The European Commission approved a EUR 234 million funding from the Cohesion Fund to upgrade 117 km of the Skawina-Zakopane railway line Southern Poland.
The project will improve the quality, efficiency and safety of railway transport between the towns of Skawina and Zakopane and will also provide a comfortable travel on the Kraków-Zakopane corridor.
“Thanks to this EU investment, we want to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home and use safe, reliable and comfortable trains instead. With fewer cars on the road, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced. Moreover, the new railway infrastructure will provide easier access for people with reduced mobility, in line with Cohesion Policy’s motto not to leave anyone behind,” Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said.
The project will be completed in 2024.
In June the construction works between Skawina and Sucha Beskidzka have been completed and will be continued on the Chabówka – Zakopane section.
In September, the modernisation works will start for the last section between Sucha Beskidzka and Chabówka which includes the modernisation of 6 stations and stops and 46 rail-road crossings. The works also include the replacement of 32 km of tracks with the overhead contact line. For more efficient and safer train traffic, the reconstruction of 120 engineering structures, including 27 bridges and 3 viaducts, will also be important.
At the same time, the works will continue on the Chabówka – Zakopane section.
In November 2019, the Center for EU Transport Projects and the Polish railway infrastructure manager, PKP PLK, signed an agreement to co-finance the modernisation of the Skawina-Zakopane railway line, crossing through Sucha Beskidzka and Chabówka.
PLN 1.1 billion (EUR 246.8 million) is allotted for the modernisation of Zakopianka railway line as part of the “Works on the lines to Zakopane No. 9, 98.99, on the Skawina – Sucha Beskidzka – Chabówka – Zakopane section”.
Between Skawina and Sucha Beskidzka, travelers already use modernised platforms at 10 stations and stops, and the trains are running on new tracks.
The project is part of the modernisation and development of railway transport in Małopolska. It will also provide shorter travel time from Krakow to the south of Poland. The journey from Krakow to Zakopane will be shorter by over an hour and will take about 2 hours 15 minutes.
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