PORR wins €97m contract to modernise 40km railway line in south of Poland
At the end of last week PORR S.A. and PKP PLK S.A signed an agreement to modernise the railway line E30 on the section Kędzierzyn Koźle–Opole Zachodnie. PORR has been charged with the design, planning and construction works. Upon completion, the maximum permissible speed will more than double in some areas and the capacity of the stretch will improve considerably. The tender is worth around EUR 97m (PLN 412m).
Rail travel is the region’s most popular form of public transport on the 40 km-long stretch between Kędzierzyn Koźle and Opole. The planned modernisation will make an important contribution to regional travel: the maximum permissible speed will increase from the current 60 to maximum 100 km/h to up to 160km/h, which will thereby allow a significant increase in capacity for the transport of passengers and freight.
“Two criteria were especially important when awarding the tender: naturally one was the price, but this time the technological solution was also a key factor. Track closures needed to be kept to a minimum. Our Polish railway construction team, which has succeeded once again through its expertise, proposed a mechanical upgrade to the superstructure with special track construction machines. This is what convinced our client in the end – along with our attractive price”, said PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss, taking pride in the success of his team.
In the course of the project, PORR will replace 91 km of track superstructure including catenary as well as 112 sets of points. In addition, 49 engineering structures – a total of nine bridges, five viaducts, three underpasses, 32 passageways and 22 level crossings will be overhauled. There are also plans to modernise the control and safety technology and carry out maintenance on 15 signal boxes. Passenger comfort in railways stations will be improved as well.
New platforms at heights of 55 cm and 76 cm have been planned, making it far easier to enter the trains. What’s more, the platforms will get new roofing, benches and lighting installations.
