Poland High-speed rail in Europe

polish railways pendolino in wrocław, southern poland

today, main cities of poland linked railway transport reaching 160 km/h. on 14 december 2014, polish state railways started passenger service trains pkp pendolino ed250 operating 200 km/h speed on 80 km line olszamowice-zawiercie (part of railway line called central trunk line (cmk) warsaw katowice). line highest railway speed in poland. several other sections of central trunk line allow speeds of 200 km/h (with current speed record set pendolino train on 21 november 2013 in poland of 293 km/h). according recent plans of pkp-plk, sections of cmk between warsaw , gdańsk (145 km) , warsaw-kraków (additional 80 km) added present section no later december 2015. make 300 km of railways available speed of 200 km/h. other sections start operating @ 200 km/h in 2016.

polish railways many years did not possess rolling stock achieve speeds on 160 km/h. polish railways planned buy pendolino trains in 1998, contract cancelled following year supreme control chamber due financial losses polish railways. however, new contact alstom transport worth 665 million euros signed in may 2011 , since december 2014, 20 pendolino units service katowice/kraków - gdynia line , wrocław/warsaw line. however, pendolinos in poland not equipped tillting system, not useful on flat polish plains. lack of tilting system pendolino train along choosing alstom transportation despite domestic train producers subject of broad debate in media , polish railways heavily criticised purchase.

other current plans call y line connect warsaw, Łódź , kalisz, branches wrocław , poznań. geometric layout of line designed permit speeds of 360 km/h. construction planned begin around 2014 , finish in 2019. in centre of city of Łódź y line travel through underground tunnel link 2 existing railway stations. 1 of them, Łódź fabryczna, reconstructed underground station, work being scheduled start in july 2010. in april 2009, 4 companies qualified second phase of public tender prepare feasibility study construction of line. in april 2010, tender feasibility study awarded consortium led spanish company ingenieria idom. feasibility study project has been granted €80 million in subsidy european union. total cost of line including construction , train sets has been estimated @ €6.9bn , planned financed partially eu subsidies.

in december 2013, project delayed. however, Łódź fabryczna railway station central point of line in second phase of construction , largest such project in central europe. in november 2013 sławomir nowak, minister of transport , opponent of y-line dismissed , consultations y-line undergoing.

there many plans upgrade existing lines. y line links possibly extended berlin poznań , prague wrocław, upgrading existing lines.

the european train control system being introduced.

a warszawa-toruń-gdańsk high-speed railway in planning stages.

new rolling stock of home companies (newag, pesa bydgoszcz) have appeared in 2012 , 2013 such newag impuls train exceed speed of 200 km/h.