PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe and the Marshal’s Office of the Lodz Voivodeship signed a contract for the construction of a new rail connection between Chorzew Siemkowice and Wieluń as part of the Kolej Plus programme.
This is the first contract signed under this project which will provide small towns connections and access to the rail network.
“The signed contract inaugurates the implementation of the Kolej Plus programme. Thanks to the investment, the inhabitants of Wieluń and the southern part of the Łódź Province will gain a quick and convenient railway connection with Łódź. Rail is an important means of transport, and we carry out tasks that improve the access of residents to railways,” Ireneusz Merchel, the CEO of PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe said.
The PLN 508 million (EUR 122.4 million) project covers the construction of a 28 km single-track electrified line connecting the railway line No. 131 in Chorzew Siemkowice with the railway line No. 181 in Wieluń. The project includes the construction of 5 new stops in Wieluń, Berlinek, Ruda, Wierzchlas, Drobnice and Siemkowice. The facilities will provide comfortable conditions for waiting for the train. They will be equipped with shelters, benches, bright lighting and will be adapted to the needs of people with reduced mobility. The appropriate height of the platforms will facilitate getting on and off the train. The new line will be operated by 8 pairs of trains with the possibility to increase them depending on the demand.
“The construction of a 28 km rail connecting Wieluń with Łódź is an unprecedented event in our voivodeship. This means additional railway stops. It will also provide connections that we have not had so far, but above all it will bring new opportunities for residents,” Grzegorz Schreiber, Marshal of Łódź Voivodeship said.
Thanks to the new rail connection the inhabitants of the southern part of the Łódź Province will benefit convenient access to Łódź. It is estimated that after the construction of the new line, the travel time from Wieluń to the capital of the voivodeship will be about 1 hour 39 minutes.
“Our goal is to counteract communication exclusion. Such activities are carried out by the Polish government, among others from the Kolej Plus programme, the value of which is PLN 13.2 billion [EUR 2.8 billion]. We are now entering the phase of implementing the programme’s investments. Inhabitants of many cities that currently do not have access to railways will gain access to sustainable transport, which is rail,” Andrzej Adamczyk, the Minister of Infrastructure said.
Under the Kolej Plus programme, 34 investment projects have been selected which were submitted by voivodeships. All these investments cover 1,200 km rail links which will improve the connections in 34 cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants. Thanks to the construction of this national programme, 1.5 million inhabitants in 12 voivodeships will gain better access to the passenger railway services.
To implement the submitted projects, the local authorities have to ensure at least of 15% co-financing, to deliver minimum 4 pairs of trains for at least five years and to sign an agreement with PKP PLK.
Kolej Plus includes:
- 10 projects involving the revitalization of the existing rail lines with a total length 315 km;
- 14 projects covering the reconstruction or extension of the existing lines totalling 516 km;
- 7 projects include the construction of new lines with a total length of189 km;
- 3 documentation projects concerning 183 km of railway lines.
The national initiative is planned to be completed in 2028 when the selected projects will improve or provide the access to the rail system increasing the attractiveness of rail transport. EUR 2.8 billion is the total value of the project including PLN 11.2 billion (EUR 2.36 billion) from the state budget and approximately PLN 2 billion (EUR 422.3 million) from local governments.
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