The CPK (Central Port Komunikacyjny) company has received a building permit for the most important element of the long-distance tunnel in Łódź: the excavation of a more than 4-kilometre-long section for high-speed rail under the city centre. Now the company is ready to announce the final tender for this investment.

“Obtaining a building permit allows construction work to begin on the High-Speed Rail tunnel in Łódź. This is one of the most demanding sections included in the Y railway line and at the same time our most advanced project”, said CPK CEO Mikołaj Wild.

The launch chamber, and at the same time the tunnel exit to the surface, will be built near the Retkinia housing estate – southwest of Łódź Kaliska. Here, work will begin in the coming weeks. Work on the excavation chamber for the automatic tunnelling shield (TBM) will begin after the foundations of the Łódź Cultural Centre have been reinforced. The chamber will be built on the western side of the Łódź Fabryczna station. The CPK company also signed a contract with Budimex worth almost PLN 147 million net for this task last December.

The underground structure will be more than 4 km long and approximately 14 m in diameter. It will also be the largest underground railway tunnel to date in Poland realised using the automatic TBM method. The tunnel in Łódź is part of the construction of a high-speed railway line to Warsaw, Wrocław and Poznań.

CPK is a State Treasury company established to implement the Multi-Annual Programme of the Central Communication Port, which includes the construction of a new central airport for Poland and the coordination and implementation of associated investments, including the modernisation of existing and the construction of a new network of railway lines, motorways, motorways and other technical infrastructure.

Adrian Andrzejewski