Relief for rail passengers. Łódz – Warsaw in 70 minutes from December 15

Passengers who regularly travel on the Łódz – Warsaw line should feel a big relief. After 10 years modernization of railway tracks between Łódz and Warsaw, construction works will finally be completed in mid December. Passengers are now looking at a travel time of 70 minutes between the two cities.

The modernization started in 2006. First up, the tracks between Łódz Widzew and Koluszki as well as Koluszki and Skierniewice were modernized between 2006 and 2008. The next phase of modernization started in 2011 with the tracks between Skierniewice and Warszawa Zachodnia to be completed before Euro 2012. However, the deadline was not met due to non-compliance with the European environmental laws. The deadline was extended to 2013 however was also missed due to bankruptcy of the contractor. A new contractor was chosen with a new deadline of completion set for 2014, however, that deadline too turned out to be too optimistic.

PKP PLK (Polish railways) reassures that this time there will be no further delays and the work will be completed this year. The new timetable will come into force mid-December 2015 reducing the travel time between Łódz and Warsaw to 70 minutes. Up to now, construction works caused massive delays on the Łódz – Warsaw line with passengers sometimes being stuck on trains for 150 – 180 minutes.

For Łódz as a city this means even better connections to the capital city which opens up new business opportunities.