Six consortia comprising 17 companies have submitted applications to participate in the competitive dialogue procedure for the construction of Poland’s first high-speed rail line section.

The project will be carried out by Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) as part of the Port Polska strategic investment program.

Applications to participate in the competitive dialogue procedure for the design and construction of railway line No. 85, on the Kotowice–Airport section, were submitted by the following contractors: The section is 13 km long and will connect Kotowice (in the Mazovia region) to the airport. It is an important component of the future high-speed line between Warsaw and Łódź.

“This is the first tender for the construction of a high-speed line in Poland with international impact across all of Central and Eastern Europe. In future railway tenders, we expect strong participation from domestic firms, which will provide a significant boost to the Polish economy,” said Maciej Lasek, the Polish government’s representative for the CPK project.

CPK will now begin evaluating and analyzing the submitted bids. According to the plan, all six consortia could be admitted to the next stage, namely the dialogue phase with bidders, conducted as part of the competitive dialogue procedure.

The main selection criterion is experience in completed construction projects, including projects carried out in Poland. Another important criterion is key personnel’s knowledge of the Polish language. During the bid evaluation stage, the decisive criteria will be price and the extended warranty period.

The selection of the winner and the signing of the contract are scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027.

The first section of Poland’s high-speed line, Kotowice–Airport, is part of the so-called “Y” railway line, which will connect Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań, and Wrocław. Trains will travel at speeds of up to 350 km/h, and the line’s technical parameters—including gradients, curve radii, switches, and the new power supply system (25 kV AC)—are designed accordingly.

“In the coming months, as part of the Port Polska program, we intend to launch new procedures for the construction of the high-speed line between Warsaw and Łódź. In total, we have five more sections planned which, together with the Kotowice–Airport segment, will total approximately 120 km of new line designed for speeds of up to 350 km/h,” said Piotr Rachwalski, a member of the CPK Board of Directors responsible for railway investments.

CPK intends to launch procedures for the construction of the following sections of the Warsaw–Łódź high-speed line: In addition, two separate procedures will be launched for the rail traffic control systems, telecommunications, and the power supply network for the entire line.

At the same time, a tender procedure for archaeological surveys along the route is currently under review.

For the Warsaw–Łódź route, the company has already submitted all 12 applications required to obtain location decisions. Last November, the first such approval was obtained for the section near the Warsaw West station.

According to the schedule, the Warsaw–Łódź section is set to open in 2032, coinciding with the opening of the new airport. By 2035, passengers will be able to reach Poznań and Wrocław via the “Y” line.