PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe put into operation an important section of Warsaw suburban cross city line which also is connected to the long-distance traffic.
The new line provides the link between Warszawa Zachodnia, Warszawa Śródmieście and Warszawa Wschodnia stations and will provide more than 300 transport connections.
The 7 km railway line is crossing the centre of Warsaw towards the east-west direction.
Warszawa Zachodnia station (West Warsaw station) is currently under modernisation and in the future will ensure greater accessibility and increased travel comfort. At the station all platforms will be covered, escalators, elevators, a dynamic information system will be installed and wide passages will facilitate the access to trains and will also provide connection to the existing public transport. Safe rail traffic management will be ensured by modern equipment and computer systems.
Suburban and long-distance journeys will be more efficient thanks to this new line which is electrified and benefits modern signalling systems.
The works for the Warsaw suburban cross city line are carried out under the project to redevelop the western part of the region and is the largest investment of PKP PLK in the city. The PLN 2 billion (EUR 430.9 million) project is co-financed by the EU under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme.
The project includes the reconstruction of 100 km of tracks and traction network and of a 1 km cross-city tunnel designed for suburban and long-distance traffic, as well as 11 rail viaducts and the reconstruction of two rail bridges over Vistula River. Under the project, West Warsaw and East Warsaw station are reconstructed, while at the central station the layout of the platforms is adapted to TSI standards. The project also covers the reconstruction of other stations and stops, and the construction of several dozen new engineering structures including viaducts, bridges, underground passages and footbridges.
The cross-city line in Warsaw consists of two double track railway lines designed for both suburban and long distance traffic connecting the junction of the two stations (Warszawa Wschodnia – Warsaw East and Warszawa Zachodnia – Warsaw West). The line is crossed by the E65 line on the Gdynia – Warsaw – Katowice – Zebrzydowice route, E20 linking Poznań, Warsaw, Siedlce and Terespol and E75 between Warsaw and Białystok towards the border with Lithuania.
The diameter line is served by eight stations and stops, including the Warsaw Central Station.
Under the project, the West Warsaw (Warszawa Zachodnia) station entered modernisation works covering 30 km of tracks and about 130 turnouts to be replaced. The modernisation of the station was performed by Budimex under a contract signed in 2020 which also included the construction of an underground tram stop. Budimex was also responsible for the most complex section of the whole line, situated immediately below the train station platforms. The tram route to Wilanów will start with a 500-metre-long tunnel underneath Al. Jerozolimskie and Park Zachodni.
In April 2022, Warsaw public transport company ZTM and Budimex signed the contract to build the 8 km Wilanów tram extension to Śródmieście station which serves the suburban rail system.
The works also include widening the existing tunnel and extending it to the ring road platform. As part of the modernisation, a tunnel for the tram line connecting Warsaw West with Wola. The project also includes the construction of new and roofed platforms and new underground passages and footbridge, installation of escalators and lifts which are adapted to transport prams and bicycles and the modernisation of the hall. The entire station will be covered with a platform hall fitted with photovoltaic panels on the roof. The new layout of the station will enable trains to travel from the ring road to the Radom line and create direct Piaseczno – Legionowo and Legionowo – Chopin Airport connections. Following the project, the station will become an underground station.
The work at Warsaw West station has a value of PLN 1.9 billion (EUR 409.3 million) and is funded by the Cohestion Fund through the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme (OPI) under the “Works on the Warsaw diametral line between Warszawa Wschodnia (Warsaw East) and Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West)” project which will be completed this year.
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