#KolejNaPolske. Agreement on high-speed lines Warsaw – CPK – Łódź signed
Centralny Port Komunikacyjny concluded an agreement for preparatory works for the construction of the first High-Speed Rail section. At the first stage, the trains between Warsaw, the CPK and Łódź will run at a speed of up to 250 km/h. The next sections of railway “spokes”, which will supplement the existing network and shorten travel times for all passengers from Poland, are already under preparation.
Today, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Government Plenipotentiary for the CPK Marcin Horała and President of the CPK company Mikołaj Wild have presented the current, advanced status of preparations for construction of the so-called spokes, i.e. CPK railway lines. It took place at a press conference at the Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West) station, which is modernised by PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe, and where the High-Speed Rail (HSR) line leading towards the CPK, Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław will start.
The first implementation agreement concluded today is one of many we will sign within the next weeks, preparing a new transport system of Poland, the heart of which will be the CPK. Thanks to the CPK railway investments, the investment attractiveness of Warsaw, Łódź and many other cities and regions will grow radically. Residents will be able to travel quickly and conveniently to most cities in Poland
The agreement signed today refers to preparatory works for almost 140-kilometre section: Warsaw – CPK – Łódź. The programme assumes that the high-speed line between Warszawa Zachodnia and Łódź Fabryczna will be launched simultaneously with the CPK Airport, i.e. in 2027.
Thanks to this investment, passengers will arrive at the new airport: from Warsaw in approx. 15 minutes, from Łódź in approx. half an hour, and from Warsawto Łódź in approx. 45 minutes (almost twice as fast as currently). Trains with passengers will run at a speed of up to 250 km/h. The CPK company’s design assumptions will enable it to increase in the future up to 350 km/h – if required.
This is a historic moment. Together with the contractor, we will prepare a Feasibility Study (STEŚ) for the first HSR line in Poland. The planned line will provide passengers with comfortable access to the CPK Airport and, at the same time, will reconnect Łódź and Warsaw, reducing the travel time between these cities by half. A new chapter in the history of transport of the Republic of Poland begins
The so-called Feasibility Study (STEŚ) for the CPK company will be prepared by a consortium of companies: IDOM, Multiconsult, Transprojekt Gdański and Arcadis. The contractor will have approx. 10 months to complete the works, including, among others, routing analyses, as well as specialised studies: technical environmental and economic.
We are glad to be part of this ambitious undertaking. It is particularly satisfactory for us that this is another step in the preparation for this investment, following the feasibility study of the high-speed rail developed by IDOM in 2010-2013, which brings us to significant changes in the network of railway lines in Poland
The final effect of the agreement will be to indicate the recommended route of the railway line between Warsaw and Łódź within the scope necessary to carry out investment activities. Preparation of the STEŚ is another step on the way to obtain the required permits and to begin construction works.
Subsequently, the new route Warsaw-Łódź will be extended. Thanks to this, a fast railway connection will be established between Warsaw, the CPK, Łódź and Wrocław and Poznań, the concept of which, due to its shape, is referred to as the “Y”.
In Mazowsze, there will be a total of approx. 344 km of new railway lines, the investor of which is the CPK company, and the next – approx. 654 km – will be modernised by PKP PLK. In the Łódzkie voivodeship approx. 219 km of new railway lines will be constructed and approx. 305 km will be modernised.
In total, in the course of preparatory works, there are already approx. 743 km of new CPK railway lines. During the last days, the company indicated contractors of sixout of eight tenders for the so-called STEŚ. At the same time, the CPK expects the selection of tenders in the procedures for the contractor of preparatory works for the CPK node, as well as the building permit design for the long-distance CPK tunnel (for trains running from the side of Warsaw and the CPK it will start at the same point as the agglomeration and regional tunnel currently drilled by PKP PLK – at the Łódź Fabryczna station), to become legally valid.
The scope of works and their progress, the adopted programmes and details of the tasks prepared, including, among others, the assumed travel times and benefits for passengers, can be tracked on the www.kolejnapolske.pl website launched today and in social media under the #KolejNaPolske hashtag.
The railway investments of the CPK are almost 1800 km of new lines in total (plus approx. 200 km within the railway node in the area of the CPK Airport). The CPK Railway Programme consists of a total of 12 railway routes, including 10 so-called spokes running from various regions of Poland to Warsaw and the CPK. In total, there are 30 investment tasks, the investor of which is the CPK company.
