Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ADIF, Spain’s national railway infrastructure manager, aimed at strengthening the strategic cooperation between the parties in the development of the high-speed rail network in Poland.
ADIF is one of the most experienced HSR infrastructure managers in Europe and Spain’s HSR network is the longest in Europe, with almost 4,000 km of existing lines and a further 1,600 km in the planning phase.
Within the framework of the agreement, CPK and ADIF will work together on various initiatives. These include conducting joint training programs focused on the liberalization of the railway market and organizing study visits to explore such topics as the installation of track on HSR lines as well as the modernization of signaling systems and telecommunications infrastructure.
In addition, the partnership will include mutual technical consultations to support the development and modernization of the rail network, including the implementation of a 2x25kV traction power system. Both parties will also support each other in planning and design, reinforcing their commitment to the development of the rail infrastructure.
“We have been working with the Spanish railway industry since 2021. This collaboration has resulted in the development of our HSR standards, which we now share with our partners in the CEE region. I’m convinced that the work with ADIF will be a significant next step in gathering the best and direct know-how that will make the railway more accessible, more competitive, and more open to meeting passengers’ needs. We appreciate that the work between ADIF and CPK is being elevated to the next level,” says Mikołaj Wild, CEO of the CPK.
Poland and Spain have been working on the development of the HSR in Poland under an intergovernmental cooperation agreement (MoU) concluded in May 2021 between Marcin Horała, Government Plenipotentiary for the CPK, and Raquel Sánchez, Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda of Spain.
In the course of their work, the CPK and ADIF have engaged in a series of joint activities, including forming a working group focused on implementation of HSR in Spain and the liberalization of the rail market. Within this group, the Spanish team have shared their significant expertise and experiences with CPK representatives on methodology for opening up the railway market and strategies for enhancing rail network capacity and developing railway hubs, but also extended to technical aspects, such as the delivery, installation and maintenance of HSR turnouts. The focus has been on how to achieve and maintain the highest possible level of transport safety and efficiency, an aspect critical in the success and reliability of high-speed rail operations.
By working with ADIF, the CPK aims to expand its knowledge of a number of further important aspects of the development of the HSR network in Poland. These aspects include the effective maintenance and management of high-speed rail lines in a liberalized railway market. Obtaining expertise in this area is fundamental to advancing the planning, design and implementation of an effective HSR network in Poland.
The CPK is a planned multimodal hub, integrating air, rail and road transport. The project includes the construction of a new airport alongside a rail interchange station in the center of Poland. This CPK hub will be connected to the rest of the country as well as the region through a dense network of newly built high-speed lines, enabling transfer between Warsaw and the other large Polish cities in less than 2.5 hours. The CPK is preparing the construction of a total of approximately 2,000 km of new railway lines, of which feasibility studies are either ready or under development for more than 1,500 km.
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