Funding from the European Union has supported the modernisation of railway line 226 in northern Poland, which runs from Pruszcz Gdański to Port Północny (or northern port) at Gdańsk and is used for freight operations. The total length of track covered by the investment is 11 kilometres.
- 31 March 2017
Upgrades to line 226 carried out under the project include construction of buildings and engineering structures, in particular a new bridge. Track systems at Gdańsk Olszynka railway station are also being modernised.
In addition, the work comprises improvements to adjacent sections of railway lines 721, which runs from Gdańsk Południowy to Motława Most, 846 from Wisła Most to Gdańsk Grobla, and 965 from Wisła Most to Gdańsk Kanał Kaszubski.
Greater access to the Port of Gdańsk and better links across the Martwa Wisła
Just under EUR 70 million has been invested in the upgrades, with EU co-financing of around EUR 35 million of the total investment. The project’s main objective is to improve the railway access to the Port of Gdańsk and to transport links across the Martwa Wisła river.
A branch of the Vistula, the Martwa Wisła flows through the city of Gdańsk. It doubles as a harbour channel for the Inner Port of Gdańsk port, where the cargo handling and storage services, the container and ferry terminals, and the phosphates, liquid and bulk sulphur, and the fruit-handling terminals are all located.
The existing bridge over the Martwa Wisła was demolished and replaced with a new one. Infrastructure compatible with the requirements of the European Rail Traffic Management System's European Train Control System (ETCS) was also installed. ETCS provides signalling information to drivers and track-to-train data transmission to ensure that trains operate safely at all times.
Strengthening the Baltic-Adriatic transport corridor
The project strengthens connections between the Port of Gdańsk and Poland’s E65 high-speed railway line, both of which form part of the Baltic-Adriatic Core Network Corridor within the Trans-European Transport Network. It also includes installation of eight ecological corridors which help to connect wildlife populations that would otherwise be separated by the railway.
Maximum speeds on the upgraded line will increase to 100 km/h, thereby shortening journey times by approximately 55 %. As of 2017, this should help to increase the volume of goods passing through the Port of Gdańsk by 70 000 tonnes each year. Furthermore, it should increase the throughput of the railway line by 150 trains each way a day.
Other benefits from the project include improved transit transport between the EU and neighbouring countries and greater interoperability between railways in Poland and those in other European countries. This should ease access to Polish railway infrastructure for operators from elsewhere.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Projekt poprawy dostępu kolejowego do Portu Gdańsk (most + dwutorowa linia kolejowa) - Faza II” is EUR 69 956 373, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 35 048 712 through the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.