CPK to Select Contractor for Poland’s Longest Railway Tunnel
Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) has received five bids from companies looking to construct a long-distance tunnel on railway line no. 85 in Łódź, Poland.
Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) has received five bids from companies looking to construct a long-distance tunnel on railway line no. 85 in Łódź, Poland.
This tender represents the largest construction project announced by CPK to date and will result in the creation of Poland’s longest railway tunnel. The contract is expected to be signed in the latter half of 2025, following a detailed evaluation of the submissions.
The project involves the construction of a 4.6-kilometre tunnel running from the “Retkinia” chamber to the “Fabryczna” chamber. It also includes all associated infrastructure required for the tunnel, the chambers, and the railway line.
The tunnel will primarily accommodate high-speed trains linking Warsaw, Wrocław, and Poznań, forming part of Poland’s High-Speed Rail (HSR) network.
The contracting authority has allocated a budget of 2.8 billion PLN gross for the project. The submitted bids range from 2.166 billion PLN to 2.797 billion PLN, all falling within the specified budget.
The winning bid will be determined based on a combination of price (70% weighting) and personnel qualifications (30%).
“This is an exceptionally ambitious undertaking, as the Łódź tunnel will have the largest diameter of any underground structure constructed to date using the TBM method in Poland. It will also become the longest tunnel of its kind built as a single section.”
The complexity of the tender process has been underscored by the submission of approximately 1,000 questions from 25 potential contractors. The tender documentation itself spans over 2,000 documents, highlighting the project’s technical and logistical demands.
Once the contract is signed, the contractor will have 46 months to complete the project. Tunnel drilling is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and is expected to be finished by the third quarter of 2028. The full railway line between Warsaw and Łódź, including the tunnel, is anticipated to be operational by 2032, aligning with the opening of Poland’s new national airport.
The Łódź tunnel is a central component of the “Y” high-speed railway line, which aims to enhance connectivity between major Polish cities. Running beneath densely populated urban areas, the tunnel will require thorough geotechnical and structural analysis during the design phase to ensure safety and minimise disruption.
“High-Speed Rail presents a significant developmental opportunity for Poland, and the tunnel itself is a major and essential project for the residents of Łódź. Any initial inconveniences related to construction will pay off in the coming years. The city will gain many rapid connections with the country’s largest cities, without impacting residents’ quality of life, as trains will operate tens of metres underground.”
