Newag Impuls 2 (EN97)

Updated: August 2026 – Second generation, same family, new class code: the Impuls 2 continues what Newag began with the first Impuls generation. For spotters it’s a good example of how modern multiple units are identified less by shape than by markings and system. This page shows you how to go about it.

What is the Newag Impuls 2?

The Impuls 2 is the successor generation of the Impuls multiple-unit family from the Polish manufacturer Newag of Nowy Sącz. These are multi-section electric multiple units for regional services: a walk-through interior throughout, wide doors, a low entrance area and a layout built for fast passenger exchange.

In Poland such vehicles run under class codes beginning with EN. That’s not an arbitrary designation but a statement: E for electric drive, N for local and regional service. Anyone who knows this system can roughly place any Polish multiple unit in seconds – even before knowing the specific build. This scheme was set up by the Polskie Koleje Państwowe and still applies today, even to vehicles of other operators.

Two systems that need to be kept apart

Level	Example	What it says
Manufacturer’s product name	Impuls, Impuls 2, Elf, FLIRT	Vehicle family and generation
PKP class code	EN97, EN76, ED250	Drive type, use, build number
Operator designation	Vehicle number of the transport company	Placement within the fleet concerned
International number	Twelve digits, country code 51	Unambiguous identification of the specimen

The most common mistake is inferring the manufacturer from the class code. That doesn’t work reliably, because class codes are assigned to vehicle series in service. Rely instead on the manufacturer’s logo and product name on the vehicle – these are usually clearly visible on the bodyshell. How the twelve-digit international number is structured and how to read it quickly is explained in the article on the UIC number on the vehicle.

Which modern Polish multiple unit is this?

If you want to build such decision trees systematically, the method is set out in the guide to identifying classes: first features visible from a great distance, then details, and the markings last.

Operational placement

Setting	Chance of a sighting	Why
Regional hub with a modern fleet	high	Core deployment area for new multiple units
Stations with mixed local and long-distance service	high	Different builds directly comparable side by side
Small wayside stations	medium	Short stops, but a quiet setting and clear sightlines
Purely long-distance routes	low	A different world of vehicles
Freight and marshalling yards	very low	Not a deployment area

What else the manufacturer builds

Newag isn’t only active in multiple-unit construction. The company from Nowy Sącz also builds locomotives, and that range is useful for identification: reading the manufacturer’s lettering on a vehicle doesn’t yet tell you whether you’re looking at a locomotive or a multiple unit – for that you need the vehicle type.

This development is typical of the Polish rolling-stock industry over recent decades. Where specialised works once built individual vehicle classes, a few manufacturers today cover a broad range: regional multiple units, long-distance trains, locomotives and sometimes trams too. For spotters that means manufacturer names say less about the vehicle type than they used to.

That makes the Polish coding system all the more important. It answers exactly the question the manufacturer’s name leaves open: what drives the vehicle, and what is it built for? Anyone who combines both levels of information – manufacturer from the markings, vehicle type from the code – can reliably place even unfamiliar Polish vehicles.

Photo tips and documentation

For vehicles whose generations look alike externally, the photo isn’t just a picture, it’s evidence. That should shape your composition.

The technical fundamentals for sharp train photos are in the guide to good photos of trains. And because the number matters more than the looks with modern multiple units, a consistently kept sightings logbook is especially worthwhile here.

Common mix-ups

Verdict

The Impuls 2 shows how modern vehicle identification has changed: it’s not the silhouette that decides, but the system. Class codes supply the drive type and use, manufacturer information the family, the vehicle number the specimen. Worth comparing are the first generation Impuls, the competing product PESA Elf 2, the long-distance side with the ED160 on a FLIRT base, and the manufacturer’s locomotive side with the Newag Griffin.