New rail line connects central Poland’s Łódzkie region

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Thanks to this new track, we’ve been able to cut commuter times and are connecting new businesses.Tomasz Lachowicz, Director, PKP S.A. – Polish State RailwaysFor the residents of the central Polish region of  Łódzkie, the lack of reliable train service has been an ongoing obstacle. From commuting to the next town to travelling across the country, residents have had to go by car, bus or bike – or a combination of all three.As part of an initiative to create a better-connected transport system, the region has started developing a single-track railway line that runs between Łowicz and Zgierz. This project focused on track number three, a 47 km stretch of track that leaves from Stryków station. With the support of EU funding, track number three was resurfaced, 12 sets of turnouts (used to guide trains from one track to another) were replaced, and 43 crossing were modernised.Cutting the commuteThanks to this restoration work, trains can now travel at a speed of 90 km/h. For passengers, this means the trip from Łowicz to the Łódź Kaliska station has been cut in half – from over two hours to one hour. This is great news for the many people who commute between one of the 11 towns served by the route: Łowicz, Grudze, Domaniewice, Kamień Łowicki, Głowno, Bratoszewice, Stryków, Swędów, Glinnik, Smardzew and Zgierz.Commercial benefitsThe modernisation of line three, with the creation of the Łódź Agglomeration Railway, will have a substantial impact on the region’s economic development, tourism, employment, and quality of life.With the addition of the soon-to-be-complete line 15, which will connect with line three at Zgierz and offer service to Bednary, the region expects to see a boost not only in passenger traffic, but in freight traffic too. As to freight traffic, the rail will be extremely beneficial to the many industrial sites being established along the still-to-be-built A1 highway.Once complete, the north-south A1 will connect much of central Poland, running from Gdańsk through Łódź and its Upper Silesian industry area to the Czech border, at which point it connects to Czech motorway D1. The 565.1 km route is part of the European E75 route.Total investment and EU fundingTotal investment for the project “Modernization of the railway line No. 15 on the Bednary - Zgierz section together with the construction of the link to the airport. W. Reymonta - stage I reconstruction of the railway surface on the section Łowicz - Zgierz” is EUR 15 296 898, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 8 158 346 through the “Łódzkie” Operational Programme for the 2007-2013 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Transport infrastructure”.