Gdów–Szczyrzyc railway section works have moved into procurement, with PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe opening a tender for the final part of a new railway route in the Kraków area, leading toward southern Poland’s mountain region.

Podłęże train stop in southern Poland
Illustrative photo of Podłęże train stop in southern Poland. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Igor123121 / CC BY-SA 4.0

The procurement covers construction of a new line from Gdów⁠, located about 30 km southeast of Kraków, to Szczyrzyc, around 50 km south of Kraków. Both places are in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

The section forms part of the Podłęże–Piekiełko project. This tender is intended to complete one of Poland’s largest railway investments.

The planned works are expected to last about 38 months, with an estimated value of EUR 575 million, equivalent to PLN 2.5 billion.

Final section of the Podłęże–Piekiełko project

Szczyrzyc will serve as the endpoint of this part of the project. The Gdów–Szczyrzyc route is described as the final section and also one of the most technically demanding parts of the largest railway investment currently under way.

The new section in the Kraków area will extend for 16 km. Its design includes underground parts and complex surface structures. The project includes two tunnels with a combined length of 2.4 km, along with a number of viaducts, bridges, and trestle structures.

The highest structure on the route will carry trains 27 meters above ground level, while the longest structure will be more than 850 meters long. The line is planned for train speeds of up to 160 km/h.

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Stations, stops and local access

Passenger infrastructure will also be added along this section. A station is planned in Szczyrzyc, while two stops will be built in Zręczyce and Gruszów. Platforms will be adapted for passengers with reduced mobility.

Access to trains will be supported by underground passages fitted with elevators. Local road infrastructure will also be upgraded, including grade-separated crossings and new junctions intended to improve traffic movement in the area.

Faster rail links from Kraków

After this part of the line is completed, it will allow the launch of a new high-speed rail connection in southern Poland between Kraków, Nowy Sącz, and Zakopane. The connection is expected to significantly reduce journey times and contribute to the region’s economic, tourism, and social development.

The broader railway project in the Kraków area also covers the modernization and electrification of 75 km of track⁠ on the Chabówka–Nowy Sącz line. In addition, 58 km of new track will be built between Podłęże, Tymbark, and Mszana Dolna.

When the full scope of work is finished, trains are expected to cover the route from Kraków to Nowy Sącz in about 60 minutes. Travel time to Zakopane is expected to be around 90 minutes.

The Podłęże–Piekiełko project is not limited to a single local rail section. According to the official project information verified in Task #7.0, the planned and modernized lines are part of the complementary TEN-T network and are linked to the missing branch of the C 30/1 combined transport corridor. The same project information also points to the planned inclusion of line 622 and part of line 104 in the European rail freight corridor RFC 11 “Amber”. For passengers, PLK describes the wider program as a route that will connect Kraków with Podhale and Sądecczyzna by 2030, while work continues on several sections of line 104.

The total cost of the Podłęże–Piekiełko project is estimated at EUR 2.7 billion, or PLN 12 billion. The program is presented as one of the major railway infrastructure developments in Poland and is co-financed from European funds through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

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