Double deckers getting longer

When PKP's regional arm, Koleje Mazowieckie (KM) started running the new double deckers from Radom into Warsaw (stopping at all stations) last summer, the trains had but three carriages. Now they have five. Sure sign that these new trains are popular. Whenever I've taken one into town during rush hour, it's been packed. An additional two carriages will be most welcome. Above: The 9:37 from W-wa Jeziorki into town, approaching W-wa Dawidy.

When they arrived on the scene, there was much media consternation with the fact that the new double deckers were too high to fit the local train tunnel running through the middle of Warsaw. So they could only run through the mainline tunnel that runs alongside the local one. Now, the mainline tunnel does not pass the suburban station, W-wa Śródmieście, but runs through the central station, W-wa Centralna. Nor does it stop at W-wa Ochota or W-wa Powiśle (nearest station to my office).

These trains were meant to operate as push-pull sets. When going one way, the driver's in the loco. When going the other way, the loco's in the back pushing, the driver's in the cab at the other end, operating the loco by remote control (like they do in Germany). This does not yet seem to be happening; the loco's always in front.

This time last year:
Railway miscellany