CPK selects contractor for construction of Poland’s HSR railway tunnel

On 11 April 2025, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny 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) which will connect Warszawa 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 1.761 billion PLN (net), 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 %). 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 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 bidders. The tunnel will be bored using a TBM with a diameter of approx. 14 m 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,” says Dr. Filip Czernicki, CEO of CPK.

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 May and work on the Fabryczna reception chamber is now underway 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.