The railway tunnel and underground station are key parts of the CPK Airport plan and will help build vital rail connections across Poland. The procurement process will be divided into two segments, with up to five shortlisted participants in each. The winning contractor will be responsible for both the design and construction of the complete tunnel and station complex.

“Following the launch of the terminal tender, we’re moving forward with another major procurement – this time for the tunnel and railway station beneath the airport. We’re seeking a contractor with proven experience in large-scale tunnelling and infrastructure projects in Poland,” said Maciej Lasek, Government Plenipotentiary for CPK and Deputy Minister of Infrastructure.

The tunnel, stretching roughly six kilometres and encompassing a volume of 3.5 million cubic metres, will be among the largest of its kind in Poland. Its size will surpass both the Limanowa rail tunnel and the S3 road tunnels near Kamienna Góra. Running along an east–west alignment, it will accommodate railway lines 5, 85, and 88, providing direct connections to Warsaw in the east and Gdańsk, Katowice, and Łódź to the west.

“The tunnel is an integral part of high-speed line No. 85 linking the CPK Airport with Warsaw and Łódź. The station will form a fully integrated part of the terminal, enabling smooth and rapid transfers between rail and air,” said Dr Filip Czernicki, CEO of CPK.

The tender encompasses two primary lots:

• Part 1: design and construction of the eastern and central tunnel sections, including the station.
• Part 2: design and construction of the western section and junction area.

Each lot includes optional works for track systems and internal transport equipment (UTB) to support short-distance passenger and cargo movement.

“The CPK Airport Station and rail tunnel will feature a modern design and cutting-edge technologies, ensuring fast and convenient transfers for passengers,” added Piotr Rachwalski, CPK Management Board Member for Railway Investments. Bids will be assessed on price, methodology, and warranty terms, with contract awards anticipated in early 2027.

According to the current schedule, the underground station and tunnel should be ready by the end of 2032, alongside the launch of the high-speed rail link between Warsaw and Łódź. The remaining parts of the national “Y” network—from Łódź to Wrocław and Sieradz to Poznań—are expected to open by 2035.

It is worth noting that this strategic contract happens to cover the conventional line section that falls between Edirne West and Kapıkule East, as well as the Kapıkule East to Kapıkule West section.

Apparently, Kapıkule station happens to play a very critical role for both passengers and freight transport and serves as the last Turkish station before the Bulgarian border on the corridor that links Istanbul to Europe. The route happens to be a part of broader modernization plans, which include a new high-speed, double-track line from Istanbul to Edirne, which is at present under construction.

The station is going to be equipped with advanced track circuits, as well as ETCS level 1, thereby ensuring elevated safety along with interoperability with European networks. Moreover, the new interlocking systems are going to be rolled out, in addition to the new functionalities that are going to be deployed, thereby elevating the functional efficiency of this line. Notably, the systems are going to have an interface along with advanced signalling systems within the current facilities.

Hitachi Rail’s participation in this project happens to build upon its proven track record in Turkey, where it has successfully gone on to deliver key signalling as well as control systems at stations of Başkentray, Gaziray, and Eskişehir. In Eskisehir, Hitachi Rail supplied total safety, control, signalling, and telecommunications systems all throughout the station tracks, highlighting its capacity as well as commitment to the Turkish high-speed railway network.

“With this latest contract, Hitachi Rail continues supporting Turkey’s vision of a modern, connected, and secure rail infrastructure integrated with the wider European network.”, comments Barış Balcılar – Hitachi Rail General Manager in Turkey.

The new Kapıkule station construction

At present, the route between Istanbul and the Bulgarian border functions by way of a single track. Conventional railway line. Kapıkule Station happens to sit on this line, taking care of international as well as domestic rail traffic at a very critical junction.

As a part of a wider organization as well as a connectivity endeavor, a new double-track high-speed line, which is designed for speeds of almost 200 km/h, is under construction between Istanbul and Edirne. The second phase when it comes to this project that stretches from Cerkezkoy to Kapikule is at present in the works, where Hitachi happens to be offering the track circuits for that section as well.

