PKP PLK ends cooperation with the contractor of the tunnel in Łódź. Indicates “numerous errors”
The company's president, Piotr Wyborski, announced PKP PLK's decision on Wednesday in Łódź. He explained that the decision to withdraw from the contract with the contractor was dictated by “the safety of residents, concern for the properties on the tunnel construction route and the need to ensure stable and professional implementation of the infrastructure project that is crucial for Łódź and the national railway system.” PKP PLK announces the announcement of a tender to complete the works as soon as possible.
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PKP PLK about the tunnel contractor: numerous construction errors
The cross-city tunnel under Łódź is to be 7.5 km long. It will connect the Łódź Fabryczna station with Łódź Kaliska and Żabieniec station. However, since September 2024, work related to drilling it has been at a standstill, after the passage under al. On May 1, part of the tenement house directly above the tunnel collapsed.
The contractor of the investment was Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Dróg i Mostów (PBDiM) from Mińsk Mazowiecki. PKP PLK emphasized that in recent months they had been conducting mediations with the company regarding the resumption of works, but little resulted.
“Despite the commitment of the ordering party and numerous supporting activities, the contractor was unable to overcome organizational, financial and technical problems. An in-depth analysis of contract materials, technical documentation, findings of the Contract Engineer and opinions of independent experts showed that PBDiM is unable to continue the investment in accordance with the contract,” the company explained.
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Numerous workmanship errors were recorded while drilling the tunnel. But that's not all – warning signals, including sudden pressure drops and ground deformations – according to PKP PLK – were not properly analyzed by the contractor. “This led to a series of geotechnical incidents, which culminated in a construction disaster on September 6-7, 2024, when part of the annex at ul. 1 Maja 23 collapsed,” the company added.
PKP PLK's reservations also concerned the design documentation. According to the company, for years the contractor had failed to develop full technical designs necessary to continue construction, and the documentation was provided fragmentarily, without industry coordination and in a manner inconsistent with the concluded contract.
The communication from the railway infrastructure manager emphasized that tunnel drilling was carried out with “extremely low efficiency”, and additionally, during the execution of the contract, the contractor lost financial liquidity, which led to subcontractors submitting applications for direct payments en masse.
PKP PLK announced that the inventory and security of the construction site will begin soon. It was added that a tender for the completion of the investment would be announced as soon as possible.
The contract for the construction of a cross-city tunnel in Łódź was concluded in 2017, and the actual construction and drilling works began in August 2019. The investment was originally supposed to be completed in 2021.
