In March, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK) has signed several Kolej Plus contracts in Lesser Poland Voivodeship and Lower Silesia Region which are estimated at PLN 1.34 billion (EUR 283.34 million).
On 20 March, the Polish rail infrastructure manager and the Marshal’s Office of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Małopolska) signed two contracts that will allow the release of the tenders for the construction of two rail lines which will improve the rail connection between Olkusz and Krakow. PLN 540 million (EUR 114.2 million) is the estimated value of the two projects.
A PLN 324 million (EUR 68.5 million) investment covers the construction of a 6 km single-track line between Podgrabie Wisła and Niepołomice bus stop and three new stops in Niepołomice adapted to passengers with reduced mobility. The section will allow trains to run at up to 80 km/h and towards Krakow, journey time is estimated at about 30 minutes.
The second project, estimated at PLN 217 million (EUR 45.9 million) covers the cosntruction of a 4 km double-track electrified section between Borowa Górka – Pieczyska in Jaworzno, in Silesian Voivodeship and the construction of one stop. The section will be constructed between the railway lines No. 156 and No. 133, which provides connection with Krakow Central Station and will eliminate trains’ need to change direction at the station in Jaworzno Szczakowa. The journey from the Krakow to Olkusz (40 km north-west Krakow) will be shorter by about a 15 minutes. The residents of Bukowno (15 km from Olkusz) located on the route will also benefit from a faster connection. The estimated travel time on the section Olkusz – Bukowno – Kraków Central Station is 52 minutes. On this section, trains will also be able to run at up to 80 km/h.
In Małopolska four rail projects have been selected covering 63 km of rail lines, 32 km expected to be constructed and the remaining 40 km will be revitalised.
On 14 March, PKP PLK and the Marshall Office of the Lower Silesia Region signed contracts to implement three projects worth PLN 800 million (EUR 169 million) which will provide improves rail services for Bogatynia and Złotoryja towns and connection to Wrocław. The agreements will allow authorities to launch preparation documentation tenders for stations’ reconstruction and rail infrastructure revitalisation.
A project covers the integration of Bogatynia town in the rail system after 30 years of closure. The 30 km single-track between Bogatynia and Zgorzelec will be revitalised and adapted to trains traveling at speeds of up to 120 km/h. The journey between the two towns is estimated at 47 minutes, and to Wrocław at to 2 hours and 37 minutes. Eight stations and stops will be reconstructed and adapted to passengers with reduced mobility. PLN 322 million (EUR 68 million) is the value of this project.
The rail route to Złotoryja is currently used only by freight trains and will be adapted to passenger traffic after 20 years of closure. The revitalized line No. 284 Legnica – Złotoryja – Jerzmanice-Zdrój will provide travel speeds of up to 120 km/h. For efficient travel on over 24 km of the route, the track and the modernised traction network will be replaced. It is estimated that trains from Złotoryja to Wrocław will take 1 hour. A new stop will be constructed and the existing stations will be modernised and adapted to passengers with reduced mobility. This project is estimated at PLN 263 million (EUR 55.6 million).
More efficient connections in the Wrocław agglomeration will be provided due to the reconstruction of Wrocław Świebodzki station and the construction of a second track towards Wrocław Muchobór station that will deliver more connections between Wrocław and other three towns. In addition, the Środa Śląska stop will be converted into a terminal train station to be able to start and end services. Thanks to the introduction of new routes between Wrocław and Środa Śląska (32 km west of Wrocław), it will be possible to shorten the travel time from Wrocław to Legnica to 40 minutes for a larger number of trains. The estimated value of the investment amounts to PLN 216 million (EUR 45.7 million).
In Lower Silesian Voivodeship, three projects have been selected covering 60 km of rail sections, 30 km of which need to be modernised and revitalised.
This year, PKP PLK has launched design tender for Kolej Plus contracts in Silesia where seven projects estimated at EUR 420 million will be implemented until 2029, while in Mazovian Voivodeship, the last contract has been signed at the end of October 2022.
Kolej Plus programme includes 34 rail investments submitted by the local and and regional authorities from 11 voivodeships to include towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants into the rail network or to revitalise the existing infrastructure that was closed several decades ago or which currently can’t be used by passenger trains. This strategy will provide rail connections and improved services to more than 1.5 million people through the revitalisation of 315 km of lines (split into 10 projects), reconstruction or extension for a total length of 516 km (split into 14 projects) and the construction of 189 km of new lines under seven projects. In addition, 3 documentation projects concerning 183 km of railway lines have been also selected.
The entire project is expected to be completed in 2029 and worth PLN 13.2 billion (EUR 2.8 billion) the state budget providing PLN 11.2 billion (EUR 2.37 billion), while the local authorities will cover the remaining investment of PLN 2 billion (EUR 422.9 million).
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