en.Wedoany.com Reported - Poland's national railway line company (PKP PLK) has received nine bids in the tender for "ERTMS/GSM-R System Infrastructure Construction Works," which falls under the "Infrastructure Design and Construction" phase of the second-stage National Railway Program ERTMS framework. The contract involves signing a framework agreement covering the comprehensive construction of radio communication facilities, radio communication regeneration facilities, as well as the full construction of cable ducts and optical communication cables, or the completion of previously initiated works.

PKP PLK has detailed the contract requirements. Radio communication facilities must provide space for BTS equipment installed under other contracts and antennas operating in the 900 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency bands (GSM-R, FRMCS). Facility equipment should be installed in communication containers or outdoor communication cabinets, except for equipment mounted on communication towers. Power supply and cooling equipment installed in communication facilities must additionally consider a 2 kW (48V DC) power reserve. Facilities need to be equipped with remote transmission systems and necessary supporting systems for normal operation, along with essential optical communication and power connections. They must also meet the passage requirements for maintenance vehicles (weighing no more than 3.5 tons), allowing the use of technical roads. Outdoor installed equipment must be capable of normal operation within an ambient temperature range of -35°C to +55°C.

Companies that submitted bids include: Havac from Warsaw; a consortium of SPC-2 and Alusta from Poznań; Fonon from Warsaw; Veroservice from Warsaw; ATEM-Polska from Gdynia; Technitel Polska from Zgierz; Towerlink Poland from Warsaw (part of the Cellnex Group); Dominion from Gliwice; and SGK Projekt from Wrocław. PKP PLK noted that price will not be used as an evaluation criterion during the framework agreement signing phase. PKP PLK plans to allocate PLN 735,316,590.48 (including tax) for this contract.

PKP PLK has been implementing ERTMS/GSM-R system infrastructure construction on railway lines since 2018. Under this project, the original plan was to build a modern GSM-R railway radio communication system on nearly 14,000 railway lines by 2023, which would lay the foundation for the future implementation of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The project was originally scheduled for completion in 2023 but failed to meet this timeline due to disagreements between the tendering party and contractors. Last December, PKP PLK concluded mediation and reached a settlement with the GSM-R system contractor—a consortium of Nokia Solutions and Networks (lead), Fonon (a Wasko subsidiary), and SPC-2. Both parties agreed that all work under the contract should be completed within 34 months from the date of signing the settlement agreement. The revised contract value was set at nearly PLN 2.428 billion (including tax), with over PLN 825 million (including tax) allocated to Comprerum subsidiary SPC-2, nearly PLN 600 million to Fonon, and the remainder as compensation for Nokia Solutions and Networks.