First procurement procedure for High Speed Rail in Poland
This marks a breakthrough moment for Polish railways. As part of the implementation of the strategic Port Polska programme, the company Centralny Port Komunikacyjny has announced the first-ever procurement procedure in Central and Eastern Europe to be conducted under the competitive dialogue procedure for the construction of a section of high-speed rail (HSR).
The tender concerns a 13-kilometre stretch of the line between Kotowice and the airport junction in the Masovia region. Contractors may submit applications to participate until 2 March 2026. On this HSR section, which forms part of the rail “Y” network linking Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław, trains will be able to operate at speeds of up to 350 km/h. The geometric and technical parameters of the line will be designed for this speed, including gradients, curve radii, turnouts and a traction power supply standard new to Poland: 25 kV AC.
By comparison, the fastest line in Poland at present is the Warsaw–Gdańsk route, on which scheduled trains operate at speeds of up to 200 km/h. Soon, trains on the Central Rail Line, which connects Warsaw with Kraków and Katowice, will accelerate to 250 km/h. Meanwhile, the traction power supply used in Poland today is 3 kV DC.
The procurement procedure for the construction of the first 13-kilometre section of line No. 85 between Kotowice and the airport junction has been divided into two stages. In the first stage, contractors will submit applications to participate. In the second stage, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, which is implementing the Port Polska investments, intends to invite a maximum of six contractors.
The selected entity will be responsible both for construction works and for preparing the detailed design.