photo: Budimex SA on X (Twitter)/One of Poland's longest railway tunnels has been excavated.
A massive tunnelling breakthrough in southern Poland is to transform rail speeds and connectivity. The new 3.75 km tunnel near Limanowa replaces a slow, outdated 19th-century route.
Near Limanowa in southern Poland, a crucial phase of railway modernisation has been completed. On Tuesday evening, the tunnel boring machine Jadwiga broke through a 3,750-metre-long tube. The construction, carried out in continuous operation, will replace an outdated section dating back to the 19th century and allow trains to increase speeds up to fivefold.
Poland’s New Longest Rail Tunnel
The geology of the Polish Beskids posed the main challenge for engineers. The variable ground conditions required the use of technology capable not only of excavation but also of simultaneously assembling a finished concrete lining.
The entire tunnelling process under the mountains lasted exactly 300 days. "Probably the biggest challenge was the geology, the variable subsoil, and the terrain itself. At one moment we are in a cutting, then on an embankment, and then we have an almost four-kilometre tunnel," said site manager Jakub Pawluk from the Budimex–Gülermak consortium.
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From 30 km/h to 160 km/h
The reason for such a large-scale project was simple—time. The original line followed the rugged terrain, forcing trains to pass through curves at speeds of no more than 30 km/h.
The new tunnel, which reaches a depth of 120 metres below the surface at its deepest point, straightens the route. "Once the modernisation is complete, passenger trains will be able to run at speeds of up to 160 km/h," said Pawluk. Freight trains will be able to pass through the section at speeds of up to 120 km/h.
Continuous Work and Record Progress
Work underground never stopped. Around 200 workers rotated in shifts on the construction site each day. In addition to the main railway tunnel with a diameter of 11 metres, an evacuation tunnel was also constructed, completed earlier by a smaller TBM named Kinga. During construction, engineers achieved record progress for Poland. "On average, we advanced about 12 metres per day, but we also managed to reach 46 metres within 24 hours. That is the best result in the country," Pawluk added.
Travel Time to Drop by 90 Minutes
The tunnel is part of a broader modernisation of the railway connection between Kraków and Nowy Sącz. Although Nowy Sącz was founded by the Czech king Wenceslaus II in the 13th century, it has long lacked fast and efficient links to the regional capital.
While the newly completed tunnel near Limanowa is currently Poland’s longest, it is only one part of the wider project. Another tunnel is already planned near Tymbark, expected to be 100 metres longer, which will eventually move Jadwiga into second place.
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