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Poland plans 350 kph speeds on future high-speed rail line

03.10.2025 22:00
The company building Poland’s Central Transport Hub (CPK) says it has raised the planned operating speed on the future high-speed rail line from 250 kph to 350 kph, a change officials say will sharply cut travel times between major cities.
A PKP Intercity train speeding through central Poland.
A PKP Intercity train speeding through central Poland.Photo: jeder123, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The state-owned company said the move would reduce the Warsaw-Wrocław journey to 1 hour 36 minutes and Warsaw-Poznań to 1 hour 38 minutes.

The adjustment follows timetable simulations with minimal stops, CPK said in a statement this week.

Officials argued that trains running above 300 kph are crucial for a faster, more competitive service.

The “Y” high-speed line, designed for very high speeds, would use only about 70 percent of its capacity if limited to 250 kph, the company said.

The 480-kilometer line, branching to Poznań and Wrocław, is a priority in the CPK rail program.

The fastest services are planned to exceed 300 kph on about 71 percent of the Warsaw–Wrocław route and 81 percent of the Warsaw-Poznań route, with only two stops each.

Slower services will connect mid-sized cities such as Sieradz and Kalisz.

The Central Transport Hub, a key national infrastructure project, will be sited about halfway between Warsaw and the central city of Łódź and include a major airport and a new high-speed rail network.

The airport is expected to be certified in 2031 and operational by 2032, opening alongside the first high-speed rail segment connecting Warsaw, the airport and Łódź.

The overall project cost through 2032 is projected at PLN 131.7 billion (around EUR 31 billion, USD 36 billion), state news agency PAP reported.

(rt/gs)

Source: PAP