PKP Polish Railway Lines has announced the arrival of the tunnel boring machine, manufactured by Herrenknecht, which will bore 7 km of railway tunnels in Łódź.
The 8.76-m diameter TBM will be used to bore four single-track tunnels between Łódź Kaliska station, in north and Łódź Żabieniec station in south, to a junction with a double-track tunnel reaching Łódź Fabryczna station which is redeveloped to become a transport hub. The TBM will drill a tunnel with an average of around 10 m per day between the two stations.
A two-track 3-km tunnel will be bored by a 13.04 m diameter TBM between Odolanowska and Stolarska Streets, and two new stops will be constructed at Polesie and Śródmieście.
The two main stations in Łódź, Fabryczna and Kaliska are not connected to each other, being a major obstacle to the region’s transport development and an everyday inconvenience for those living in the city.
The project has a total value of PLN 1.76 billion (EUR 412 million), of which PLN 1.43 billion (EUR 335 million) are coming from the EU, under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Program.
In December 2017, PKP PLK signed a contract with the consortium comprising Energopol Szczecin and PBDiM Mińsk Mazowiecki for the design and construction of the cross-city tunnel in Łódź. According to PKP PLK, the consortium has changed its leader, as Energopol faces financial problems.
The construction of the cross-city tunnel is a continuation of the works begun with the construction of the Łódź Fabryczna station. The investment will contribute to the creation of an effective system of national interregional connections covering the region of central Poland. The travel time will be shorter, and both the regional and long-distance trains will be able to travel through the center of Łódź – on the east-west axis, through Łódź Widzew, Fabryczna and Kaliska stations, and on the north-south axis, through Łódź Widzew, Fabryczna and Żabieniec stations.
There will be two stops in the tunnel, which will ensure convenient access to the city center, which will enhance the daily commuting for the inhabitants of the agglomeration.
The project is expected to be completed in 2021.
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