This year's Gala of the 16th TRAKO International Railway Fair in Gdańsk was an extraordinary event, especially for the special anniversaries: 200 years of railways in the world and 100 years of the Polish State Railways (PKP). In an atmosphere of great passion and mutual respect, the industry celebrated its greatest successes, recognizing the companies, institutions, and people who build the modern face of Polish railways every day.
The gala was an opportunity to summarize the achievements of the past year, exchange inspirations and – most importantly – present the most prestigious awards in the industry.
On stage, under spotlights and accompanied by music, the hosts recalled the crucial role railways play in the development of societies, connecting people, regions, and economies. Celebrating these anniversaries together is not only a tribute to history, but above all, an inspiration for the further development of rail transport in Poland and Europe. After the official speeches and acknowledgements, it was time for the highlight of the evening – the announcement of TRAKO 2025 competition winners.
The competition is organized by the Association for Interoperability and Development of Rail Transport and ASTE Sp. z o.o. in cooperation with TRAKO International Railway Fair. In the 6th edition of this competition, equal main prizes were won by: HellermannTyton Sp. z o.o., Koleje Wielkopolskie Sp. z o.o., and KZN CONTRACK Grupa KZN Bieżanów.
A special award was presented to PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe SA for initiating and consistently implementing the "Safe Crossing" campaign together with its partners. Surprisingly, a second special award was presented during the gala. It went to the TRAKO organizing team from the Gdańsk International Fair.
Awards were given to: El-Cab Sp. z o.o., Kombud Group SA, MMR Group Sp. z o.o., PKP Intercity SA and Stadler Polska Sp. z o.o.
Medal of the President of the Association of Polish Electrical Engineers, the competition is organized by the Association of Polish Electrical Engineers
The awards were given to: – ETA Gliwice Sp. z o. o. for the Zero-Emission Crossing Signal System “Zielony Przejazd” type EZP-1 – MONAT Spółka z o. o. for the Traffic Offence Detection and Registration Module (TVIP-1M and TVIP-2M systems)
The competition is organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Public Transport. In the "Rolling Stock Parts, Components and Equipment" category, the award was received by MEDCOM Sp. z o. o. for its innovative FCEC-125 SiC fuel cell converter.
In the "Infrastructure" category, the award was given to Zakład Automatyki i Aparateń Pomiarowych AREX Sp. z o. o. for its 500 kW DC/DC converter station (PV-traction).
The distinction was awarded to Elester Sp. z o. o. for the KSO2 Cable Control System for Traction Network Disconnectors.
The Prof. Czesław Jaworski Award is organized by the National Board of the Association of Communication Engineers and Technicians of the Republic of Poland. In the "Railway Traffic Control Devices" category, Kombud triumphed for its digital LED semaphore with LEU, adapted to work with the EULYNX interface.
In the “Infrastructure” category – Arex Automation and Devices Plant for the SEMSRail intelligent energy management system.
In the “Vehicles” category – PESA Bydgoszcz SA for the GAMA 3.0 generation of locomotives.
Awards were given to: Alstom Polska SA, Elester Sp. z o.o., PGE Energetyka Kolejowa SA, Kuca Sp. z o.o.
Ernest Malinowski Award competition organized by the TRAKO Trade Fair Program Council. In the "Rolling Stock and Its Components" category, the winner was MEDCOM Sp. z o. o. for the PSM-200W-AC SiC 3UIC multi-system static converter.
In the “IT and Telematics Systems” category, the award went to PGE Energetyka Kolejowa for SENSUM – an eco-driving system for railways (Driver Advisory System).
Honorable Mention: VOITH SE & CO. KG VTA for the CargoFlex Hybrid Automatic Digital Coupler.
The Award of Engineer Józef Nowkuński, a competition organized by TRAKO Trade Fair Program Council. In the category "Completed linear and building investments", the award went to KZN CONTRACK Grupa KZN Bieżanów for the renovation of the track and turnout system at Plac Zawiszy in Warsaw using CONTRACK technology.
In the "Infrastructure Innovations" category – Pixel Sp. z o. o. for its e-paper passenger information system.
Honorable mentions were awarded to: Kyosan Electric Manufacturing for the 2D Laser system for detecting obstacles at level crossings and Track Tec SA for the Condition Monitoring System (CMS) for turnouts.
Jan Raczyński Media Award The competition is organized by the Gdańsk International Fair. The main prizes were awarded to: Łukasz Pawłowski and Bartłomiej Pomianowski "Train to Greater Poland".
Honorable Mentions: Łukasz Kijek, Emilia Derewienko and Wiktor Kazanecki.
The following competitions remain to be decided: the World of Small Railway, the Professor Henryk Bałuch Award, and the most attractive exhibition at the fair. The winners will be announced during the special awards ceremony, "Little Gala," on Thursday at 12:15 PM in the Conference Center, Room 4. Prizes will also be awarded to winners in all categories.
Congratulations to all the winners and honorable mentions – their achievements are an inspiration to the entire railway industry and proof that Polish railways are constantly developing while maintaining their best traditions.
