Austrian construction company PORR has entered a contract, valued at over €400m ($468m), with Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) to build Poland's longest railway tunnel in Łódź.

CPK represents an initiative in Poland, focused on creating a contemporary, interconnected network encompassing air, rail, and road transportation.

The tunnel, spanning nearly 5km, will be a crucial part of the railway line 85, nicknamed 'Y', connecting Warsaw and the new central airport with Łódź.

It will be the widest railway tunnel in Poland, bored in a single section using a tunnel boring machine with a 14m-diameter cutterhead and weighing around 3,200 tonnes.

Construction is set to begin later this year, with completion expected within 48 months.

PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss said: “The high-speed railway line will bring Warsaw closer to Łódź and is therefore an important building block in expanding Poland’s transport infrastructure. The size and technical complexity of this project is unprecedented on the Polish market.”

The route will feature double tracks, allowing trains to travel at speeds of up to 160km/h in both directions. The contract also encompasses essential operational infrastructure, including the shafts and the railway line.

To mitigate the impact on urban areas, geotechnical reinforcements and structural safeguards will be implemented. A geodetic monitoring system will oversee structural conditions, while experts assess the technical condition of buildings along the route.

PORR will construct five supply shafts and realise the inner shells of the launch and exit shafts.

The tunnel will be equipped with modern railway technology, including water and wastewater systems, electrics, telecommunications, and fire protection, alongside road works and final site development.

The tunnel's suitability for high-speed travel is stated to be enhanced by the Slab Track Austria technology developed by PORR, marking its first application in a Polish railway tunnel.

This technology is said to offer a long service life and reduced noise and vibrations, suitable for speeds of up to 400km/h.

PORR has a history of major tunnel projects in Poland, including the S3 Bolków-Kamienna Góra tunnels and the TS-26, Poland's longest nonurban tunnel using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method.

It also built a tunnel under the Świna Strait and widened a historic railway tunnel using the tunnel-in-tunnel method.

Recently, PORR secured a design-and-build contract, valued at an estimated €428m, for the renovation of a railway line in Romania.