Poland might have Europe’s most trendy high-speed rail community in 20 years, says EU official

Poland’s rail community could also be higher than these of western European international locations inside twenty years and might be essentially the most trendy on the continent, says the EU’s prime transport official. He additionally notes that Poland will play a key position in integrating Ukraine into the EU’s transport community.

Kristian Schmidt, head of the EU’s Directorate-Common for Mobility and Transport (often called DG-MOVE), spoke with enterprise information web site Cash.pl in regards to the Polish authorities’s plans to develop Poland’s rail community as a part of its flagship Solidarity Transport Hub (CPK) venture.

The plans envision constructing a brand new “mega-airport” between Warsaw and Łódź in addition to creating new highway and rail connections, together with practically 2,000 km of high-speed railway strains. The agency behind it final 12 months signed a €1.5 billion design settlement that it described as the most important of its sort in Europe.

“Within the perspective of 10-20 years, the Polish railway community could also be higher than within the international locations of the ‘previous’ European Union, the place investments on this technique of transport have been uncared for for years,” stated Schmidt.

“Poland is extraordinarily formidable…[but] I’m positive that within the perspective of twenty years it would succeed,” he added “Poland might have essentially the most trendy high-speed railway community and occupy a key place on the brand new political and transport route connecting Ukraine with the remainder of Europe.”

Final month, CPK signed an settlement with Ukraine’s state rail agency to cooperate on establishing new transport infrastructure. That features a deliberate high-speed line connecting Warsaw to Kyiv by way of Lviv.

The plans have likewise gained reward from the US ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, who says that growth of transport infrastructure will likely be key to each “regional safety” and “the reconstruction of Ukraine” after the conflict.

The federal government official overseeing the CPK venture, Marcin Horała, additionally says that the venture will assist fight “transport exclusion” inside Poland itself, by enhancing connections to beforehand underserved areas.

Poland’s major long-distance practice operation, PKP Intercity, carried a report 59 million passengers final 12 months, and CPK forecasts that this determine will double to 120 million yearly after its growth of rail infrastructure is accomplished.

The CPK venture has, nevertheless, additionally confronted criticism. Some consultants warned that the thought of a brand new mega-airport, conceived earlier than the pandemic, is now not so viable within the post-Covid journey surroundings. Nonetheless, international passenger numbers have now begun to recuperate and are predicted to return to pre-pandemic ranges by 2024.

Poland’s authorities claims that the venture nonetheless makes financial sense and notes that it will likely be a hub for air cargo in addition to for passengers.

Earlier this month, Michal O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, which is Poland’s largest air provider by passenger numbers, repeated his earlier criticism of CPK, calling it an “incomprehensible” and “pointless” thought concocted by “very silly politicians”.