Alstom Metropolis 98B is an electric multiple unit produced by the French conglomerate Alstom and operated by the Warsaw Metro as their third-generation of rolling stock. Between 2000 and 2002, and again between 2004 and 2005, a total of 108 carriages were constructed at the manufacturer’s plants in Barcelona and Chorzów, forming 18 six-car trains.
History Origins On 7 April 1995, the first section of the Warsaw Metro, M1, was opened. The long route connecting the Kabaty metro station with the Politechnika metro station was initially served by 14 three-car sets of the Russian Metrovagonmash 81-717/81-714. This rolling stock allowed trains to run at 5-minute intervals during peak hours and 7-minute intervals off-peak, with an eventual plan for five-car trains running at 90-second intervals.
In November 1997, a batch of 18 cars ordered from Russia arrived in Warsaw, allowing for the extension of trains to four cars and the assembly of a fifteenth set. On 26 May 1998, the existing section was extended to the Centrum metro station, and the new cars were put into operation.
Further plans included extending the line with another section and opening the Świętokrzyska and Ratusz Arsenał metro stations. An increase in passenger traffic was also anticipated. The Warsaw Metro decided to expand its rolling stock and announced a tender. Due to the outdated design of the used trains, new sets with modern construction meeting current requirements were ordered.
Tenders From 1996 to 1998, three tenders for new rolling stock for the Warsaw Metro were announced, with the first two being unsuccessful.
On 15 July 1996, an open tender was announced. The specification was collected by 25 manufacturers, of which 8 submitted bids. On 7 March 1997, all bids were rejected, and the tender was canceled.
On 26 May 1997, a two-stage tender procedure began. The specification was collected by 16 manufacturers, of which 8 submitted initial bids. On 16 January 1998, after analyzing and rejecting 7 final bids, the second tender was also canceled.
On 9 February 1998, the Warsaw Metro announced a third tender for the delivery of 108 new cars to service M1 line. On 26 March 1998, the bids from 8 companies – Bombardier Transportation Polska, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Daewoo, Bombardier Transportation, Alstom, Hyundai, Siemens Mobility, and Škoda Transportation – were opened, with prices ranging from 367 million PLN to 635 million PLN. Selection criteria included not only price but also the technical merits of the proposed rolling stock, the company's references, and the participation of domestic manufacturers in the delivery.
On 20 April 1998, it was announced that Alstom had won the tender with a bid of 479 million PLN. Siemens appealed the Warsaw Metro's tender commission decision, but the appeal was dismissed by the arbitration court of the Public Procurement Office. On 10 June 1998, Alstom was again declared the winner, and on 22 July 1998, a contract was signed with the company. The contract guaranteed the delivery of Metropolis 98B trains adapted to Polish requirements and the Soviet loading gauge used in the Warsaw Metro.
Production and deliveries YearNumber of carsNumber of trainsProducerSources2000244Alstom Transporte, Barcelona2001244Alstom Konstal, Chorzów200230520041832005122 The first 4 Metropolis 98B trains were produced at Alstom’s plant in Barcelona in 2000.
On 24 July 2000, the first train arrived at the Port of Gdańsk from Barcelona by ship. It was unloaded from the ship’s hold using a floating crane and placed on the Vistula river wharf. The train was transported to Warsaw on its wheels. After connecting the inter-car couplers and air hoses, the train was coupled with specially prepared freight wagons on both sides. These wagons had a regular railway coupler on one end and an adapted metro coupler on the other. Then, a special freight train with additional empty gondola cars ensuring adequate braking mass was formed, as the metro cars lacked a pneumatic brake system meeting railway standards. The train departed in the evening, covering the route from Gdańsk to Warsaw at . The subsequent three six-car trains, also produced in Spain, arrived in Poland the same way by October 2000.
The remaining 14 trains were built in Poland. As part of an offset agreement, the production of some components, final assembly, and painting were moved to Alstom Konstal’s plant in Chorzów, while the car bodies were assembled at Fablok’s plant in Chrzanów. Additionally, several domestic companies participated in the production, with the declared minimum share of the domestic industry at 55% (eventually reaching 60%).
On 6 March 2001, the first train was completed at the Alstom Konstal plant and presented in Chorzów. In the same year, 3 more trains were produced and delivered as planned.
In 2002, 5 more trains were built and delivered. However, in mid-2002, further deliveries were halted due to the ordering party’s financial problems and issues with the wheelsets of the delivered vehicles.
The original schedule planned for the last 5 trains to be delivered by 31 December 2004. Ultimately, only 3 trains were produced in 2004, delivered between October and December. In 2005, the last 2 trains were produced, with delivery occurring between April and May 2005, delayed by attempts to select wheels with better parameters.
The trains produced at the Alstom Konstal plant covered the route from Chorzów to Warsaw on their wheels, towed by an electric locomotive. Protective wagons were attached to the train to safeguard the Metropolis trains from potential damage during the journey. The train moved at to minimize the risk of damage during transport.
