Poland to Introduce Recyclable Subway Cars in 2012

Poland has teamed up with Siemens and BMW to create a recyclable subway car for Metro Warszawskie.

The Inspiro design was developed by Siemens in cooperation with the BMW Group DesignworksUSA, which is an independently operating BMW Group subsidiary based in Los Angeles, Singapore and Munich. The Inspiro design offers an enhanced experienced for subway passengers that incorporates sustainable engineering.

The environmentally-sensitive concept incorporates spacious interiors with extra-wide entrances for optimized passenger flow. To increase space for passengers, the electronic and mechanics cabinets have been removed from the interior cabin walls. The floor-to-ceiling handrails emulate simple tree forms, communicating the green intent of the design.

The cars are rated to be 97.5 percent recyclable. The aluminum carriage and weight-optimized chassis make the design significantly lighter than most traditional subway cars. The lighter cars require less energy to run, reducing the overall consumption of this public transit system.

The cars also utilize demand-controlled air conditioning and electrodynamic braking systems which reduce noise and fine particle emissions, and an alternative to conventional drive technology. The Syntergra system reduces energy consumption by as much as 30 percent and lowering maintenance costs by up to 15 percent.

Thirty-five full trains will be built in the coming years. 15 of the trains will be used for the existing Line 1 fleet, and the remaining 20 will be allocated to Line 2, which is currently under construction. The new Inspiro trains will begin running in late 2012 with full completion of the project scheduled for the end of 2013. The first 10 trains will be built in Germany, while the remaining 25 will be constructed in Poland. Forty percent of the components will be sourced in Poland.

This project is only one many beneficial contracts Siemens is involved with all over the world. In October, the German engineering giant announced plans to set up a wind turbine manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of 250 MW in India, and will work with the state of Florida to build a high-speed rail corridor, with trains connecting Tampa to Orlando and then to Miami in a second phase.

Article by Karen Mackay, appearing courtesy Crisp Green.