Modernisation of the railway line between Poland’s capital, Warsaw and its third largest city, Łódź is being completed with the help of EU funding. The remaining upgrades should increase maximum speeds and axle loads for trains.
- 29 November 2017
An important part of the project is the construction of a local steering centre for the Warsaw-Łódź railway in the town of Skierniewice. In addition, the work entails changes to the track system at Skierniewice station.
The project also includes the delivery, installation and start-up of the train control infrastructure in line with the requirements of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), as well as the construction of a road viaduct over the railway.
Extensive EU financing
Close to EUR 60 million is being invested in the remaining upgrades, around EUR 26.2 million of which is provided through EU co-financing. The project represents an important contribution to the strengthening of the multimodal transport infrastructure as part of the development of the Trans-European Transport Network. It should help to achieve a key priority of making transport more sustainable, as well as removing bottlenecks in network infrastructure.
The Warsaw to Łódź line runs through Poland’s Mazowieckie and Łódzkie regions. Skierniewice, where the local steering centre is situated, is a town of some 50 000 inhabitants, almost equidistant between the two major cities. It is located in the Łódzkie region, close to the border with Mazowieckie.
Construction of the steering centre aims to improve the steering of trains in the section of track between the stations of Żyrardów, a town of just over 40 000 people 45 kilometres west of Warsaw, and Koluszki, a major railway junction 20 kilometres east of Łódź. The track controlled by the local steering centre is 59 kilometres long.
Better infrastructure on several lines
As well as the Warsaw to Łódź line, improvements to the track system at Skierniewice station also benefit railway lines 11, from Skierniewice to Łowicz Główny, 12, from Skierniewice to Łuków, 529, from Miedniewice to Skierniewice, and 530, from Skierniewice Park to Skierniewka.
The length of track fitted with ERTMS infrastructure totals 62 kilometres and, along with the Warsaw-Łódź line, includes line 17 from Łódź Fabryczna to Koluszki. This infrastructure includes the European Train Control System for on-board control and GSM-R mobile communications equipment.
Modernisation raises the maximum speed on the Warsaw-Łódź line to 160 km/h for passenger traffic, and increases the maximum axle load to 22.5 tonnes on lines 11, 12, 529 and 530.
Improvements to road infrastructure are also part of the work, with a viaduct built over the railway as part of national road 72. This road runs from the city of Konin around 100 kilometres north-east of Łódź, via Łódź, to Rawa Mazowiecka, near European Highway E67, known as the Via Baltica which links Prague with Helsinki.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Modernisation of the railway line Warszawa – Łódź, stage II, Lot C – remaining works, Phase II” is EUR 59 595 859, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 26 254 037 through the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.