It cost almost PLN 1.9 billion. A railway investment has been completed at the Port of Gdynia that will significantly improve the ability to handle goods. Hundreds of new tracks were built and Gdynia Port Station can now handle goods trains as long as 750 metres.
The completion of the work was announced by PKP PLK. The investment at Gdynia Port is important not only for the local port, but for the economy of the whole country. Its implementation is part of a project to increase the capacity of rail freight transport to seaports. Thanks to the extension of the railway, the capacity of the Gdynia Port station has been doubled.
Previously, the longest goods trains served by the station could be up to 500 m long, but from now on trains up to 750 m long are accepted. Heavier trainsets with a load of 22.5 tonnes per axle can also be handled.
We built 115 km of new track, 359 switches. Two new viaducts, 640 and 170 metres long, improved the capacity of the lines leading to the port. The bridge over the Chylonka River has been repaired, and 13 underground retention basins, together with a new sewer network, ensure proper drainage of the area. A public loading bay was also created. Efficient and safe train traffic is carried out from the LCS Gdynia Port supported by two new signal boxes, reports PKP PLK.
An interesting feature is the constructed turnout head, which is the largest in Poland. The head “connects” as many as 39 tracks. To avoid collision with the overhead high-voltage line, the power cables have been laid underground. In total, the total length of the installation is 20 km.
The railwaymen report that up to 500 people and 200 machines were involved in the construction work at its peak. The work was carried out without closing the facility. Goods trains were operated at all times.
The value of the investment entitled “Improvement of railway access to the sea port in Gdynia” amounted to almost PLN 1.9 billion net. Almost 43 per cent of this amount is EU funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) – Connecting Europe.
photos: Damian Strzemkowski
source: PKP PLK
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