The new Kapıkule station construction happens to complement this infrastructure overall and also marks a prominent step in elevating Turkey’s role in being a transport bridge between Europe and Asia.

Budimex called it a “gigantic” project that will allow the station to handle more trains.
Some 60,000 people pass through Warsaw West each day, a figure that is expected to double by 2030.

Budimex will demolish the current station and build a new one – designed by Polish firm DWAA Architekci – with a northern entrance hall and nine platforms, improving links to the towns of Piaseczno and Legionowo, and Chopin Airport.

The new station will connect with Warsaw’s tram network, so the contractor will build a tram tunnel at level -2.

The work involves remodelling some 30km of tracks. In a bid to save energy, the design sees all platform walkways covered by a metal canopy with photovoltaic panels.

There will be a new underground access corridor to the tracks, which will double as a shopping arcade.
Construction of the new station is due to be completed by 2023.

Dariusz Blocher, Budimex’s president, said: “The project will increase the capacity of the station and improve the comfort of travelling for passengers.

“This gigantic project is expected to lead to an increase in the number of trains served, as well as a reduction in the duration of cargo handling.”

This presented the engineers with quite a challenge – but one that Infotec Ltd. has successfully overcome.

The new collection of displays – three P1043 and one P1147 – now stands at the barrier line of Southeastern’s high speed platform, and replaces the single large format bespoke summary display originally supplied by Infotec some years ago.

While the new displays themselves were standard, the support structure had to be reconfigured by Infotec. The original main post had to be retained but needed to be adapted to carry four displays rather than the original one.Bespoke CIS display support for St Pancras

Shadow gaps between the displays and the bespoke cladding were included in the design to allow maintenance access to the displays. Heritage officers, in collaboration with Infotec, specified the cladding materials to be used in order to maintain the high aesthetic standards at St Pancras.

To assist in meeting each of these needs, Infotec mechanical engineer Kevin Hancock used the very latest 3D CAD software. Not only did this help with the design and manufacturing process, it also enabled the client to visualise the completed work accurately and for Infotec to provide step-by-step instructions for the installation team.

The display unit is now fully installed and operational and has received the all-important seal of approval from heritage officers. Above all, customers using Southeastern’s high-speed service from London are now even better informed.

The station was opened in November 1895 and currently has a footprint of 80,000 passengers a year. The passenger numbers are expected to significantly increase as Dalmarnock will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The station is located near to the event’s main venues such as the Athlete’s Village, Celtric Park, the National Indoor Sports Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

To make way for the visitor passenger traffic and also to serve as a future important transport hub of the ongoing Clyde Gateway Regeneration Scheme, the station is being redeveloped.

Construction work on the £11m redevelopment project commenced in September 2011 and is scheduled to be completed in November 2013.

The project is being funding by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), Glasgow City Council and Clyde Gateway. It has also received financial backing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the UK rail operator, Network Rail, for £2.89m and £2.4m respectively.

Transport Scotland is monitoring the project and has awarded a contract worth £8.6m to Network Rail to deliver the project.

Background to the Dalmarnock station

The Dalmarnock station is more than 100 years old. It is situated on the Swanston Street and has two platforms. It has limited facilities and is not very accessible for passengers with less mobility. It lacks public utility facilities such as automatic ticket machines and waiting rooms. The northern part of the station ends in a tunnel and has poor ventilation and lighting.

The station has faced disrupted train services, due to poor drainage system, during the recent floods.
In the wake of the upcoming 2014 Commonwealth Games, STP identified the station as a vital transport hub for the visitors and appointed the Independent Rail Consultancy Group (IRCG) to perform a study on the existing station conditions and the potential for future developments.

The initial development plans involved two options. The first plan involved refurbishment and construction of the basic station building at a cost of £5m and the second plan involved construction of a new prominent station building and upgrading the surrounding area. The total cost of implementing this option was estimated at £9m.

