Lee Yong-bae, CEO of Hyundai Rotem, met with executives from the Polish railway vehicle manufacturer Newag to discuss continued collaboration. Through this, Hyundai Rotem aims to deepen its partnership with local manufacturers and explore additional opportunities in railway projects, including the high-speed rail for Poland’s new airport.
According to foreign media outlets such as Newag and DTS24, on April 14, CEO Lee welcomed Zbigniew Konieczek, CEO of Newag, and Józef Michalik, Vice President, at Hyundai Rotem’s headquarters in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. The meeting was also attended by Kim Jung-hoon, Executive Vice President and Head of the Rail Solutions Division, and Lee Won-sang, Senior Vice President and Head of the Rail Solutions R&D Center.
The two companies discussed cooperation on Polish railway projects. In September 2023, they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the international railway exhibition TRAKO (Transport Kolejowy) in Gdańsk, Poland, and continued their discussions at InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin the following year. Through these ongoing exchanges, they are working to formalize plans for contributing to the development of Poland’s railway infrastructure.
Shortly after the meeting, Newag shared on its official Facebook page: “We visited Korea at the invitation of Hyundai Rotem to continue the dialogue that began at InnoTrans. The first day’s meeting was highly successful, with meaningful discussions on new collaboration opportunities.” The company added, “Further meetings and discussions for cooperation are expected to continue,” expressing optimism about their future partnership.
Hyundai Rotem entered the Polish market in June 2019 after winning a contract worth approximately $250 million to supply 123 trams to Tramwaje Warszawskie, the tram operator in Warsaw. Delivery of the initial batch began in July 2021, and the company completed the deliveries by the end of last year. Additionally, Hyundai Rotem signed a 15-year maintenance contract, providing after-sales support, including parts supply and staff training.
Having proven its technical and cost competitiveness, Hyundai Rotem is aiming to secure additional orders. The company is considered a strong candidate for a new tender issued in February by Tramwaje Warszawskie for up to 160 additional trams. Moreover, Hyundai Rotem is also seeking to participate in a large-scale high-speed rail project that will connect Poland’s new airport to major cities across a total of 1,243 miles.
The new airport high-speed rail project also has the support of both governments. In July 2023, during a summit, the governments of South Korea and Poland agreed to support the participation of outstanding South Korean companies in the Polish airport railway project. At that time, South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport signed an MOU with Poland’s Ministry of Infrastructure to promote cooperation in transportation infrastructure development.
