Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) selected a consortium led by Porr to build the 4.6 km Łódź HSR tunnel. The selected offer has a value of PLN 1.76 billion (EUR 412.6 million) and was assessed the highest by the tender committee, which made qualifications based on price, with 70% of tender criteria, and the experience and competence of the team, 30%. 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 over 1,000 questions from the five bidders.
The contract covers the construction of a tunnel from the Retkinia chamber to the Fabryczna chamber, along with the infrastructure necessary for the operation of the tunnel, chambers and railway line.
The tunnel will be bored using a TBM with a diameter of approx. 14 metres and a length of 4.6 km, accommodating two tracks for trains travelling in both directions at up to 160 km/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 the highest safety and engineering standards.
“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,” Filip Czernicki, the CEO of CPK, 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. Each will include diagnostics, safety assessments, and protection or repair recommendations.
Construction preparations are well underway. 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 Mayand work on the Fabryczna reception chamber is now underway in two stages.
Łódź HSR tunnel is part of the key line no. 85 known as the ‘Y’-shaped railway system which will connect Warsaw and the CPK Airport with Łódź by 2032, and in 2035 will enable the launch of the fastest high speed rRailway connections also to Wrocław and Poznań.
This investment marks a major step in creating Poland’s first true high-speed rail network. Trains will reach up to 350 km/h, cutting travel times between key cities and providing a boost to the Łódź region. The project is closely coordinated with the PKP PLK agglomeration tunnel, which will enhance local connections within the city.
The CPK tunnel in Łódź is the second investment of this type in the city. 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.
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