Budimex has signed a contract for the completion of the Fabryczna PKP PLK chamber in Łódź

The Central Communication Port and Budimex companies have signed an agreement to complete construction works in the Łódź Fabryczna turnout chamber, which is the final element of the PKP Polish Railway Lines diameter tunnel in Łódź. This is another step towards the completion of the investment – after the agreement signed in June this year on the takeover of works at the junction of two tunnels in Łódź: the long-distance Port Polska and the agglomeration PKP PLK.  

The agreement with Budimex will allow the continuation of interrupted construction works in the PKP PLK tunnel, and thus will also enable the further construction of the Port Polska long-distance tunnel, the investor of which is the Central Communication Port company. The value of the works under the contract is over PLN 113 million net.

Both chambers – the long-distance Port of Poland and for cross-section traffic PKP PLK – are located on the west side of the Łódź Fabryczna station. They are separated by a common slit wall, up to 46 meters deep in places. The two projects are closely linked to each other and, for technological reasons, require coordinated implementation.

” The agreement signed today will enable both the completion of the construction of the PLK chamber we have taken over, as well as the execution of other necessary works in our almost finished High Speed Rail (HGC) chamber. This is very good news for the citizens of Łódź, who in a few years will be able to use both currently implemented tunnel investments: for long-distance trains and for regional and agglomeration trains – says Filip Czernicki, PhD, Port of Poland, President of the Central Communication Port company.

The signed contract for the completion of the works is a response to the challenges related to the implementation of both tunnel investments in Łódź. After PLK suspended works in the diameter tunnel chamber and terminated the contract with the existing contractor by this investor, the Central Communication Port declared its readiness to take over part of the construction works at the PLK tunnel chamber.

” The completion of all works in our compartment for KDP trains would not have been possible without the completion of works at the PLK turnout diameter chamber. This is why we made a joint decision to entrust this task to a contractor with know-how and experience on our construction site –  says Piotr Rachwalski, Member of the Management Board for Railways of the Central Communication Port. ” As railway investors who cooperate with each other and have a common goal, we use each other’s experience. PLK’s investment will be completed by a contractor tested on the Port Polska investment, while we are drawing construction conclusions for the future from the construction of the first tunnel by PLK ,” he adds.

As part of the signed contract (the so-called similar contract), the contractor will be responsible, m.in, for the completion of construction works, in particular the execution of ceilings, reinforced concrete structures, foundation slabs, excavations and the so-called backfills. In addition, it will provide geodetic services and  secure the construction site.

Now the same contractor, i.e . Budimex, is responsible for the construction of the PLK chamber and the Retkinia and Fabryczna Port Polska chambers, which are the beginning and the end of the Port Polska tunnel for long-distance trains being built by PORR, which will connect Warsaw via Łódź Fabryczna with Poznań and Wrocław.

” The signing of the contract for the implementation of works at the PLK chamber in Łódź is a confirmation of the trust placed in us by our partners implementing key infrastructure investments in Poland. We are glad that we can participate in this project and support its implementation with our know-how and experience gained in the most demanding engineering projects. The conclusion of another agreement with the Port of Poland opens the next stage of our cooperation in strategic infrastructure investments. We believe that the combination of the competencies of both parties will translate into efficient implementation of the project and the achievement of the assumed investment goals ,” emphasizes Artur Popko. President of the Management Board, Budimex SA.

According to the agreement signed in June this year with PKP PLK, the Central Communication Port company, which commissions Budimex to carry out construction works at the cross-section tunnel chamber, will be responsible for investor supervision. PKP PLK will provide financing for the works performed, provide design documentation, and after the completion of all works, take over the finished facility.

The PLK diameter tunnel will improve m.in communication between different parts of Łódź, enabling the passage of regional trains between Łódź Fabryczna and Łódź Kaliska through the stops Łódź Śródmieście, Łódź Polesie and Łódź Koziny. After 2032, AeroExpress trains will also run through this tunnel, running every 30 minutes, which will be the main means of transport between Warsaw, the new airport and Łódź.

The KDP tunnel – for long-distance trains – built as part of the Port of Poland strategic investments, is a key element of the “Y” line from Warsaw via Łódź to Poznań and Wrocław. It will allow the fastest trains to cover the Warsaw – Wrocław route in 1 hour and 36 minutes, while the journey from Łódź to Wrocław will take less than an hour.

In 2032, along with the new airport, the KDP line between Warsaw and Łódź is to be put into service. By 2035, according to the schedule, the high-speed rail should reach Wrocław and Poznań.