PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. (PKP PLK) – Polish Infrastructure Manager – is modernizing the E30 railway line, running through the city centre of Krakow – the second largest city in Poland. It is one of the largest EU transport investments in the region. The implementation of the project will increase the capacity of railways in Malopolska (Lesser Poland). Thanks to the additional tracks, it will be possible to run more regional and agglomeration trains. The new stops will increase access to railways for the residents of Krakow. The investment worth over PLN 1 billion net is co-financed by the European Union under the CEF “Connecting Europe” instrument.

It is first and foremost the construction of two additional tracks for the agglomeration, between the two largest stations in Krakow. There will be a total of 4 railway tracks on the Krakow Glowny (Krakow Main) – Krakow Plaszow section, which will separate long-distance and agglomeration train traffic. To achieve this, the railway embankment in the city centre was removed. In its place, a railway viaduct and a new stop, Krakow Grzegorzki, are planned. In other places, viaducts and embankments are being enlarged, and the construction of three railway bridges on the Vistula River with four tracks and a footbridge for pedestrian and bicycle traffic is ongoing. Trains will run faster through Krakow – in the city centre they will reach up to  100 km / h, and to the east of the Krakow Plaszow station, they will be able to accelerate up to 160 km / h. It will increase the possibilities of attractive and time-competitive train journeys.

The travellers’ comfort will be increased thanks to the stations’ and stops’ modernization. The facilities will be fully adapted to the needs of people with reduced mobility. Additional platforms, new monitoring, sound and dynamic passenger information systems will be built. The safety of train traffic will increase thanks to the installation of a new traffic control system and the construction of two Local Control Centres.

The construction of two railway viaducts has been already completed in the Krakow centre. From mid-2019, trains use the first of four new tracks. Currently, contractors are carrying out the remaining works. There is already a gravel surface on the E1 viaduct and the installation of more tracks and catenary gates has started. At the E2 viaduct works related to the construction of the Krakow Grzegorzki stop are carried out.

The first of the three railway bridge on the Vistula River is ready, trains run on it from May 2020. The works of another two are ongoing. At the Western bridge, there will be a section for pedestrians and cyclists. It will increase the railways’ availability and create an important communication route in Krakow.

The project “Works on the E30 railway line, Kraków Glowny Towarowy – Rudzice section, including the construction of metropolitan line tracks” is co-financed by the European Union under the CEF “Connecting Europe” instrument.

To know more about this investment 👉 http://www.krakow-rudzice.pl

To know more about PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe 👉 https://www.plk-sa.pl/