PKP PLK announces tender to restore railway connection to Jastrzębie-Zdrój — RMF24
In Poland, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe has announced a tender to restore the railway connection to Jastrzębie-Zdrój, the largest Polish city currently without rail access. RMF24 reports. The project will be carried out under the government’s Kolej Plus programme.
Connection with Katowice
The announcement of the tender was made at a press conference in Żory by Deputy Infrastructure Minister and government commissioner for the Central Communication Port Piotr Malepszak. The estimated value of the contract is PLN 270 million excluding VAT. Bids will be accepted until 4 December, with their opening expected in early December.
According to Malepszak, the work is planned to be completed by the end of 2030. The journey between Jastrzębie-Zdrój and Katowice is expected to take up to 60 minutes. In the future, the authorities also want to build the first 20 km of a high-speed line from Katowice towards Żory and Rybnik. This is expected to reduce travel time to about 35 minutes for fast regional express trains.
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Route and financing
PKP PLK management board member Marcin Mochocki described the project as complex due to geological and post-mining conditions. It предусматривает the restoration of an almost nine-kilometre section, the construction of a complex engineering structure over a mining water reservoir, and the building of a new Jastrzębie terminal station near Północna and Sybiraków streets. Part of the line will run along a new route. Twenty months have been allocated for construction work, and the relevant railway permits will need to be obtained after its completion.
Overall, the project covers around 35 km of railway lines. Plans include using the existing infrastructure of line No. 159, building approximately 20.6 km of new lines, as well as restoring and modernising individual sections between Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Żory and Orzesze. Ten new stops and stations are also planned.
The estimated amount of eligible costs is PLN 475.1 million excluding VAT. PKP PLK funds under Kolej Plus are to finance 85% of these costs, while local governments will cover 15%. The Jastrzębie-Zdrój–Żory–Katowice route is planned to provide 12 pairs of trains per day.
