Budimex signs contract for redevelopment of Warsaw West station
Warsaw West is the most popular station in Poland in terms of passenger traffic. On average, around 1000 metropolitan, regional, long-distance national and international passenger trains, freight trains, Masovian Railways trains and Warsaw Commuter Railway trains pass here every day. According to the latest data, the Warsaw West station is used by 60,000 people in a single working day, and this number is expected to double by 2030.
The Warsaw West redevelopment design was prepared by architects from the DWAA Architects studio. According to the concept, approximately 30 km of tracks, 130 switches and the overhead contact lines will be comprehensively rebuilt. The works will involve the Warsaw East - Warsaw West section and will last until 2023. The new layout will enable trains to travel from the ring road to the Radom line and create direct Piaseczno – Legionowo and Legionowo – Chopin Airport connections.
The planned works include widening the existing tunnel and extending it to the ring road platform. It will become an underground station. “The project will also include the construction of new platforms and a modernized station hall, which will increase the capacity of the station and improve the comfort of travelling for passengers. The redevelopment of Warsaw West is one of the most ambitious infrastructural ideas of the recent years,” says Dariusz Blocher, President and General Manager of Budimex. “What distinguishes us and allows us to carry out such large projects is the fact that we have our own equipment for railway construction works and a specialized staff of engineers. We also have experience in the implementation of such tasks - last year we won the tender for and commenced the modernization of Gdynia Port station worth PLN 1.8 billion gross. This gigantic project is expected to lead to an increase in the number of trains served, as well as a reduction in the duration of cargo handling. We are also finishing the modernization of the Warsaw – Lublin line between Otwock and Nałęczów,” adds Dariusz Blocher.
People with reduced mobility will have access to fully covered platforms, while lifts and escalators are to be adapted to carry wheelchairs and bicycles. A footbridge connecting Wola and Ochota will also be constructed. The whole station will be clearly signposted, while moving around Warsaw West will be made easier by a new passenger information system.
A tram tunnel is planned to be built at level -2, and will serve as a technological void to be used in the future for extension works on the tram line connecting Warsaw West with Wola.
An underground stop
Under the agreement with Warsaw Trams, an underground tram stop will be constructed during the modernization of Warsaw West. Budimex is responsible for the most complex section of the whole line, situated immediately below the train station platforms. The tram route to Wilanów will start with a 500-metre-long tunnel underneath Al. Jerozolimskie and Park Zachodni
The construction is scheduled to commence on 8 July 2020. Budimex assumed the works will take 1101 days to complete. The works will be carried out during the normal operation of the station, so that the modernization of the station will not be burdensome for travellers.
The company has extensive experience in the construction of railway infrastructure. Currently, the implementation of a project on the Warsaw – Lublin line is underway, and it includes the construction of 120 km of tracks. Two sections have already been completed, i.e. Otwock – Pilawa and Pilawa – Dęblin, while a section from Dęblin to Nałęczów is under construction. Budimex also modernized the Żychlin – Barłogi section of LCS Kutno. The scope of work included the disassembly of the track, reinforcement of the soil and construction of a new 18 km long surface. Also, disassembly and reassembly of switches was carried out, along with the installation of 27 km of new overhead contact lines.