Programme of construction of high speed railways in Poland

The current shape of the Polish railway network is a result of connection of three separate railway systems from the era of partitions (the 19th century). If we look closer at the railmap of Poland and analyse its density and main routes, the boundaries of partitions are clearly visible. One of such boundaries crosses Łódź.

The rail system of the Łódź region consists of the Warsaw-Vienna route and its branch: from Koluszki to Łódź (dated from the 19th century). Another route connects Warsaw, Łowicz, Łódź and Kalisz. It was built on the break of the 19th and the 20th century and was incompatible with the European technical standards – it had the Russian track width (1520 mm versus European 1435 mm). These two systems have their separate railway stations and are the cause of all the negative consequences in respect of the development of the railway network both in the region of Łódź and in entire Poland. Construction of a tunnel beneath Łódź and high speed Warsaw – Łódź – Poznań/Łódź railway will be a symbolic farewell to the era of partitions and the 19th century. 

Railway of the 21st century

It has been 45 years since the first high speed railway was opened in Japan. The first high speed line in Europe – from Paris to Lyon in France – was opened in 1984 and turned out to be a huge success, also commercially – its construction costs were refunded within 7 years of its launch. Since then, the development of high speed railways has been progressing rapidly not only in Europe and Japan but also in many other countries of the world. New projects are being constructed in Argentina and Morocco. This year has seen the launch of the first high speed railway line in Turkey, whereas China is to build a 10,000 km railway network by 2020.

High speed railways are extremely important for both economic and social development. It was no accident that the construction of new lines was a key component of programmes of economic development in countries which faced new challenges. Such was the case in Japan, France, Germany and Spain, after it entered the EU and implemented the country modernisation programme. The railways are also an important component of country modernisation programmes in Turkey, China, Algeria and Argentina.

High speed trains are also a revolution in the way we commute. Even the best network of roads and motorways allows to achieve the average speed of only 80-90kmph. High speed trains link city centres at an average speed of 200kmph (recently over 250kmph). In case of Poland-size countries, only a high speed railway network may offer a solution to the issue of good connections between cities.

Railway is also over 60 times safer as a means of transport than a car, over four times more energy efficient and over twenty times less air polluting (when calculated basing on the 1km travelled to 1 passenger transported ratio). Modern railways are also a cheap and mass means of transport for all social groups. Another very important issue in modern societies is connected to saving time spent on travelling, as well as a possibility to work or rest during the journey, which is impossible when driving a car. Available experience shows that creation of high speed railway systems positively influences social changes and economic development.

Undoubtedly, construction of high speed Warsaw – Łódź – Poznań – Wrocław railway lines will be one of the largest infrastructural investments in Poland in the upcoming decade. About 450km in length, the new line, built from scratch, will link agglomerations which are inhabited by over 4.5 million people. When combined with the existing Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa (Central Railway Main Line), which will also be adapted to high speed railway specifications, and modernisation of the existing main railway routes, the new high speed network will encompass entire Poland, allowing almost half of the population to use it daily. It will be one of the best developed systems of high speed railway in Europe.

How will we travel?

The project assumes construction of a new railway line between Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź and Warsaw from scratch. It will service trains travelling at a speed exceeding 350kmph. The layout of the new line is based on the “Y” shape – in this respect it is an extension of the best standards from the Western Europe. The significance of this line will exceed a mere role of joining the mentioned four cities, since it is assumed that it will serve as a basis for a unified system of fast train connections between agglomerations in Poland. It will concentrate traffic from many directions, which will allow it to use its capacity to the fullest. That is why we should assume that the new line will service crowds of passengers commuting between Warsaw (also Lublin, Białystok and Olsztyn), Łódź, Wrocław (also Legnica, Wałbrzych, Jelenia Góra) and Poznań (also Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra).

It will also be an element of an international railway network – in particular, Warsaw – Berlin, Warsaw – Dresden and Warsaw – Prague lines. What is more, the Wrocław/Poznań – Łódź – Warsaw high speed line will be connected to the already existing Central Railway Main Line (CMK), currently undergoing modernisation. As a result, the maximum allowed speed on the line will be increased to 300kmph. Connection of the CMK and the Warsaw – Łódź – Poznań line would result in the fast train connection of Lesser Poland (Cracow) with Greater Poland (Poznań) and Western Pomerania (Szczecin) via Łódź. The Wrocław/Poznań – Łódź – Warsaw line will not only have local significance but will also become a basic element of the international railway network, a Pan-European railway. What is worth mentioning is the parallel axis from Berlin, through Poznań, Warsaw, on to Moscow and extension of the Pan-European corridor I from the Baltic countries, through Warsaw, Wrocław, on to Prague and Dresden.

