High-Speed Rail "Y": Warsaw – CPK – Łódź – Wrocław/Poznań
A new high-speed rail line in the shape of the letter "Y", connecting Warsaw via the CPK airport (Port Polska) and Łódź with Wrocław and Poznań — approximately 480 km of new infrastructure delivered by the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny company. The concept dates back to 2008 (a feasibility study commissioned by PKP PLK); in 2011 work on the high-speed rail was frozen, and the project was revived as the rail backbone of the CPK program. The design documentation for the 140-kilometer Warsaw–Łódź section (line no. 85), worth nearly PLN 350 million, is 85% financed by the EU from the CEF instrument (over PLN 290 million). In June 2025, a contract was signed with the PORR consortium for boring the high-speed rail tunnel under Łódź (approximately 4.6 km, diameter approximately 14 m), and in August 2025 the contractor took over the construction site of the Retkinia launch chamber; TBM boring is to begin in the second half of 2026. In 2026, tenders are being announced for the construction of further sections (including 14.3 km from the airport junction to the Bolimów junction) with a design speed of up to 350 km/h. The Warsaw–Łódź section is to be ready by the end of 2032, and the arms to Wrocław and Poznań by 2035; the CPK company estimated the cost of the entire "Y" line in 2024 at approximately PLN 80 billion.
How it went
Assessment: too early to assess. Signals only where documented.
Timeline
Slip: +60 mo. vs. the original date
- Announced 9 Dec 2008
- Construction start Aug 2025
- Original date 2030
- Current date 2035
Change history
- Aug 2025 stage: construction
- 9 Dec 2008 stage: announced
Significance
The "Y" line is to be the first full-scale high-speed rail in Poland, with an operating speed of up to 350 km/h. It will shorten the journey from Warsaw to Łódź from approximately 70–90 to approximately 40 minutes, and from Warsaw to Wrocław and Poznań to approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, while simultaneously connecting the CPK airport (under 20 minutes from Warsaw) to the national rail network. The high-speed rail tunnel under Łódź (approximately 4.6 km, diameter approximately 14 m) is to be the longest and largest-diameter railway tunnel bored in Poland as a single section. The rail component of the CPK program, of which the "Y" line is the core, is valued at over PLN 76 billion.
Sources 7 · 7 archived
Every fact on this card comes from the sources below. Next to each source — which fields it supports.
- Wikipedia (pl)AnnouncedOriginal dateCurrent dateDescription
Announced „9 grudnia 2008 roku PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. uruchomiła postępowanie o udzielenie zamówienia publicznego na opracowanie studium wykonalności linii"
Original date „I połowa 2029 – I połowa 2030 roku"
locations „projekt linii kolei dużych prędkości, która według planów opracowanych przed 2014 r. miała łączyć Warszawę, Łódź, Kalisz/Ostrów Wielkopolski, Wrocław oraz Poznań"
- Kolej dużych prędkości na odcinku Warszawa – Łódź bliżej realizacji. CPK podał szczegóły ↗ archived ✓Transinfo.pl 29 Oct 2025Current dateSignificanceDescription
- Ponad 290 mln zł na projekt linii kolejowej CPK między Warszawą i Łodzią. Umowa podpisana ↗ archived ✓NaKolei.pl 10 Oct 2023DescriptionInvestor
- Rynek Kolejowy 18 Jul 2024CostCurrent dateSignificanceDescription
Cost „Koszt całej Linii "Y" to około 80 mld złotych"
Current date „w horyzoncie do 2035 roku chcemy oddać odcinki od Łodzi do Wrocławia oraz od Łodzi do Poznania"
- Ministerstwo Infrastruktury (gov.pl) 22 Nov 2024StatusSignificanceDescription
- PortalSamorzadowy.pl 3 May 2026StatusSignificanceDescription
- Inżynier Budownictwa 25 Aug 2025StatusStageStage historyConstruction startInvestorSignificance
Status „spółka CPK przekazała konsorcjum budowlanemu PORR plac budowy komory startowej Retkinia"
Stage „Pod koniec czerwca 2025 r. spółka CPK i konsorcjum PORR podpisały umowę na drążenie tunelu dla KDP"