Construction of Poland’s high-speed rail tunnel in Łódź has reached another major milestone with the start of the TBM assembly.
The machine’s first components are now being lowered into the launch chamber in Retkinia in preparation for tunnelling to start in early 2027.
The components, each approximately 19m long and weighing around 215 tonnes, is being lowered into the 45m-deep shaft using a 450-tonne gantry crane.
The contractor, Porr, will deploy the TBM to carve a 4.6km-long, 14m-diameter tunnel – the longest and largest diameter railway tunnel excavated in a single section in Poland.
Excavation is due to be completed in 2028 when the TBM reaches the already completed reception chamber at Łódź Fabryczna. Fit-out works and safety testing will continue until 2029, when the project is scheduled for final acceptance.
The tunnel is a key element of railway line No. 85, the high-speed “Y” corridor that will connect Warsaw and the new CPK airport with Łódź, before continuing to Wrocław and Poznań. The tunnel will accommodate two tracks, allowing trains to operate in both directions at speeds of up to 160km/h.
The high-speed railway is part of Port Polska, a range of regional development projects delivered by Centralny Port Komunikacyjny that includes a new national airport, surrounding roads and a logistics hub.
Last week CPK announced it had signed an agreement with Budimex to complete construction works on the Łódź Fabryczna reception chamber. The contract with the initial contractor was terminated earlier this year.
