The Polish rail infrastructure manager PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe has reconstructed the line and is currently constructing the traction network for the Katowice airport rail access project.
The 30 km line from Tarnowskie Góry to Siewierz via Pyrzowice, 25 km north from Katowice city centre, where the airport is situated, is completely rebuilt and on the 14 km Siewierz – Zawiercie section the track is being replaced and the traction network and engineering facilities are being reconstructed are being built. Revitalisation and electrification concerns about 48 km of lines.
“The connection Tarnowskie Góry – Pyrzowice – Zawiercie will increase access to railways in the Silesian province. The connection between the airport and cities in the region will be significantly improved. The project is also important for the development of efficient freight transport. The investment will allow for an effective combination of rail and air transport,” Arnold Bresch, member of the Management Board of PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe said.
PKP PLK has created collision-free intersections ensured by rail viaducts and is currently constructing the platforms at the new Pyrzowice Airport station and at the new Miasteczko Śląskie Centrum and Mierzęcice stops. The Siewierz station entered modernisation and a local control centre has been established which will manage the traffic along the entire line. The project also includes the modernisation of the Zawiercie station which has been completed and the construction of three new stops. All platforms at the stations and stops will be adapted to serve people with reduced mobility. The investment includes 59 engineering structures and 38 rail-road crossings.
“We are building railway connections to Polish airports. The investment on the Tarnowskie Góry – Pyrzowice – Zawiercie connection will ensure greater access to railways and better communication. Air passengers will gain a convenient way to get to the city. This is an impulse for economic development in the region,” the Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk said.
The PLN 660 million (EUR 140 million) Katowice airport rail access project is co-financed by the EU funds with PLN 500 million (EUR 106 million) under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment.
Following the completion of the project, the travel time from Zawiercie to the airport will be 23 minutes and from Tarnowskie Góry less than 20 minutes. For travelers from Katowice and Częstochowa, in southern Poland, the journey will take about 1 hour. Passenger trains will run at speeds of up to 140 km/h and freight trains at speeds of up to 80 km/h.
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