Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) has awarded the contract for the excavation of a new high-speed rail tunnel in Łódź to a consortium led by Porr.
The tunnel is part of the strategic Line 85 – the “Y” shaped route – that will connect Warsaw and the CPK Airport with Łódź by 2032, and extend to Wrocław and Poznań by 2035. Construction is expected to begin later this year.
The winning bid, worth PLN1.761bn (€410m), covers the section between the Retkinia and Fabryczna chambers, including all essential infrastructure. It received the highest evaluation based on price (70%) and team experience (30%).
The 4.6km tunnel will be bored using a TBM with a diameter of approximately 14m. It will accommodate two tracks for trains travelling in both directions at up to 160km/h. It will be the longest and widest single-bore railway tunnel ever constructed in Poland. The route passes beneath Łódź’s dense urban fabric, demanding high safety and engineering standards.
This investment marks a major step in creating Poland’s first true high-speed rail network. Trains will travel at up to 350km/h, cutting journey times between key cities and providing a boost to the Łódź region. The project is closely co-ordinated with the PKP PLK agglomeration tunnel, which will enhance local connections within the city.
The tender process, one of the largest in CPK’s history, began in December 2024. The procurement documentation ran to around 2,000 documents, and the company received over1,000 questions from bidders.
CPK CEO Dr Filip Czernicki highlighted the emphasis on safety.
“One of the company’s key tasks is to construct the high-speed rail tunnel beneath the centre of Łódź while ensuring maximum safety for residents. The additional technical assessments of buildings along the tunnel route, which we have commissioned, demonstrate that we are approaching this demanding project responsibly and in line with the highest execution standards,” he said.
To ensure structural safety, CPK has ordered detailed technical inspections of buildings along the tunnel route and contracted Albraco to perform 70 additional analyses. They will include diagnostics, safety assessments, and protection or repair recommendations.
Preparations for construction are under way. Foundation strengthening of the Łódź Cultural Centre is on track, with Keller Polska handling restoration works. Budimex is expected to complete the Retkinia launch chamber in May and work on the Fabryczna reception chamber is under way in two stages.
Unlike the parallel cross-city tunnel by PKP PLK, the CPK tunnel is intended for long-distance and high-speed trains, with stops at Łódź Fabryczna. It will surface near Retkinia, joining existing Line No. 14 and continuing west toward Sieradz, where it will split toward Poznań and Wrocław.
The high-speed railway is a key element of CPK’s integrated transport system, which involves the airport, high-speed rail, and road networks being developing simultaneously. Scheduled to open in 2032, CPK will serve as Poland’s new central airport.
The CPK investment in Łódź is part of the trans-European North Sea–Baltic Corridor, a key route within the EU’s core TEN-T network. CPK says this strategic infrastructure not only strengthens Poland’s position on the European transport map but also enhances cross-border connectivity and economic integration across Central and Eastern Europe.
