Tusk unveils sweeping plan to modernize Poland’s rail network | Ukraine news - EUROPE SAYS
A sweeping rail overhaul promises to cut travel times and reshape Polish connectivity. Officials say high-speed lines and upgrades aim to transform domestic and cross-country journeys. Poland’s Prime Minister. . .
A sweeping rail overhaul promises to cut travel times and reshape Polish connectivity. Officials say high-speed lines and upgrades aim to transform domestic and cross-country journeys. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk unveiled a large-scale plan to upgrade the railway system, aimed at creating one of the most modern networks in Europe through a program of modernization and development of transport corridors. The announcement was made during the presentation of the Integrated Railway Network (ZSK) at an event at the Warsaw West railway station complex. According to the head of government, the project envisages the construction of 2,700 km of track for high-speed trains, over 2,000 km of new conventional routes and the modernization of about 5,600 km of existing tracks. We are building the most modern railway network in Europe. When we complete this large project, nearly 800 million passengers will travel by rail in Poland each year. – Donald TuskExpected results and speedAfter the program is implemented, trains will be able to reach speeds of up to 350 km/h, and the entire intercity network will be integrated into a single system. According to the government, implementing the project will reduce travel times from the capital to major cities to about 100 minutes, and journeys between the north and south or west and east will take no more than three hours. The total cost of current railway investments amounts to over 100 billion zlotys; the package includes the purchase of new rolling stock, electrification, digitization and modernization of infrastructure, as well as the construction of high-speed railway lines. The expected full implementation of ZSK is planned for 2050–2060. The total cost is estimated at approximately 610 billion zlotys (over 160 billion US dollars), of which about 410 billion is for building new lines and about 200 billion for modernizing the existing infrastructure. According to the government, in 2025 the Polish railway carried nearly 439 million passengers – the highest figure in the last three decades. By next year they expect this figure to rise to around 500 million. It is also known that on June 29, due to the heat in Poland, more than 20 train services were cancelled. The implementation of ZSK is expected to boost mobility in the country, reduce travel time for intercity trips, and increase the competitiveness of rail transport in the European space. Tags:Aktualnościdonald tusk rail planNewspolandpoland high-speed railpoland high-speed rail zsk integrated network donald tusk rail plan rail modernization poland polish infrastructure investmentpolish infrastructure investmentpolskarail modernization polandzsk integrated network