Centralny Port Komunikacyjny selects contractor for Poland’s high-speed railway tunnel

Centralny Port Komunikacyjny selects contractor for construction of Poland’s HSR railway tunnel (Photo: CPK)

The tunnel is part of Line 85, a “Y” shaped route that will connect Warsaw and the CPK Airport with Łódź by 2032, and further extend to Wrocław and Poznań by 2035. Construction is set to begin later this year.

The Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) is a major infrastructure project in Poland that aims to construct a new international airport and develop a nationwide integrated transport network.

The winning bid, valued at PLN 1.761 billion (€396 million), encompasses the section between the Retkinia and Fabryczna chambers, along with all essential infrastructure. Trains will travel at speeds of up to 350 km/h, significantly reducing travel times between key cities and providing a boost to the Łódź region. 

The tender process, one of the largest in CPK’s history, began in December 2024 and involved approximately 2,000 documents. The company received over 1,000 inquiries from bidders. 

The tunnel will be constructed using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) with a diameter of approximately 14 metres and a length of 4.6 km, accommodating two tracks for trains traveling in both directions at speeds of up to 160 km/h. It will be the longest and widest single-bore railway tunnel ever built in Poland.

“One of our key tasks is to construct the high-speed rail tunnel beneath the center of Łódź while ensuring the maximum safety of residents. The additional technical assessments of buildings along the tunnel route, which we have commissioned, demonstrate our commitment to approaching this challenging project responsibly and adhering to the highest execution standards,” says Dr. Filip Czernicki, CEO of CPK.