Solidarity Transport Hub (STH) is a multimodal hub, consisting of two major components: a brand new international airport located 37 km West of Warsaw and a new nationwide high-speed railway system of 10 major corridors radiating from the STH Airport Multimodal Node towards all regions of Poland.

The STH is currently in its planning phase. The airport and the first section of the railway system are scheduled to be opened at the end of 2027.

The STH railway system will be based on approximately 2000 km of new railway lines with nearly half of them in high-speed-rail (HSR) standard, as well as around 2400 km of modernized railway lines. Completion of the STH railway program is one of the biggest ongoing engineering projects in Central Europe. It involves the adoption of finest HSR design standards, technical parameters and planning procedures, many of which will be implemented for the first time in the entire region.

The STH’s railway planning concept includes the following preliminary assumptions for its high-speed sections:

• Designed speed of up to 350 km/h
• Operational speed of ≥250 km/h
• 25kV 50Hz AC electrification of the core HSR network
• Full interoperability and compliance with all modern EU rail traffic control standards
• Full connectivity with the existing railway system.

At the moment, the STH is working on feasibility studies for 1,300 km of planned railway lines. These are the lines running through the centre of the country, such as the connection between Warsaw and Łódź, Wrocław and Poznań, as well as cross-border lines, e.g. from Katowice to Ostrava (Czechia), but also completely new lines – for example from Ostrołęka to Giżycko.

The STH company has also started looking for contractors for large projects, such as designing of new railway lines. The tender for this type of service is the largest of its kind in Europe – the total cost will amount to 1.5 billion euros.

The most advanced STH investment to date is HSR tunnel in Łódź. It is the first of the STH investments to enter the design phase and to have an environmental decision. The tunnel will be a key part of the railway route linking Warsaw with Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław. The project is supported by the EU from the EU’s program Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

The STH, together with the Railway Institute and foreign partners, has created high-speed rail standards necessary for the design and construction of lines within the railway system. The standards will make it possible to ensure the maintenance of uniform technical parameters for lines designed at different times by various entities.

The new STH railway system will be fully completed by 2034.

Upon completion, the STH railway system will comprehensively address numerous mobility needs, including in particular:

• Providing fast, frequent, and seamless access to the STH and the Solidarity Airport from nearby cities of Warsaw and  Łódź
• Forming Poland’s core High-Speed-Rail network, linking nation’s largest urban areas and serving major international routes running across Central and Eastern Europe
• Bringing convenient rail services to the currently isolated remote regions of Poland.