, the Institute of Paints and Varnishes in Gliwice, the Institute of Plastics in Gliwice, and Warsaw University of Technology.^[17] By 1963, the facility's expansion was completed.^[3] In the early 1960s, repairs began on EMUs of the EW55 and EN57 series.^[15]

From 1973 to 1990, the company was named after Cuban revolutionary Camilo Cienfuegos.^[2] On 1 January 1982, the ZNTK Association was dissolved,^[18] and all repair works were integrated into PKP's structure.^[19] In 1988, additional halls for EMU repairs were built.^[2]

State-owned enterprise (1991–1996)

In 1991, the Mińsk Mazowiecki works were separated from PKP and operated as an independent state-owned enterprise named the Mińsk Mazowiecki Railway Rolling Stock Repair Works.^[20][21] Due to the poor financial condition of the railway sector, orders decreased, leading to reduced employment. However, the company retained a skilled workforce and essential machinery.^[20]

In the mid-1990s, repairs focused primarily on EN57 EMUs (94%), EN71 (5%), and the phasing-out EW55 (1%).^[15] Between 1993 and 1995, the company conducted revision repairs combined with modernization of SN81 [pl] railbuses.^[22] In 1995, modernization of EU07 electric locomotives into the EP07 series began.^[23]

Joint-stock company (from 1996)

On 2 January 1996,^[24] the company was converted into a sole-shareholder company of the State Treasury named Mińsk Mazowiecki Railway Rolling Stock Repair Works S.A.^[21] and included in the National Investment Fund "Foksal" under Poland's Universal Privatization Program,^[20] marking the start of its privatization.^[3] On 1 May 1996, the company transferred its residential blocks to the newly formed Kolejarz Housing Cooperative.^[25]

Between 1998 and 2002, a restructuring reduced employment by 24.8%, from 879 in 1998 to 661 in 2001, though production growth in 2002 led to the hiring of 27 additional workers.^[26] Between 1999 and 2000, the company fulfilled an order for Croatian Railways, performing major repairs and modernization of two EMUs equivalent to the EN71 series.^[27]

In the early 2000s, the company expanded its operations to include repairs of electric locomotives and railroad cars.^[28] By mid-2000, it employed 780 people. Adtranz Polska expressed interest in acquiring a 33% stake to expand its rolling stock servicing operations.^[29] In 2001, Siemens showed interest in purchasing a majority stake.^[30]

In mid-2002, the company began minor modernizations of EN57 EMUs during major repairs, focusing on interior upgrades. On 29 August 2002, the first such modernization was completed for unit EN57-1400 for Przewozy Regionalne in Katowice.^[31] On 1 July 2002,^[32] 60% of the company's shares were acquired by private investors Surfinia and Feniks Inwestycje,^[24][32] with 25% owned by the State Treasury and 15% by employees.^[5]

In 2004, the company undertook more advanced EN57 modernizations, including electrical system upgrades, control system modifications, and bogie redesigns. On 31 May 2004, the first such modernization was completed for unit EN57-1441 for ZPR Wrocław.^[31] In late 2005, Škoda Transportation proposed forming a joint venture to supply trams and EMUs to the Polish market.^[33] On 30 April 2006, the company completed the most advanced EN57 modernization to date under the Sectoral Operational Programme Transport, upgrading unit EN57-1417 with new electrical systems, control systems, bogies, interiors, driver's cabs, and streamlined front ends^[34] designed by Wojciech Maliński.^[35] At that time, the company employed around 700 people.^[20] On 19 May 2006, the 60% stake held by Surfinia and Feniks Inwestycje was acquired by the Slovak company Prema Trade, based in Trnava.^[36]

In 2007, the company completed two modernizations of EW60 units^[37] and nine EN57 modernizations with impulse start systems,^[38] which were later discontinued due to unsatisfactory traction performance.^[39]

In early 2007, the company's technical department began designing a new three-car EMU,^[5] Shirley, in collaboration with Autosan.^[40] By mid-2008, the body and bogie frames of the first unit were tested at the Tabor Railway Vehicle Institute in Poznań, with completion planned for later that year.^[5][41] The management expressed interest in producing vehicles for Central and Eastern Europe and discussed building and servicing high-speed rail trains with a Western European manufacturer. At the time, the company employed 1,000 people, including 180 administrative staff and 18 in the technical-design department.^[5]

Railway

The company serves both local governments and business partners, offering:^[67]

• Production of railbuses.^[68]
• Modernization of locomotives, EMUs, passenger cars, and trams.^[69]
• Major and revision repairs of railway vehicles and their components.^[70]

District heating

In April 2008, the company obtained the necessary licenses from the Energy Regulatory Office and in June 2011 began operations in the heating sector.^[114] The company produced thermal energy in an on-site boiler plant equipped with two WR-5 boilers and four WLM-2.5 boilers with a total installed capacity of 29.9 MW and an operational capacity of 23.1 MW. It was also responsible for the transmission and distribution of heat, as well as for the maintenance of district heating substations in residential, commercial, public utility, and industrial buildings within Mińsk Mazowiecki.^[115]

ZNTK Mińsk Mazowiecki at Trako trade fair