80 years of railway tradition. From CBK to Łukasiewicz – PIT

The names changed, the scope of activity expanded, but rail vehicles always remained the focus of attention. Their design, testing and certification. The centre on Warszawska Street in Poznań, now part of the Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology, is celebrating its 80th anniversary.    

It all began with a modest design office of Poznań’s HCP in February 1945. The fighting for Poznań was still ongoing, and the office staff began their work by rescuing technical documentation and drawing equipment that the evacuating Germans wanted to take out of the city.

This is where it all started

On 1 September 1945, it was separated from HCP and, as the Central Technical Design Office, became part of the TASKO Railway Rolling Stock Industry Association. It was to serve all of its industrial plants.

One of its first projects was the Ty45 steam locomotive. The office also made a significant contribution to the preparation of the production of the Ty42 and Ty43 steam locomotives. It also designed coal wagons, which were in high demand, as well as other freight wagons. A Research Department was established within the office to solve technical problems and develop new technologies.

In 1950, CBK designed its first electric multiple units, the 1B-2B-1B. The machines and equipment for them were imported. Trams (including the popular 13N model), electric self-propelled freight wagons, diesel locomotives and diesel multiple units were also designed. The 43A carriage for suburban traffic was a major technical achievement for its time.

Passenger carriages manufactured in Poland at that time did not have heating, ventilation, fluorescent lighting or bogies for high speeds – all of which were required by international railway standards. The first carriage to meet the international UIC railway standard was the 104A passenger carriage (1962), designed at CBKPTK.

Among freight wagons, it is worth mentioning the record holder – the 9W open wagon, which was the successor to the 6W and 7W two-axle models, also developed in Poznań. PAFAWAG, the manufacturer, released 36,987 units onto the market by 1970.

Covered wagons (narrow-gauge, standard-gauge and broad-gauge), self-unloading wagons, tank wagons and multi-axle platforms – special wagons designed to transport exceptionally heavy and oversized equipment – were also constructed in Poznań.

Development of research infrastructure

The office continued to develop its activities. From the early 1970s, it expanded its research base – a laboratory, a hall with research stations and prototype workshops were built. In 1973, it was transformed into the Rail Vehicle Research and Development Centre. It provided scientific and research, design and construction, and implementation facilities for diesel and electric locomotives, multiple traction units (electric and diesel), various types of passenger and freight wagons, as well as motor wagons, rail buses and special vehicles. It published its own quarterly magazine, ‘Pojazdy Szynowe’ (Rail Vehicles). In 1975, it employed over 600 people.

Until the fall of communism, the Centre boasted designs for 281 rail vehicles (205 freight carriages, 43 passenger, luggage, mail and heating carriages, 27 locomotives and motor carriages, as well as 6 trams). Almost the entire production of the Polish rolling stock industry was based on design documentation developed at the Poznań Centre.

 From IPS ‘TABOR’ to Łukasiewicz

On 20 April 2000, OBRPS was transformed into the TABOR Railway Vehicle Institute, becoming the only research institute in Poland to comprehensively conduct work on the development, testing and certification of railway vehicles. It was the only institute with full authority to conduct all testing and certification of railway vehicles.

After the establishment of the Łukasiewicz Research Network (1 April 2019), ‘TABOR’ became one of its five institutes in Poznań. At the beginning of 2022, these institutions merged to form Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology.

Today, Łukasiewicz – PIT is involved in the development of rail vehicles – design, automation and simulation testing – carried out by research groups at the Centre for Modern Mobility. The Centre for Laboratory Testing has taken over the mechanical, electrical and environmental testing of these vehicles. Two railway companies have also been spun off: PIT Industry manufactures, among other things, equipment for rail vehicle braking systems, while PIT Certification is responsible for the certification and inspection of these vehicles.