The funding partners choose the second option and agreed to go ahead with the project by contributing £2m each.

Design and construction of the major Commonwealth Games transport link

The new-look station is designed by Atkins and is being constructed by C Spencer for Network Rail. The project will however retain the original Victorian design, such as the raised viaduct, staircase and ironwork to maintain its historical significance.

The redevelopment project includes demolition of the main station building and constructing a new one that will be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995. The entrance of the station will be relocated to the Dalmarnock Road from the Swanston Street.

A large concourse area will house customer information and communication systems and provide direct access to the platforms. The ticket office will be positioned to face the new entrance. The roof ceiling will feature folded roof-scape.
New lighting will be installed in the platforms. A lift and pedestrian bridge will be installed to provide access to the platforms. The platforms will have new surfaces and new wall cladding. The exterior of the station building will be clad in a diffuse polycarbonate glazing.

To address the flooding problem from the drains, Network Rail has appointed Farrer Consulting to carry out the assessment of the drainage system and provide a permanent solution for the same.

Four trains per hour travel eastbound and westbound of the Glasgow Central. The station remains closed on Sundays.

Facilities of the Scottish railway station

The current station provides limited facilities such as cycle parking, a CCTV camera and ticket counter.

Planning permission has been submitted by Network Rail to the London Borough of Lambeth for the multi-million pound Waterloo expansion and improvement project, enabling more trains to run in and out of the station.

The project, in conjunction with Network Rail and South West Trains, will reopen platforms of the former Waterloo International Terminal. With almost 100 million passengers a year and a train arriving and departing every minute, the extension will accommodate the predicted 40 percent increase in passengers over the next 30 years.

Plans include providing five new platforms for London commuter services and a redesigned concourse capable of handling the thousands of passengers passing through each day. The first part of this project involves strengthening three bridges on the approach to platforms 20-24 as well as changing the layout of the track and platforms. If the planning application is approved, work on the bridges is expected to start in October and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016. A public awareness programme has now been launched.

John Halsall, route infrastructure director for Network Rail, said: “The project to improve the railway and strengthen the bridges on the approach to Waterloo is an absolutely vital part of our plans to improve capacity at Britain’s busiest station.

“The submission of the planning application to carry out this work is an important step forward and, if approved, we expect to start work before the end of the year.”

Tim Shoveller, managing director of South West Trains, added: “We operate one of the busiest railways in Europe, with over half a million passenger journeys every day.

“The biggest investment for decades on our network is well underway but the work to expand London Waterloo is absolutely vital to make sure we can provide much needed extra space, both for our customers now and in the future.”

If permission is granted preparation work at Waterloo Station is expected to start in October 2015, with construction taking place between November 2015 and December 2016. Associated track and signalling work will then continue until mid-2017.

Plans are also being developed to extend platforms 1-4 allowing 10-car trains to run on the Suburban network for the first time. In addition, more than 250 extra train carriages are being introduced. Network Rail believes both initiatives will provide a 30 percent increase in capacity across the network.

The re-opened platform, which will be fully operational for timetabled services from May 2014, will help to accommodate 108 additional carriages to be launched in the near future to provide extra capacity for around 23,000 peak-time passengers every day.

The platform can be used to relieve overcrowding at the station during times of disruption.

South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance managing director Tim Shoveller said that the re-opening of Platform 20 is the first step in the alliance plan to provide extra capacity to and from the UK’s busiest station.

The contractual agreement with the Department for Transport will start officially from May 2014.

UK rail minister Baroness Kramer said that the re-opening of Platform 20 is great news for the thousands of commuters who use services in and out of Waterloo.

“The government wants to see increased capacity and improved services for passengers, which is why we are investing billions to upgrade our rail network and making sure we have the transport system we need to compete in the global economic race,” Kramer added.

As part of the Department for Transport’s rail investment strategy, plans to re-open the remaining four platforms of the Waterloo International Terminal into use have been developed by the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance.