A meeting was held at the Office of the Marshal, assembling the representatives of the parties interested in the joint construction of the conventional (long-distance and agglomeration) railway tunnel under Łódź – President of Łódź Hanna Zdanowska, Łódź voivodeship Marshal Witold Stępień and PKP PLK SA (Polish Railways) trustee Zbigniew Szafrański. They were accompanied by the former minister of infrastructure, Cezary Grabarczyk.

The meeting was hosted by Marshal Stępień, whose institution is conducting the project of the Łódź Agglomeration Rail. For the city, this investment is as important as the conversion of Łódź Fabryczna, because it means convenient and regular railway connections between the most important cities of the voivodeship. ŁAR would become the local rail for the entire region, and in Łódź it could serve the function of the metro system. The scope of the 1st stage of ŁAR construction includes the conversion of 9 existing stations and stops, the construction of 8 new stops and the installation of automatic traffic signal devices at 9 crossings. Key sections of the tracks in the region will also be repaired. The construction of the tunnel is necessary for the second stage to begin. Marshal Witold Stępień: “The Łódź Agglomeration Rail is intended as a means of communication with the centre for the region’s inhabitants. For this purpose, we will purchase rolling stock, build servicing stations in the area of the Łódź Widzew station and use existing lines. But we need a tunnel in order for this to work. We estimate its costs at PLN 1,5 billion. We assume that we will manage to acquire EU funding covering 85% of the investment costs. The launch of the second stage of ŁAR would increase the use of mass transport by the region’s inhabitants from 7.5% to 23%”.

The Polish Railways are also interested in the construction of the tunnel, since it would allow them to eliminate the problem of the inefficient rail hub in Łódź and establish a convenient network of national connections. Zbigniew Szafrański:“One of the biggest cities in Poland lacks a railway hub. We are attempting to fix many years of neglect. The two pieces of Łódź’s fractured rail will be fused into a single system”.

The project has the unwavering support of Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, Cezary Grabarczyk. Even though he is no longer the minister of infrastructure, he promises to use all means at his disposal for lobbying in favour of the extension of the Łódź rail hub. “It is clear that Poles have grown fond of the railway. So have the self-governments, which started treating it as a means of mass transport. We know today that the tunnel under Łódź is a real possibility. However, it would have been otherwise had the construction of the underground Łódź Fabryczna station not started. This is a gateway to a new transport order”. The plan is very ambitious. According to the optimistic version, the digging of the tunnel will start as early as 2013. The realistic version is that this will happen when a new financial perspective of the European Union is established. Paradoxically, the high rate of the Euro is in our favour, because it allows us to gain additional resources.

Łódź President Hanna Zdanowska believes that thanks to the tunnel and the new station, Łódź will become a city with the best transport system in Poland. “I wish to call for positive lobbying on the part of communities from various fields: railway service, politics, academia. This is a major opportunity for the city”, said Ms. President.