Podlaskie Region Orders Two Hybrid Trains from Newag in a 353.5 Million Złoty Deal

Standfirst

Województwo Podlaskie has awarded Polish rail manufacturer Newag S.A. a contract worth 353.5 million złoty to build two hybrid drive multi unit rail vehicles for passenger services in northeastern Poland. Newag was the only company to bid and it took nearly six months from selection to final contract signature.

Introduction

Rural and regional rail lines across Poland often lack full electrification, leaving passengers dependent on diesel trains that are noisier, less efficient and more polluting than their electric counterparts. Hybrid drive trains offer a middle path, running on electric power where overhead lines exist and switching to onboard power where they do not.

Województwo Podlaskie, the regional government of Podlaskie in northeastern Poland, has just ordered two such trains, a purchase that will shape passenger rail service in the region for years to come.

Why This Contract Matters

Hybrid trains let regional authorities extend better quality rail service onto lines that would otherwise need expensive, time consuming electrification work before modern electric trains could run on them. For a region like Podlaskie, this kind of flexible rolling stock can improve passenger rail connectivity without waiting years for infrastructure upgrades.

The contract is also EU funded, reflecting how European regional development support continues to underpin rail modernisation projects across Poland's less densely served regions.

Contract Timeline

This procedure follows an earlier related notice referenced as 851510-2025. The winner was selected on 20 February 2026, but the contract was not formally concluded until 4 August 2026, a gap of more than five months. Delivery of the vehicles is scheduled to run from 20 February 2026 through to 30 September 2029. The notice recording this award was dispatched on 11 August 2026 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 12 August 2026, under OJ S issue 154/2026.

Contract Overview

Województwo Podlaskie ran an open procedure under Directive 2014/24/EU for the purchase of two multi unit rail vehicles with hybrid drive for passenger transport services. The classification is CPV code 34620000, Rolling stock. The contract also includes a disclosed option right, described in the tender's contract template annex, though the specific terms of that option are not detailed in the public notice.

The confirmed value of the contract, matching the winning tender exactly, is 353,502,000.00 PLN excluding VAT. Only one tender was received, from Newag S.A., meaning this contract was awarded without price competition from a rival bidder.

Key Contract Details

Project Scope

The contract covers the design and manufacture of two multi unit rail vehicles equipped with hybrid drive, capable of running on both electrified and non electrified sections of track, for use in passenger transport services within Podlaskie Voivodeship. Full technical specifications are set out in the tender's description of the contract subject matter, referenced as Annex 1 to the tender specifications, though this detail is not reproduced in the public notice itself.

One specific technical requirement scored in the award criteria stands out: external doors to the driver's cabin, a design feature that affects crew access and safety and which carried a specific, if modest, 6 percent weight in the evaluation.

About the Contracting Authority

Województwo Podlaskie

Województwo Podlaskie is a regional authority with general public services as its classified activity, responsible for regional government functions across the Podlaskie region in northeastern Poland, including regional passenger rail services. Its rolling stock investments directly shape the quality and reach of rail transport available to residents across the region.

About the Organisations Involved

Newag S.A.

Newag S.A., based in Nowy Sącz and classified as a large enterprise, is one of Poland's established rail rolling stock manufacturers. It won this contract as the sole tenderer, with its bid ranked first by default and declared no subcontracting, meaning it will manufacture and deliver the two hybrid vehicles directly.

Krajowa Izba Odwoławcza

Krajowa Izba Odwoławcza, Poland's National Appeal Chamber, based in Warsaw, is named as the review organisation for this procurement. Polish procurement law sets out detailed appeal deadlines, generally 10 or 15 days depending on how information about a contested decision was communicated, with further recourse available through the Regional Court in Warsaw acting as the public procurement court for appeals against Chamber rulings.

Procurement Analysis

Województwo Podlaskie ran this as an open procedure, yet only one tender was received, from Newag S.A. This outcome, an open competition that draws a single bidder, is a notable market signal for specialised rolling stock procurements of this kind, where the number of manufacturers capable of delivering hybrid drive rail vehicles to a specific regional specification may be genuinely limited.

Award criteria weighted price at 60 percent, with the remaining 40 percent split across three quality factors: delivery deadline at 24 percent, warranty and extended defect liability terms at 10 percent and a specific cabin door design requirement at 6 percent. The strong weighting on delivery deadline is notable, suggesting the region placed real value on getting these vehicles into service promptly rather than accepting extended lead times.

The roughly five and a half month gap between winner selection in February 2026 and contract conclusion in August 2026 is longer than typical for most public contracts, though for large, bespoke rolling stock orders requiring detailed technical specification and contract negotiation, this kind of extended finalisation period is not unusual.