Testing The trains produced in Spain underwent initial testing right after leaving the factory in Barcelona. After coupling the cars, static tests were conducted to refine and confirm the main static parameters of the train. Next, dynamic tests were carried out on a test track at a speed of to verify the performance of the propulsion and braking system. After transporting the trains to Warsaw, the main tests were conducted on the metro line to confirm the technical parameters of the cars. These included gauge tests, signal system compatibility, propulsion and braking tests, radio communication, and the automatic train protection (ATP) system.
The trains from Alstom Konstal’s plant were tested at the STP Kabaty in Warsaw upon arrival. Over a month, the trains underwent detailed gauge measurements, technical inspections by staff, manufacturer acceptance procedures, certification processes, and trial runs on the test track.
Between 2000 and 2001, certification tests for service operation were conducted, involving the manufacturer, the Tabor Railway Vehicle Institute from Poznań, the Institute of Transport of the Silesian University of Technology from Katowice, and AFK International from Warsaw. On 27 September 2000, the first four Metropolis 98B trains received a certificate of operation valid until 30 June 2002 from the Chief Railway Inspector. To obtain an indefinite certificate for the entire series, positive results from supervised operation before the certificate expired were required. On 29 May 2001, the indefinite certificate was issued.
Construction Technical data Tc carM carEntire trainAxle arrangement2′2′Bo′Bo′2′2′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′Car arrangementrsr+s+s+s+s+rService weight28,1 t30,6 t178.6 tTotal lengthTotal widthTotal heightFloor height above rail headNumber of passenger doors per side424Passenger door widthNumber of seats (fixed+folding)40 (36+4)46 (44+2)264 (248+16)Number of standing places (6.7 people/m²)1892031,190Total number of places2292491,454Type of motors rowspan="3" 4 EXA 2130 (Barcelona-built cars) STDa 280-4B (Chorzów-built cars)Number and power of motors4×180 kW16×180 kWVoltage and power supply method750 V DC (nominal) from third railLifespan25 years or 3 million kmSources
Body
The Alstom Metropolis 98B trains operated by Warsaw Metro feature two types of cars – end control cars designated as Tc and middle railcars designated as M. Trains are composed of six cars in the arrangement Tc+M+M+M+M+Tc and can only be operated as a whole unit; the number and arrangement of cars cannot be changed.
Body structure The body construction is a combination of aluminum and steel, riveted in a manner that the rivets are not visible.
The main part of the Tc car body is made from pressed aluminum profiles. Two welded steel torsion bars connect the body to the bogie via the pivot pin. The rear welded steel end frame links the body frame to the coupling mount beam for connecting with other cars in the train set, and the welded steel cab module also allows for coupling at the front of the train. The rear part of the car contains a steel crumple zone.
The structure of the M car body is similar to the Tc car, with the cab module replaced by a rear section.
All side windows are fixed and mounted to the car body using elastomer profiles, ensuring tightness. The thick windows are made of tempered, shatterproof glass.
Couplers
Metropolis trains use two types of couplers – semi-automatic and semi-permanent. These were supplied by the Polish-Swedish company Dellner from Gdynia.
A semi-automatic coupler is installed at the front of the Tc car, allowing for mechanical connection of two vehicles without manual intervention, with manual uncoupling only. The primary components of the front coupler include a head permanently connected to the pin, a draw-and-buffer device, and centering spring cylinders. The coupler head and pin are connected to the draw-and-buffer device by a bolted clamp. Inside the draw-and-buffer device is an oil-gas shock absorber. The coupler is attached to the front end of the car by a joint and pin. Centering of the coupler is ensured by two spring cylinders located at the bottom. The coupler head design, specific to Warsaw Metro, enables emergency connections with series 81 cars. The axis distance of the coupler head from the rail head level is .
Semi-permanent couplers are mounted at the rear of the Tc cars and at both ends of the M cars, connected by special clamps and bolts. Their height above the rail head level is .
Passenger doors
Each car is equipped with four pairs of wide sliding doors that move along tracks on the external walls. Door movement is powered by a DC electric motor. The inner surfaces of the doors are covered with polished stainless steel. In emergencies, each pair of doors can be manually unlocked by pulling down a special red lever. The upper part of each door panel is fitted with an thick tempered glass window.
Livery of Metropolis 98B trains (2000–2014) ColorNameGlossApplicationSourcesNCS S 1502-G85% ±5roof, upper part of the bodyRAL 901785% ±5window bandNCS S 4550-R80B85% ±5thin band in the middle of the bodyNCS S 1085-Y90R85% ±5lower part of the body, doorsRAL 701250% ±5underframe The car bodies are painted externally with polyurethane paints, with a declared durability of at least 5 years.
The livery design for Metropolis series vehicles was created in 1987 by artist Ryszard Bojar. The lower part of the car and doors are red, the upper part and roof are white, and there is a narrow navy blue stripe in between.
Livery of Metropolis 98B trains (post-2014) ColorNameGlossApplicationSourcesNCS S 1502-G85% ±5roof, upper part of the bodyRAL 901785% ±5window bandRAL 100385% ±5thin band in the middle of the bodyNCS S 1085-Y90R85% ±5lower part of the body, doorsRAL 701250% ±5underframe