Works at the Łódź Polesie underground stop are at the most advanced stage compared to the other two stops, all part of the cross-city line in Łódź, which involves five tunnels and three new underground passenger stops to be integrated with the city’s public transport system.
At this station, platforms have already been built at a depth of 24 metres, from which passengers will board trains.
Due to its proximity to the city’s largest shopping centre, Manufaktura, the Polesie stop is expected to be used by many travellers and residents of Łódź, making it one of the most important transport hubs in the Łódź agglomeration. The Łódź Polesie underground stop will have three underground levels. Level -1 will serve as a communication hall, with access to trains from the north and south. The technical facilities will be located one floor below, and Level -3 will contain platforms and tracks. Elevators and escalators will provide convenient access to the platforms.
Intensive work is underway at the Łódź Polesie underground stop construction site. Most of the construction work has been completed, including side walls, pillars, and floor slabs. The 150-metre-long platforms, from which passengers will board trains travelling under the city, are already finished. Stairs, elevator shafts, and brick technological rooms are being constructed.
The first finishing elements, including partition walls being built on Level -2, also reflect the advanced stage of the construction.
At the same time, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe is continuing the construction of the Śródmieście and Koziny underground stops
The Łódź Śródmieście stop is located at the intersection of Zielona Street, Zachodnia Street, and Kościuszki Avenue. All conflicts with external infrastructure have been resolved, and a complete set of diaphragm walls has been constructed. Construction work is ongoing, and earth is being excavated from the interior of the stop.
The Łódź Koziny stop is situated at the intersection of Włókniarzy Avenue and Drewnowska Street. It is the largest facility on the Łódź tunnel route, and reinforcement of the lowest level, -3, is in progress. Level -2 is being built with a ceiling, and pillars are being erected to support Level -1.
Work is underway in the excavated single-track tunnels between Koziny, Kaliska, and Żabieniec to construct a concrete track bed. The substructure for 70 cm high tracks has already been completed in three of the five tunnels. Subsequent layers of track surface will then be laid on the completed substructure, incorporating solutions to reduce noise and vibration levels.
Meanwhile, in Żubardzie, beneath a layer of concrete and earth, the chambers where the TBM shields began their work are being filled in. The western chamber, from where Faustyna set off, has already been sealed and covered with soil. At the eastern chamber, from where Katarzyna started, construction is nearing completion. The buildings and the connector between them will serve technical purposes for the tunnel. This is where technical platforms and rooms for railway staff and service personnel will be located.
In November 2024, TBM Faustyna completed its work on boring a single-track tunnel and is being dismantled after several years of operation. The second shield, Katarzyna, encountered ground difficulties while boring under 1 Maja Street. The area beneath the threatened tenement houses was reinforced. At the turn of December and January, ground tests were carried out to assess the scope of additional work needed to secure the buildings in the area affected by the machine’s impact. Work with the shield will not resume until the appropriate safeguards are implemented. After the completion of construction, the tunnel will undergo testing and technical acceptance before being put into service.
The project is a continuation of the construction of the Łódź Fabryczna station (opened in 2016), which will become a through station instead of a terminal station, allowing regional and long-distance trains to pass through the centre of Łódź along the east-west axis (through Łódź Widzew, Fabryczna, and Kaliska stations) and the north-south axis (through Łódź Widzew, Fabryczna, and Żabieniec stations).
The 7.5 km tunnel connection includes a 3 km two-track tunnel from Łódź Fabryczna station, passing through the Łódź Śródmieście and Łódź Polesie stops, and 4.5 km of single-track tunnels, from the switch chamber at Włókniarzy Street to railway line No. 15, heading towards Łódź Żabieniec and Łódź Kaliska. The entire project involves a total track length of 17 km.
Train journeys through the city will be shorter, and the number of trains and their frequency will increase.
The cross-city line in Łódź will connect Fabryczna station with Kaliska and Żabieniec stations through the new Łódź Koziny, Łódź Polesie, and Łódź Śródmieście stops. The tunnel is part of the ongoing construction of the Łódź Fabryczna station, which will become a through station rather than the final station.
The investment is valued at over PLN 2 billion (EUR 473.5 million) and is being implemented with funding from the European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, and Environment 2021-2027 programme (FEnIKS). The project will revolutionise suburban and long-distance connections in the region and the country.
It is expected that by the end of 2025, trains will begin operating on the underground railway connection. The new tunnel runs under the city centre, opening up the Łódź agglomeration to new rail connections and improving local, regional, and national passenger and freight transport.
At the same time, CPK is undertaking a construction project for a 4.6 km tunnel in Łódź, which will be used by high-speed trains. The company recently unveiled the bidders for this project.
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