Poland’s biggest rail contract signed

Today in Katowice, the representatives of the TORPOL-Intop consortium and PKP PLK S.A. signed a contract for the implementation of the largest infrastructure project in the history of the Polish railway to date – the reconstruction of the E65 railway line between Katowice Szopienice Płd. – Katowice – Katowice Piotrowice with a gross value of almost PLN 4.2 billion.

A comprehensive reconstruction of the Katowice Szopienice Płd. – Katowice – Katowice Piotrowice will include, among other things, the change from a double-track layout to a four-track layout from Katowice Szopienice Płd. to Katowice Ligota with an exit in the direction of Chorzów Batorego. Around 100 km of tracks and around 270 turnouts will be modified. The track bed will also be reinforced during the works – for this purpose, approx. 800,000 m3 of excavations and 650,000 m3 of embankments will be made, as well as special aggregate mattresses and approx. 170,000 lm columns to neutralise the impact of mining damage. More than 130 km of new overhead line will be built, including power supplies and electric shock protection.

As part of the works, 14 platforms at 5 stations and stops will be rebuilt and 6 new platforms will be built at Katowice Uniwersytet, Katowice Kokociniec and Katowice Akademia stations. Modern energy-efficient lighting and visual dynamic passenger information systems will be installed on the platforms.

Among other things, a new signal box at Katowice Zawodzie station and a building for the Local Control Centre in Katowice (LCS Katowice) will be built, as well as a technical building at Katowice Ligota station. The signal box at Katowice Ligota station and the water tower at Katowice station will be renovated. All stations will be equipped with a state-of-the-art signalling system operated from the LCS Katowice.

More than 120 engineering structures are also to be modernised, including the railway viaducts in Katowice over Damrota, Francuska, Św. Jana and Mikołowska streets, as well as the subway between Wojewódzka and Mariacka streets.

– We have an extremely busy time ahead of us. Thanks to over 33 years of experience, appropriate human and equipment potential, and cooperation with a proven consortium partner we are very well prepared to carry out this complex task – commented Konrad Tuliński, Vice-President of the Management Board of TORPOL for Production. – We look forward to cooperating with the Ordering Party, as well as with the local government, network operators and carriers, and we ask the passengers and residents for understanding and patience, as such a huge investment in the very centre of Katowice will certainly cause some temporary unavoidable inconveniences.

The investment will above all change the way trains travel in the Silesian Voivodship. In addition to the aforementioned new stops and modernised stations, separate tracks will be created, allowing the agglomeration railway and the long-distance railway to be separated from each other, which will have a positive impact on improving the railway traffic within the Katowice agglomeration.