By rosebell
In order to advancing the excavation of a new high-speed rail tunnel in Łódź to a consortium led by Porr, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) has concluded the contract.
Linking Warsaw and the CPK Airport with Łódź by 2032, this tunnel is part of the strategic Line 85 and extend to Wrocław and Poznań by 2035 and the scheduled date for commencing the onstruction is later this year.
Including all essential infrastructure, the winning bid with PLN1.761bn (€410m) value covers the section between the Retkinia and Fabryczna chambers. It received the highest evaluation based on price (70%) and team experience (30%).
As the longest and widest single-bore railway tunnel ever constructed in Poland, this 4.6km tunnel is going to be bored using a TBM with a diameter of almost 14m and will accommodate two tracks for trains travelling in both directions at up to 160km/h. While passing beneath Łódź’s dense urban fabric, this route is demanding high safety and engineering standards.
Considering that thanks to this project trains are due to travel at up to 350km/h, journey times between key cities will be reduced and a boost to the Łódź region is slated to be provided, this investment marks a major step in creating Poland’s first true high-speed rail network. The project is closely co-ordinated with the PKP PLK agglomeration tunnel, which will enhance local connections within the city.
In December 2024 the tender process, which is one of the largest in CPK’s history, was started and the procurement documentation ran to around 2,000 documents, and the company received over1,000 questions from bidders.
According to CPK CEO Dr Filip Czernicki: “One of the company’s key tasks is to construct the high-speed rail tunnel beneath the centre of Łódź while ensuring maximum safety for residents. The additional technical assessments of buildings along the tunnel route, which we have commissioned, demonstrate that we are approaching this demanding project responsibly and in line with the highest execution standards.”
With the aim of ensuring structural safety, CPK has ordered detailed technical inspections of buildings along the tunnel route and contracted Albraco to perform 70 additional analyses, whereas they will include diagnostics, safety assessments, and protection or repair recommendations.
Preparations for construction are under way. Foundation strengthening of the Łódź Cultural Centre is on track, with Keller Polska handling restoration works. Budimex is expected to complete the Retkinia launch chamber in May and work on the Fabryczna reception chamber is under way in two stages.
Being intended for long-distance and high-speed trains, the CPK tunnel with stops at Łódź Fabryczna is going to surface near Retkinia, joining existing Line No. 14 and continuing west toward Sieradz, where it will split toward Poznań and Wrocław.
As a key element of CPK’s integrated transport system, the high-speed railway involves the airport, high-speed rail, and road networks being developing simultaneously. The determined date for inaugurating CPK is 2032 and it will serve as Poland’s new central airport.
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