Amber Corridor an opportunity for Bydgoszcz and Port of Gdynia
Bydgoszcz wants to be recognised as a hub for the Baltic-Adriatic Amber Corridor of the TEN-T core network. The development of infrastructure for intermodal transport in this region is important not only for the Bydgoszcz agglomeration but also for the strategic projects of the Port of Gdynia, indicated the participants of the I Bydgoszcz Amber Trail Forum.
“The already completed road and railway investments predestine Bydgoszcz to play the role of a hub of the TEN-T core network. The European Commission also sees this potential and I hope that it will take this into account soon. Unofficial information that reaches me is extremely promising,” said MEP Kosma Złotowski.
As the parliamentarian pointed out, the potential of the planned intermodal terminal in Bydgoszcz Emilianowo will be fully utilised only if efficient communication with the ports of Gdynia and Gdańsk is ensured. For this purpose, it is necessary, inter alia, the modernisation of railway line No. 201. In May, the City Council of Bydgoszcz issued an appeal to recognise the city as a road and railway base junction of the TEN-T network. Such a decision could be taken during the preparation of an amendment to an EU directive. The petition indicates that Line 201 and the Bydgoszcz – Piła – Szczecin railway should be included in the network.
“Conditions have changed. The concept for constructing a terminal in Emilianowo has emerged. I have carried out several analyses and it seems to me that within a few years Bydgoszcz will meet the conditions for recognizing the city as a core network node as set out in the regulation. According to the announcements of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Bydgoszcz will be included in the ERTMS network by 2030, and studies on the conditions for the electrification of the Piła – Krzyż Wielkopolski line are being prepared,” emphasised Łukasz Religa, president of the New Amber Trail Association.
Profitable investments
In recent months, investors’ interest in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship has increased, but it is necessary to develop infrastructure, including logistics centres. “One zloty invested in intermodal transport gives 22 zloty in return. The problem, however, is that someone has to invest the money but the benefits accrue to a wide range of recipients. Therefore, the question arises who should invest in this infrastructure? In the West, either the state or local governments invest because they are the recipients of the benefits. The benefits from the construction of the terminal in Emilianowo for the next 30 years are from 14 to almost 17 billion zloty,” said Paweł Bukowski, CEO of the Bydgoszcz Emilianowo Intermodal Terminal (the company that is responsible for developing and promoting the project).
The intermodal terminal in Bydgoszcz Emilianowo is planned in the vicinity of the planned investment areas devoted to the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone. “The area around Emilianowo beyond 125 hectares is additionally even 1,000 hectares around. When this idea was created in 2016 and we were making profitability analyses, this profitability was “fastening”. Today I am calm when it comes to returning investment. The interest of entrepreneurs is enormous,” said Łukasz Religa.
Appeal for modernisation
The modernisation of Line 201 is of key importance in the context of the planned investments in the Port of Gdynia, especially the Outer Port, which is the flagship terminal investment on the Polish coast. The representatives of the Port of Gdynia appeal for the implementation of this project.
“We know that this line is being designed, but this investment was already included in the National Railway Programme, then it was radically reduced by almost 3/4 of the reduced value of this project. Now the deadline declared by PKP PLK is in 2025, and we have signals that it will be delayed. This is a big problem, so here I am appealing to all of you if you can support our actions. We will also support your actions because Line 201 is important both for the Port of Gdynia and the Port of Gdańsk, but also for your agglomeration, for the development of the terminal in Emilianowo. We treat the Port of Gdynia as a large intermodal terminal, not only for containers but also for bulk cargo. Currently, the length of the tracks to the Port of Gdynia Authority is over 20 kilometres, and we plan to add another 10 kilometres. We are also planning to build an intermodal terminal in the Logistics Valley and the Outer Port,” stated Leszek Jurczyk, Director for Strategy and Development of the Port of Gdynia Authority.