Warsaw to send Kyiv its old Russian-made metro trains

The Ukrainian capital will get the series-81 trains. To be more precise, it will be 60 cars which make up 10 full sets, all worth over 40 million zlotys. The first one to leave Warsaw is train number 07, which should reach Kyiv already in March. The deal, however, does not mean the end of the Russian trains era in Warsaw, as the city owns 22 such vehicles, composed of 132 cars with varying production dates.

Warsaw City Hall says the Ukrainian side will receive the series-81 trains free of charge, but it will be on Poland's neighbors to organize the transport of the vehicles. Before the trains depart for Kyiv, they will be stripped of SOP sensors (speed-limiting system - edit.), event recorders, radio communication and other devices that are not used in the Kyiv metro. Mirrors and electric current collectors (from the third rail) will also be removed so they are not damaged during transport.

All cars that are being prepared for transport have been issued valid certificates of technical efficiency. They have all been overhauled between 2017-2022. The trains have travelled between 1.18 million and 2.43 million kilometres.

The series-81 trains were being produced for Warsaw since 1989. They have served Warsaw residents since the opening of the first line, and even a bit earlier than that during open days show rides. The first one to go en route from Wilanowska station to Politechnika was train number 03. It was composed of three cars numbers 005, 406, and 006, and the inaugural ride took place on April 7, 1995.

During winter seasons the veteran series-81 sets would be changed into Christmas cars - in recent years those were sets number 10 and 13. The old cars were also used on multiple occasions in fire service and anti-terrorist units practice - both at the stations and inside the tunnels.

"As these cars are to be sent to Kyiv soon, the Warsaw Metro plans to invite everyone to take part in the last, farewell ride on the number 07 set," Warsaw City Hall spokesperson Monika Beuth said in a statement. "Number seven" is the first train selected for transport. The cars, which the set is composed of, were build between 1994-1997.

At the same time, the Warsaw Metro announced that yet another, tenth, train produced in Czech Republic by Skoda has been delivered to the Kabaty depot.