A breakthrough for the Łódź railway. CPK signs a contract for a key node

CPK signed an agreement with Multiconsult Polska, which will develop design documentation for a 3-km section of the HSR in Łódź. This is a critical part of the planned line on Retkinia, where the HSR line leaving the tunnel (Line 85) will connect with the existing railway network (Line 14).

The Centralny Port Komunikacyjny press office announced the signing of the CPK contract with Multiconsult Polska on Wednesday. The documentation prepared by Multiconsult Polska is to cover changes to the track system in the area of ​​Retkinia in Łódź, where the long-distance tunnel under Łódź for the High Speed ​​Railway will begin and approximately 3 km of the railway line from Retkinia to the Łódź Lublinek station.

The design assumptions provide for the simplification of the track system of the planned Łódź Retkinia branch station, where the railway lines from Łódź Kaliska and Łódź Chojen meet, and in the future, high-speed trains will leave the surface from the tunnel from Łódź Fabryczna in this area.

The information provided in the CPK announcement shows that “implementation of the project according to the modified assumptions will mean much less interference in the existing infrastructure than indicated in previous plans.”

“Thanks to good investor cooperation with PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe and mutual arrangements, we managed to significantly reduce interference in the existing infrastructure, and thus we will actually reduce construction expenses. Estimated savings are up to PLN 260 million,” said Piotr Rachwalski, member of the management board for railways at Centralny Port Komunikacyjny.

According to a statement from CPK, the value of the contract is over PLN 58.5 million gross, and for this money Multiconsult Polska is to “develop design documentation along with technical support for the construction of a long-distance tunnel in Łódź along railway line No. 85, including the inclusion of a section of the Łódź Retkinia branch station in railway line No. 14, along with obtaining the necessary administrative decisions, permits and arrangements.”

Thanks to the changes introduced in the design assumptions, the impact of the construction of the HSR on the Łódź Retkinia PKP stop will be minimal, which will make it possible for residents to use it during construction. Earlier plans included the demolition of the station.

According to CPK, moving the tracks of railway line No. 85 from the southern to the northern side of the Łódź Lublinek station will avoid collisions with the recently expanded Łódź Lublinek traction substation and will significantly shorten the length of the planned railway flyover over the S14 expressway passing on the western side of Łódź.

Additionally, it will be possible to create a reserve of land for a possible new stop: Łódź Smulsko/Popiełuszki, which is included in the investment plans of PLK.

The construction of the section of railway line No. 85 Warsaw-Łódź in Łódź is the most advanced part of the High-Speed ​​Railway network being built in Poland. The so-called “Y” railway line will connect four of the five largest cities in Poland. In 2032 – simultaneously with the opening of the Port Polska – the section between Warsaw and Łódź is to be made available, and the entire 480-kilometer “Y” line from Warsaw through the CPK airport and Łódź to Poznań and Wrocław is to be put into operation in 2035. (PAP)

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