Additional Procurement Facts

The contract is confirmed as fully or partially financed with EU funds and is not covered by the Government Procurement Agreement. No framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system applies. No subcontracting was declared by Newag and none of the tender came from SMEs or from tenderers registered outside Poland, reflecting the highly specialised, domestically concentrated nature of the Polish rail rolling stock manufacturing sector.

Market and Industry Perspective

Newag is a well established name in the Polish and broader Central European rail rolling stock market and its position as sole bidder for this contract reflects the specialised, capital intensive nature of hybrid rail vehicle manufacturing, a segment with relatively few credible domestic or international suppliers able to meet the full technical, certification and delivery requirements of a regional Polish rail authority.

The EU funding attached to this contract also reflects a broader pattern of European structural and regional development support continuing to underpin rolling stock modernisation across Poland's regional rail networks, particularly where hybrid technology can extend service improvements onto non-electrified lines without requiring costly infrastructure electrification first.

Economic Significance

At 353.5 million złoty for two vehicles, this is a substantial capital investment in Podlaskie's regional rail fleet, underscoring the high unit cost of specialised, technically advanced rolling stock. For Newag, it secures a significant order that reinforces its position as a leading domestic rail vehicle supplier.

Future Procurement Opportunities

Given that this contract includes an undisclosed option right, Podlaskie Voivodeship may be positioned to order additional vehicles or services under the same contract terms without running a fresh competitive tender, depending on how that option is structured. Beyond that, further Polish regional rail authorities pursuing similar hybrid or electrification linked rolling stock upgrades are likely to bring comparable tenders to market in the coming years.

Opportunities for Suppliers

Rail rolling stock manufacturers, whether domestic Polish firms or international operators, should note that this open tender drew only one bidder despite being fully open to competition, suggesting a genuine opportunity for additional credible suppliers to enter this specific segment of the Polish regional rail market if they can meet the technical and certification bar required.

What Businesses Should Watch

Rail manufacturers and suppliers should watch for how Podlaskie Voivodeship and other Polish regional authorities structure future hybrid and regional rolling stock tenders and should monitor whether the option right disclosed in this contract is exercised, since that would signal further order volume without a new competitive process.

PolandTenders.com Procurement Intelligence

This award illustrates how Polish regional authorities are using hybrid drive rolling stock to modernise passenger rail service on lines that lack full electrification, a practical middle path that extends service improvements without requiring costly infrastructure investment first. The EU funding behind this contract confirms its alignment with broader European regional development priorities.

Its strategic importance lies in what the single bidder outcome reveals about the Polish rail manufacturing market. Despite running a fully open procedure, Podlaskie received interest from only one supplier, a signal that the pool of manufacturers capable of delivering hybrid rail vehicles to a specific regional specification remains genuinely narrow, even in a country with an established domestic rolling stock industry like Poland.

Suppliers can draw a clear lesson from the weighting behind this award. With delivery deadline carrying 24 percent of the total score, well above the 10 percent given to warranty terms, this buyer placed real value on getting new trains into passenger service quickly, a priority that manufacturers bidding for similar future contracts should factor prominently into their own proposals.

Supplier Takeaways

• Only one tender was received despite this being a fully open procurement procedure, suggesting limited current competition in this specific rolling stock segment
• Award criteria weighted price at 60 percent, with delivery deadline carrying a notable 24 percent, well above warranty terms at 10 percent
• The contract includes an undisclosed option right that could lead to further orders without a new competitive tender
• No subcontracting was declared, indicating Newag will manufacture and deliver the vehicles directly
• The contract is EU funded, reflecting continued European support for regional rail modernisation in Poland

Key Takeaways

• Województwo Podlaskie has awarded Newag S.A. a contract worth 353,502,000.00 PLN for two hybrid drive multi unit rail vehicles
• Newag was the sole tenderer in this open procedure
• Award criteria weighted price at 60 percent and split the remaining 40 percent across delivery deadline, warranty terms and a cabin door design requirement
• Nearly six months passed between winner selection in February 2026 and contract conclusion in August 2026
• The contract is EU funded and vehicle delivery runs through September 2029

Conclusion

This contract brings two new hybrid drive trains to Podlaskie's regional rail network, a practical step toward better passenger service on lines that do not yet have full electrification. For Newag, it is a significant order that reinforces its role as a leading Polish rail rolling stock manufacturer.

For the wider Polish rail sector, the single bidder outcome here is worth watching closely, a reminder that even in an established domestic rolling stock industry, highly specialised orders like hybrid drive trains can still draw limited competitive interest.

Source: Tenders Electronic Daily (TED), Contract Award Notice 558325-2026, Official Journal of the European Union, OJ S issue 154/2026, published on 12/08/2026.