CPK has signed the second of three construction contracts for its most advanced railway project. The over 4-kilometre HSR tunnel in Lódz is a key element of the "Y", a route designed to connect Warsaw with Lódz, Poznan and Wroclaw.
CPK plans to complete the construction of the tunnel simultaneously with the launch of the first stage of the CPK airport.
The construction of the CPK long-distance tunnel in Lódz has been divided into?three parts. The first one, which began in September 2023, included work aimed at strengthening the foundations of the?Lódz Cultural Centre (LDK). This investment is being carried out by Keller Polska.
The route lies directly under LDK – on the western side of the Lódz Fabryczna railway station – where the HSR tunnel will begin.
CPK has signed a contract for the second stage, i.e. the construction of the chambers?for the tunnel boring machines (TBM) launch at Retkinia and exit portal near LDK.
The contract was concluded with Budimex and its value is approx. EUR 34 million. The third stage of the investment is the drilling of?the?CPK railway?tunnel.
Marcin Horala, Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy, Government Plenipotentiary for CPK said:
‘’Our predecessors made the fateful decision in 2011 where the preparations for the construction of a high-speed line connecting Warsaw, Lódz and Sieradz with Wroclaw and Poznan were suspended. No one can give this time back to the residents. That is why it is only today – thanks to the CPK investments – that the construction of the Y-shaped railway route can begin.
The contract for the long-distance tunnel in Lódz, which we are signing today, is a historic moment for Lódz. The construction of the tunnel designed to connect Lódz and the CPK airport as part of the designed High-Speed Rail system is starting’’.
The tunnel is intended for?long-distance trains, especially the HSR ones. In Lódz, high-speed trains will stop at the Lódz Fabryczna station. The tunnel is planned to exit south-west of?Lódz Kaliska, in the vicinity of the?Retkinia housing estate?and the existing railway line no. 14. The route continues westwards towards?Sieradz, where it forks in the direction of?Poznan and Wroclaw.
The CPK railway investment in Lódz is part of the?North Sea – Baltic Sea?corridor, being a part of the TEN-T core network, which means it is an element of the?trans-European transport network.
