Programme of high speed rail construction to be implemented in Poland is a core element in restructuring the Polish railway system in order to modernise it and include it into the European railway network. Apart from bringing the biggest Polish urban complexes close together, improving the cohesion of the country and the economic cooperation between the regions, it sets forth the idea of drawing up international high speed connections to Central Europe in the framework of TEN-T projects.
Polish railway network belongs to the most backward ones in terms of technology in Europe. Last developments date back in the 19th century, in the times of Poland’s partition. For more than 25 years no new railway line has been built. The density of the railway system is also one of the lowest in the Central European countries (64 km of lines/100 km² compared to 120 in Germany and 101 in Czech Republic). Due to such conditions, travels are of poor quality and the journey times are very long, especially from the capital city of Warsaw to Wroclaw. Lodz junction poses a developmental barrier in the railway connection between east-west and north-south parts. According to European standards, Warsaw ought to be accessible from the biggest agglomerations in Poland located at approximately 300 km distance within 90 minutes. To meet these demands of the 21st century it is necessary to construct high speed railway that would enable travelling between the biggest agglomerations in Poland at the average speed of 200 km/h.
Polish Government resolution in December 2008 adopted the trans-regional strategy for construction and launching of high speed railway transport system on the territory of Poland, with the objective to launch transport operations no later than 2020. Until 2020, the high speed railway network in Poland will consist of new Warsaw-Lodz-Poznan/Wroclaw line and modernised E65 South Line (Central Trunk Line) to reach high speed railway parameters from Warsaw to Katowice and Krakow with a possible extension to the Czech and Slovak borders. Feasibility studies are to be completed by 2012, while the construction works are scheduled starting 2014.
HSL Warsaw-Lodz-Poznan/Wroclaw
HSL Warsaw-Lodz-Poznan/Wroclaw will have a length of 450km with trains running at the maximum speed of 350 km/h. Journey times will be significantly reduced: passengers will travel from Warsaw to Lodz in no more than 35 minutes (compared to today’s 1h30min), from Warsaw to Poznan in 1h35min (compared to 3h) and from Warsaw to Wroclaw in 1h40min (compared to 5h).
Feasibility studies also take into account the reconstruction of the most important junctions: Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw and Lodz. One of the most ambitious projects is the construction of the cross-city tunnel in Lodz to link two railway stations without any direct connection, resulting from a historical split of the Lodz railway junction into the Lodz Kaliska and Fabryczna. The cross-city tunnel concept was revised in 2002 as part of the proposed HSL Warsaw-Lodz-Poznan/Wroclaw. Its construction is economically justified, provided the effective inclusion of the city of Lodz into the new HSL project. Several conditions have to be accomplished such as the construction of the cross-city line in a tunnel running via Lodz, the construction of the interregional junction at the crossing of the Warsaw-Lodz-Poznan/Wroclaw railway line and the NS railway line Gdansk-Bydgoszcz-Torun-Kutno-Piotrkow-Radomsko-Czestchowa-Slasko-Dabrowski Region and facilitating the access of more than 1.2 million people to the new railway station in Lodz. The new high speed line will allow international connections between Warsaw and Berlin, Warsaw and Dresden and Warsaw and Prague.
Modernising E65 South Line
Further works include the modernisation of Central Main Line to reach speeds of up to 250 km/h. Railway stations are to be restructured in Warsaw and Katowice. Linking the Central Main Line with the new HSL shall enable launching further high speed connections between Malopolska (Krakow) and Wielkopolska (Poznan) and Western Pomerania (Szczecin) via Lodz.
The feasibility study carried out between 2009 and 2012 is taking into account the extension of CMK lines and modernisation of existing lines to Katowice and Krakow, as well as the lines towards Polish-Czech and Polish-Slovak borders.
The “Master plan for railways to 2030” considers additional analysis in a 30-year perspective, in order to ensure a coherent railway system to connect municipal agglomerations in Poland.
The Polish project brings new challenge to the European community regarding interconnectivity and integration of HS networks. It is a great challenge for Poland itself, mainly due to infrastructure modernisation works, complex scheme of financing and the necessity to address regulation changes. “Radical actions are needed in order to fulfil requirements of EU sustainable development policy and to restore the importance of Polish railway transport”, concluded a study on the state of Polish railways which boasted planned investment and strategy of development to reach synergy effect.
by Delia Lazăr
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