Poland – In October 2023, the EU allocated €64m to the development of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
The funds were secured via the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (Cinea) under the second call for the second iteration of CEF, as Rail Journal reports. It is the first agreement between CPK and Cinea in the framework of the 2021-2027 program.
The projects include constructing a new 140km high-speed connection between Warsaw and Łódź via the Solidarity Transport Hub (Centralny Port Komunikacyjny – CPK). The deal was signed by the Centre for EU Transport Projects, representatives of Poland’s Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy, and CPK.
Poland is building one of Europe’s largest airports. But it is only part of a larger project named Solidarity Transport Hub (STH, in Polish: Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, or CPK) – the new railway network. pic.twitter.com/lhiU3tk9ej
— 3 Seas Europe (@3SeasEurope) December 28, 2022
On the Warsaw – CPK – Łódź line, detailed design work has been underway for several years. A conglomerate of Sud Architekt Polska and Metroprojekt has been busy with the preparation of the required documentation for the section connecting Poland’s capital with the CPK Warsaw since November 2022. Jaf-Geotechnika, Egis Rail, and Egis Poland are in charge of the section connecting the CPK with Łódź. The completion of the design phase is expected by the Spring of 2024.
The Warsaw – Łódź line will be connected with the one between Wrocław and Poznań and will integrate the EU’s TEN-T North Sea – Baltic Sea corridor.
“The European Commission has once again recognised the strategic importance of CPK’s rail projects […] The planned HSR line will enable the integration of the CPK airport into the high-speed rail network, and is, therefore, a priority investment for us” – ” Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy and Government Plenipotentiary for CPK Marcin Horała announced.
🇵🇱 Design concept unveiled for Poland’s planned CPK airport, a “mega-airport” and a flagship project for Poland.
Solidarity Transport Hub (CPK) is due to open in 2028. pic.twitter.com/hNIoLy9fdR
— Expat in Poland 🇵🇱 (@BasedPoland2) July 6, 2023
The new railway connection between Warsaw and Łódź can also be looked at through the lens of broader connectivity between Poland and its Cetral European partners, including those of the Visegrád Group (V4) and the Three Seas Initiative (3SI).
In January 2023, Poland’s CPK, Rail Baltica and Czech railway manager Správa železnic agreed on the establishment of an interconnected high-speed rail network in the region. Rail Baltica is a high-speed railway project designed to connect the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), while Správa železnic is developing around 700km of new high-speed railways connecting the Czech Republic with its neighbours.
In the meantime, CPK and Ukrainian Railways also signed a cooperation agreement to create a new Warsaw–Lviv–Kyiv route. Both entities also jointly seek the obtention of EU funds for this ambitious project.
