A project to revitalise railway line No 18 Kutno – Piła on a 51 km section between Toruń and Bydgoszcz in northern Poland literally brings services up to speed while making train travel a more attractive proposition.
- 17 June 2015
The aim of this investment was to restore the line to its original technical parameters, which meant ensuring that passenger trains could achieve a maximum speed of 120 km/hour and freight trains a speed of 100 km/hour. The restoration work also ensured that the line could cope with axle loads of 206 kN.
From road to rail
In addition to reducing journey times, the revamp also improves the line’s capacity while increasing travel comfort and service quality for passengers. In the long-run this will help make train travel in the area a more practical option and encourage people to leave the car at home.
The main beneficiaries of the project are the people living in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region, as well as companies offering rail services along the line. Passenger transport savings along the route are estimated at EUR 2 543 795/year in 2016.
Large-scale improvements
Renovation work included improvements to track sub-grade and structures, turnouts, level-crossings and track crossings, as well as the dismantling of redundant track and associated power supply lines. A viaduct in Toruń, which forms part of national road No 1, was also renovated as part of the scheme. The work did not include renovation of platforms along the route.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Improvement of the quality of transport services by amelioration of the technical condition of the railway line no. 18 Kutno-Piła on the Toruń-Bydgoszcz section” is EUR 53 958 185, of which the EU’s Cohesion Fund is contributing EUR 28 147 327 from the Operational Programme “Infrastructure and Environment” for the 2007 to 2013 programming period. Work falls under the priority “Environment-friendly Transport”.