Energy agreement for the Warsaw–Łódź high-speed line: CPK and PSE

Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) and Poland’s transmission operator Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE) have signed an energy agreement for the Warsaw–Łódź high-speed line, setting out how traction substations will be connected to the national grid under the Port Polska investment programme.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The documents focus on traction substations integration into the national transmission system so the new route has a stable electricity supply.

The package is valued at more than PLN 46 million (about EUR 10.9 million). Under the arrangements, PSE will connect two traction substations planned along the Warsaw–Łódź corridor, reinforcing the Warsaw–Łódź high-speed line power supply framework.

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Energy agreement for the Warsaw–Łódź high-speed line: traction substations

One substation is to be built near the new airport and linked to a 400/110 kV electrical substation that is currently under construction under PSE’s coordination. The setup is intended to cover two needs at the same time: supplying the high-speed rail traction system and supporting the airport’s overall power supply.

In the project description, the airport-linked facility is associated with core airport systems, including the air traffic control tower, the operational coordination centre, emergency response and firefighting units, technical maintenance and administration areas, and airport service facilities.

The second facility—the Dmosin traction substation in the Łódź metropolitan area—is planned to receive electricity from the Stryków station, described as a 400/220/110 kV transformer facility built by Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE). In the text, traction substations are presented as a basic element of electrified rail operations, providing the technical conditions needed for trains to run on powered infrastructure.

2×25 kV alternating current supply for the “Y” high-speed railway line

Responsibility is split between the two organisations: PSE is tasked with developing the infrastructure that links the system to the national transmission network, while CPK will design and build the traction substations as part of the Port Polska strategic investment package. These installations will distribute electricity and adapt it to the voltage used by the railway traction system.

CPK has stressed that a reliable energy system is a prerequisite for the project, and the selected solution—2×25 kV alternating current supply—is intended to allow passenger trains to operate at speeds of up to 350 km/h. The programme also sets out two electrification regimes: classic lines that will connect into the new infrastructure are to remain on 3 kV direct current, while the high-speed “Y” corridor will use 2×25 kV AC, as reflected in CPK technical standards. The text describes this as being applied nationally for the first time and presents it as an energy-efficient approach for high-speed operations.

CPK representatives have also pointed to continued cooperation with PSE as the next stages of the “Y” high-speed railway line (Warsaw–Łódź–Poznan–Wrocław) move forward, linking Warsaw, the new airport, Łódź, Poznan and Wrocław.

Procurement status, CEF funding, and the Lodz high-speed tunnel

The Warsaw–Łódź route is described as being at an advanced stage. At the end of 2025, CPK announced a first tender covering a 13 km section between Kotowice (Brwinów municipality, Mazovia region) and the airport junction. During the same year, CPK plans to launch procurement for five more sections, totalling 120 km between Warsaw and Łódź, where preparatory work for excavation of the tunnel is under way. Overall, the programme foresees eight major tenders: six for main construction works and two for traffic control systems, telecommunications and the power supply line.

Through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the project received EUR 64 million for development and construction under an agreement signed in October 2023. The line is planned to be 140 km long and built in 12 sections. One of its main elements is the Łódź high-speed tunnel project, which Railway Supply has covered in the context of the wider “Y” corridor. In this article’s source material, the tunnel is described as 4.6 km long and to be built at depths of 25 metres and 35 metres in the city centre; the contract was signed in July 2025 with Porr and valued at EUR 520.3 million.

The broader “Y” system is planned on the Warsaw–Łódź–Poznan–Wrocław route as part of the North Sea–Baltic Sea European corridor. According to the estimates cited, the Warsaw–Łódź line is expected to enter service in 2032, reducing travel time from 90 minutes to 45 minutes.

The Łódź–Poznan–Wrocław section is projected to become operational in 2035. When the full “Y” line is in service, journey time on the longer corridor is expected to fall from two and a half hours to one and a half hours.

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