PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe is preparing a limited tender for the remaining stretch of the Łódź cross-city tunnel and expects to announce it this month. Drilling could resume in the first quarter of 2027, but only after the stuck tunnel boring machine has been assessed.
The tender is one of the first concrete steps after the company terminated the contract with Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Dróg i Mostów from Mińsk Mazowiecki six months ago. PLK accused the former contractor of numerous execution errors, extremely low efficiency, and the lack of a realistic, credible and feasible plan for continuing the works. The actual tunnelling under the old contract did not start until December 2020, and about 980 metres still remain to be dug. It is now clear that work will not resume this year.
Earlier assumptions called for the new contractor to be selected in 2026 and to enter the site in the third or fourth quarter. Those plans have slipped. Before opening the tender, PLK completed technical consultations with five firms experienced in tunnel construction. The discussions concerned construction technology, protection of buildings, scenarios for resuming the drive and risk identification. The upcoming procedure will be carried out as a restricted tender.
Tunnel boring machine and resumption schedule
The key condition for restarting work is the condition of the TBM known as Katarzyna. The machine belongs to the removed contractor, but the Łódź Voivode, at PLK’s request, issued a decision obliging the owner to hand it over to the railway company so that the tunnel could be completed.
– The planned resumption of drilling is the first quarter of 2027, and it will depend, among other things, on the results of the technical assessment of the TBM machine – said Rafał Wilgusiak of the PKP PLK press team.
In mid-June, the voivode also decided to take over four tenement houses located above the trapped machine. Property appraisers appointed by the voivode are now valuing the buildings, and compensation decisions will follow. PLK says the compensation will be set individually on the basis of replacement value, without accounting for the degree of wear and tear.
Uncertain future of buildings above the tunnel
– As for the future of the buildings, site inspections and technical analyses confirmed their degradation and the risk of further uncontrolled failure during the resumption of tunnelling. However, at this stage there is no final decision on their demolition. The scope of any possible demolition will depend on the technology adopted by the new contractor – said Rafał Wilgusiak.
Local media have reported that during meetings with residents, people were told PLK planned to reach the cutterhead from above the buildings. The company’s statements so far have not addressed those reports.
At the same time, PLK is preparing a second tender for the equipment of the tunnels and the construction of station infrastructure. The exact scope of that contract is still being determined because the inventory of works left by the previous contractor has not been finished.
– We are awaiting the results of the ongoing inventory of works left by the previous contractor, which will make it possible to determine the scope of the work precisely. The announcement of this tender is planned for the turn of 2026 and 2027 – said Rafał Wilgusiak.
The cross-city tunnel, which is to be more than 2 km long and twin-track, is a key part of a larger railway investment in Łódź. It will connect the main stations, including Łódź Widzew, Łódź Fabryczna, Łódź Kaliska and Łódź Żabieniec. The project also includes three new stops – Łódź Śródmieście, Łódź Polesie and Koziny – and four single-track tunnels with a total length of about 4.5 km, connecting Łódź Kaliska and Łódź Żabieniec with Koziny. Those four tunnels, dug by the TBM Faustyna, were completed in December 2024. The whole system will also turn Łódź Fabryczna from a terminal station into a pass-through station and allow local, regional and long-distance trains to run through the city centre.
The original contract from December 2017 assumed completion in December 2021, but that deadline was moved several times. PLK no longer wants to indicate dates or estimate final costs. At the beginning of 2026 it mentioned PLN 2.5 billion, but that was before the contractor change. A detailed timetable will be possible after both tenders are settled; final costs will depend on the inventory results, the assessment of the TBM, the procurement process and the schedules proposed by future contractors.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Łódzki Urząd Wojewódzki