The new high speed line will link Warsaw and Łódź, resulting in the travel time shortened to approximately 35 minutes. Travel from Warsaw to Wrocław and Poznań will take approx. 1 hour 40 minutes. The Łódź line will go in a tunnel beneath the city, with a brand new central station, whose construction will start next year. The new line will branch out westbound from Łódź, in the direction of Poznań and Wrocław. An optimum location for such branching would be the Kalisz-Ostrów agglomeration (almost 400,000 inhabitants) and a station where some of trains would stop.

The new line would be connected to the modernised Central Railway Main Line via the Łódź – Opoczno connection, which would also undergo modernisation (and would become a high speed route in the future).

The travel time from the centre of Poland to outer regions will be shortened to 3-4 hours. A journey between agglomerations from the opposite ends of Poland will take up to 6 hours on many routes.

Technology

Construction of the new line will also be a breakthrough in respect of the railway technology used in Poland. Many new solutions will be implemented. Foreign experience suggests that even with initial import of technology, the national industry will also receive a boost since its rapid development will be triggered.

Due to high power consumption, the new line would be powered with 25kV AC voltage, which has not been used in Poland so far. 3 kV DC, widely used in Poland today, would be applied only in the railway nodes where the new line would contact the existing conventional lines. High speed of trains forces reduction of rail bends to the minimum (the smallest radius of the bend will be over 8km). Safe management of railway traffic will be assured thanks to the use of the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) which will make automatised control of a train possible while retaining the highest safety standards. First implementation of such a system in Poland (up to the speed of 200kmph for now, CMK) was assured in August, by signing a contract financed from the EU assets.

New quality

Fast travel at moderate prices, which will be independent of crude oil price changes, will constitute a breakthrough in tourism, leisure activities and business. The high speed railway network in Poland will result in a huge improvement in accessibility of cities and regions. Better connections will lead to a synergy effect which will be beneficial for the entire country. It will influence the cohesion of Poland.

Even though the cost of construction of a new railway line is high, the benefits of such endeavour have a key meaning for the development of Poland. Currently, the estimated cost of such construction amounts to about 70% of the motorway construction price, which is about EUR 7 million/km (Portugal) and EUR 12 million/km for railway built in difficult topographical conditions in France and Spain. When compared to the results of a tender for construction of the Warsaw-Łódź A2 motorway, the price should be estimated at EUR 6-7 million/km.

Taking full advantage of new lines requires preparation of railway nodes and transport centres. Warsaw will have its Warsaw Centralna station rebuilt, whereas Łódź will receive a new station with an intermodal transport centre, allowing travellers to change trains on the Upper Silesia – Kuyavia and Gdańsk line. Wrocław and Poznań centres face similar chances and challenges.

Preparatory works

At present, preparatory works, involving projects and feasibility studies, on the new railway lines are in progress. They are scheduled to be finalised by the end of 2011. Investment process is scheduled to start in 2012. In 2020 (at the latest), citizens of Poland will be able to travel on the new line and on the modernised CMK (Warsaw-Katowice-Kraków).
 
The decision regarding construction of the new Wrocław/Poznań – Łódź – Warsaw line is a milestone for Polish railway transport. Experience of other countries suggests that construction of high speed railway, i.e. a modern, technologically advanced, network, offering a rapid increase of the quality of services, has always resulted in an increase of overall attention devoted to the railway, which, in turn, was beneficial for regional railway companies and municipal transport.
 
The investment, worth as much as several billion Euro, into high speed railway is also a boost for national economy, especially when it involves application of new technologies, crucial for its development. The fact that much of the investment can be done by our internal industry is yet another key factor in the endeavour.

The possibility to change our national image in Europe is another important issue. Entering the ‘high-speed club’ will mean nobilitation showing that we have achieved high technological and economic levels. At the moment, Spain is being elevated on the international arena. It uses EU economic help efficiently, for example, by building modern transport infrastructure. Similar chance is also open to Poland.

Jan Raczyński