Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) and Budimex have signed an agreement to complete construction works on the Łódź Fabryczna turnout chamber, the final element of the PKP PLK cross-city rail tunnel in Łódź.
The €26.12m contract follows the agreement signed in June on the transfer of works at the interface between the two Łódź tunnels: the long-distance Port Polska tunnel and the PKP PLK metropolitan tunnel.[KF1]
The agreement will enable construction works on the PKP PLK tunnel, which had previously been suspended, to resume. As a result, it will also allow further progress on the Port Polska long-distance tunnel, for which CPK is the contracting authority.
Both chambers – the Port Polska long-distance chamber and the PKP PLK cross-city turnout chamber – are located west of Łódź Fabryczna station. They are separated by a shared diaphragm wall reaching depths up to 46m. As both projects are closely interconnected, they require co-ordinated delivery.
The agreement to complete the works addresses the challenges associated with delivering both tunnel projects in Łódź. Following PKP PLK’s decision to suspend works in the cross-city tunnel turnout chamber and terminate its contract with the previous contractor, CPK took over part of the structural works on the PKP PLK chamber.
“Completion of all works in our high-speed rail chamber would not be possible without the completion of construction works on the PKP PLK turnout chamber. This is why we jointly decided to entrust the task to a contractor withproven expertise and experiencegained on the Port Polska project. As railway infrastructure investors working towards a common objective, webenefit from each other’s experience. PKP PLK’s investment will be completed by a contractor already tested on the Port Polska scheme, while we are drawing valuable engineering lessons from PKP PLK’s experience in delivering the first tunnel,” said Piotr Rachwalski, Port Polska, CPK board member for rail.
Under the agreement – awarded as a negotiated follow-on contract – Budimex will be responsible for completing the structural works, including roof slabs, reinforced concrete structures, foundation slabs, excavation works and backfilling. It will also provide surveying services and secure the construction site.
Budimex is now responsible for constructing the PKP PLK turnout chamber, as well as the Retkinia and Fabryczna chambers of Port Polska, which form the western and eastern portals of the long-distance tunnel being built by Porr. The tunnel will connect Warsaw with Poznań and Wrocław via Łódź Fabryczna.
CPK will be responsible for investor supervision, while PKP PLK will finance the works, provide the design documentation and take over the completed structure once all works have been finalised.
The high-speed rail tunnel for long-distance services, being delivered as part of Port Polska’s strategic investment programme, is a key section of the planned Y–line connecting Warsaw with Poznań and Wrocław via Łódź. It will enable the fastest trains to travel between Warsaw and Wrocław in just 1 hour and 36 minutes, while journeys between Łódź and Wrocław will take less than one hour.
The line between Warsaw and Łódź is scheduled to come into service in 2032, alongside the opening of the new airport. The high-speed rail services are expected to reach both Wrocław and Poznań by 2035.
