CPK builds 4.6 km high-speed rail tunnel in Łódź by 2029

Announced on 7 August 2026: at the high-speed tunnel in Łódź (Port Polska), the first components of the tunnel boring machine have been lowered into the Retkinia launch chamber; each is about 19 m long and weighs around 215 t, and a 450 t gantry crane takes them about 45 m below ground. The roughly 4.6 km twin-track tunnel, about 14 m in diameter, is part of line no. 85 and is to become the longest and widest rail tunnel bored in a single drive in Poland; boring is due to start in the first quarter of 2027 and to end in 2028 at the already completed receiving chamber at Łódź Fabryczna. Fit-out and safety tests will run until 2029, when final acceptance is planned; the Warsaw–Łódź line is to open in 2032 with a journey time of about 40 minutes. The date is a placeholder: the article gives only the year 2029 for final acceptance. (LOK Report, 7 Aug 2026)