The tender, one of the largest in CPK's history, was launched in December 2024. The tender documentation comprised around 2,000 documents and the company received over 1,000 questions from bidders.
The winning bid, worth €410 million (net), covers the section between the Retkinia and Fabryczna chambers, including all essential infrastructure. It received the highest score based on price (70%) and team experience (30%).
This investment is a major step towards the creation of Poland's first truly high-speed rail network. Trains will reach speeds of up to 350 km/h, cutting journey times between major cities and boosting the Lodz region.
"One of the company's key tasks is to build the high-speed rail tunnel under the centre of Łódź while ensuring maximum safety for residents. The additional technical assessments of buildings along the tunnel route that we have commissioned show that we are approaching this challenging project responsibly and with the highest standards of execution," says Filip Czernicki, CEO of CPK.
The tunnel will be bored using a TBM with a diameter of approximately 14 metres and a length of 4.6 km, and will accommodate 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 built in Poland. The route runs under the dense urban fabric of Lodz, requiring the highest safety and engineering standards.
And the last information: tunnel is part of the strategic Line 85 - the 'Y' route - which will connect Warsaw and CPK Airport to Łódź by 2032 and extend to Wrocław and Poznań by 2035. Construction is expected to start later this year.
