EU agrees €64 million to fund plan for Poland’s high-speed rail project

Mike Hayes Consultant Editor, Construction Europe / KHL Content Studio

30 June 2023

The European Commission (EC) has announced the allocation of approximately €64 million in funding to developer Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) for the planning phase of a high-speed railway (HSR) line between Warsaw and Łódź.

Design work is already well advanced for the HSR line between Warsaw and Łódź. Image: CPK

The financial support comes under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which aims to bolster European transport infrastructure policy.

CPK, the state-owned company responsible for the development of the Central Transport Hub in Poland, has revealed that the estimated total cost of the planning project is around €78 million, with 85% of this amount (€64 million) being funded by the European Union.

Once completed, the HSR line will enable trains to reach speeds of up to 250kmh in the initial phase, with the potential to increase to 350kmh in the future.

This enhanced connectivity will significantly reduce travel time between Warsaw and Łódź, with commuters being able to reach the CPK airport from Warsaw in just 15 minutes.

Marcin Horała, Poland’s deputy minister of funds and regional policy, said, “The CPK airport, together with the new HSR line between Warsaw and Łódź, is an important part of the TEN-T, the EU’s strategic transport infrastructure.

“It is very good news that the European Commission has consistently prioritised its co-funding from Community funds.”

The Warsaw-Łódź HSR line is an extension of the TEN-T network policy, specifically the North Sea-Baltic corridor, which is scheduled to be completed by 2030. This project aligns with the European Commission’s sustainable and smart mobility strategy, which aims to achieve a fully operational, multimodal Trans-European Transport Network by 2050.