A contract has been signed to build what will be Poland’s longest tunnel, stretching almost 3.8 km (2.4 miles) through part of the Western Beskids mountains in the south of the country.
Once completed, the tunnel and related rail modernisation will cut the train journey time between Krakow, Poland’s second-largest city, and Nowy Sacz, a major regional city of 83,000 people, by around two thirds.
The broader investment programme it is part of, which is financed by the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund, will also slash travel times between Krakow and the mountain resort town of Zakopane.
On March 8, Poland’s state rail infrastructure firm, PKP PLK, announced that it had signed a 1.9-billion zloty (EUR 444 million) contract for modernisation of the section of rail running between Nowy Sacz and the village of Chabowka, both located in the southern province of Malopolska that was centred around Krakow.
The section of track will include the new tunnel, which will be the longest single transport tunnel of any kind – road or rail – in the country. The work will be carried out by a consortium comprised of Budimex, Poland’s largest construction firm, and Turkey’s Gulermak, which specialises in rail transport infrastructure.
The modernisation programme, which is due to be completed in 2026, will upgrade infrastructure built almost 150 years ago, said deputy infrastructure minister Piotr Malepszak. He added that it would cut travel times from Krakow to Nowy Sacz from around three hours to just one.
Currently, the fastest train connections between the two stand at around 2 hours and 40 minutes, with Malepszak noting that trains often traveled at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph). After the modernisation work, speeds will increase to up to a maximum of 160 km/h (99 mph).
The improvements between Nowy Sacz and Chabowka are part of a broader programme to improve rail infrastructure in the region, including a new line connecting Krakow with the Podhale and Sadecczyzna regions that lie along the mountainous border with Slovakia.
The developments, which are due to be completed until 2029, will cut train journey times between Krakow and Zakopane to 90 minutes. Currently, the fastest connection is around 2 hours and 20 minutes.
The plans also encompass improvements to station infrastructure, including creating platforms that will be fully accessible to people with reduced mobility.
The investment is being carried out as part of Poland’s so-called National Reconstruction Plan (KPO), which is the name given to the billions of euros in spending financed by the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
Those funds were previously frozen by the European Commission due to concerns over the rule of law under Poland’s former Law and Justice (PiS) government. However, following the arrival of a new ruling coalition led by Donald Tusk, Brussels announced last month that it would unlock all of Poland’s funds.
Last year, head of the EU’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport declared that Poland’s plans to develop its rail network could see it surpass many western European countries within the next two decades. (Notes from Poland/Business World Magazine)