Six consortia representing a total of 17 companies have applied to take part in the competitive dialogue procedure for the construction of Poland’s first high-speed rail line section. The planned 13 km stretch will link Kotowice, located in the Mazovia region, with the airport, forming a crucial segment of the future Warsaw-Łódź corridor. The investment is being delivered by Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) under the Port Polska strategic program. As part of the rollout of the first high-speed rail line, bids have been submitted by these contenders:
- Budimex
- the consortium of ZUE, Duna Polska, and POLAQUA
- the consortium of TORPOL, MIRBUD, and KOBYLARNIA
- the consortium of Trakcja and PORR
- the consortium of Mostostal Warszawa, NDI, NDI Sopot, and INTERCOR
- the consortium of Gülermak, Track Tec Construction, UNIBEP, and Pomorskie Przedsiębiorstwo Mechaniczno-Torowe
The tender marks a significant milestone in the development of Poland’s first high-speed rail line section and is expected to attract strong interest from both domestic and international contractors.
“This is the first tender for the construction of a high-speed line in Poland with international impact across all of Central and Eastern Europe. In future railway tenders, we expect strong participation from domestic firms, which will provide a significant boost to the Polish economy,” said Maciej Lasek, the Polish government’s representative for the CPK project.
CPK will proceed with the evaluation of submitted applications, with all six consortia potentially advancing to the dialogue phase. Selection criteria at this stage include prior experience in completed construction projects, particularly those undertaken in Poland, as well as the Polish language proficiency of key personnel. Final evaluation will be based on price and the length of the extended warranty period, with the contract award expected in the fourth quarter of 2027.
The Kotowice-Airport section forms part of the broader “Y” railway line, which is designed to connect Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań, and Wrocław. Trains operating on Poland’s first high-speed rail line are expected to reach speeds of up to 350 km/h, supported by technical specifications such as gradients, curve radii, switches, and a 25 kV AC power supply system.
Looking ahead, CPK plans to initiate additional procedures covering multiple sections, including 18 km between Warsaw West and Kotowice, 15 km between the airport and the Bolimowski junction, 12 km within the Bolimowski junction, 37 km between the Bolimowski junction and Brzeziny and 11 km between Brzeziny and Łódź. Separate tenders will also address rail traffic control systems, telecommunications, and the power supply network for the entire line, while archaeological survey procedures are currently under review. For the Warsaw-Łódź route, all 12 applications required for location decisions have already been submitted, with the first approval secured near Warsaw West station last November. The Warsaw-Łódź segment of the first high-speed rail line is scheduled to open in 2032, coinciding with the launch of the new airport, while the extension to Poznań and Wrocław via the “Y” line is expected to be operational by 2035.
