photo: http://www.namnewsnetwork.org/?p=97055/Railway in Poland
Polish national railway infrastructure authority PKP PLK plans to modernize the central railway line (CMK), which serves transportation between Warsaw, Krakow, Katowice, and Wroclaw. Many bridges and viaducts should be reconstructed. Modernization aims to achieve an efficient and safe operation on this line.
PKP PLK has already signed an agreement with a consortium of companies, such as Intop Warszawa and Sarinż. The investment should reach up to PLN 45 million, i.e., EUR 9.8 million.
Construction works should start in 2021 and be completed in 2022. The goal of the construction works is to modernize the railway line between Warsaw, Kraków, and Katowice, major Polish towns. It would then be possible to reach speeds of up to 250 km/hour on the track.
A total of 21 civil engineering works located on the route between Opoczno Południe - Pilichowice in Łódž Voivodeship should be reconstructed. Among others, the construction works will cover four railway viaducts in Budkow and two in Stawowice and Solec. Two bridges over the Opocznianka River should also be reconstructed. The modernization will also affect 15 passes for drain water which also serve as a passage for small animals.
The technical conditions are being modernized by PKP PLK to shorten the train journey time. As part of the whole project, 16 buildings on the route between Pilichowice - Olszamowice have already been modernized for this purpose. The safety of railway traffic was ensured by two collision-free junctions. The railway crossings in Kozia Wieś and Motyczna (Świętokrzyskie) were replaced by viaducts. Other viaducts of such type will be built in Radwan and Zachorzow Colony in Łódž.
“Travel time is one of the most important factors that, according to research, encourages people to choose the railway. I hope that thanks to the modernization of the CMK, even more people will use the services of Polish railways,” said Andrzej Bittel, the secretary of state at the Ministry of Infrastructure, to media.
Two stations on this route have been adapted to meet current requirements for people with reduced mobility. The technical station in Idzikowice was also modernized. When all civil engineering works will be completed, the advanced train control system ETCS 2 and ERTMS/GSM-R modules should be applied to the infrastructure as well as to the trains. This should happen by 2023. After that, it will allow trains to drive at speeds of up to 250 km/hour.