The cross-town tunnel that Łódź has been waiting for for many years, however, will have another stop. The original project envisaged only two, but it is now known that an additional "Łódź Koziny" station will be built. PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. signed an agreement with the contractor and showed a preliminary visualization of the stop. The station will have as many as three floors.
Recall that the construction of the cross-town tunnel in Łódź is the construction of a cross-cut that will connect the "ŁódźFabryczna" station with the "Łódź Żabieniec" and "Łódź Kaliska" stations. The investment is colloquially referred to as the construction of a "small subway", but in practice it is one of the largest and most important infrastructure projects not only in Lodz, but nationwide.
The cross-town tunnel is a continuation of the construction of the "Łódź Fabryczna" station, which, as a result of the investment, will become the so-called "through station. "Small metro" is primarily to improve communication in the city center. Regional and long-distance trains will be able to go there - on the east-west axis (through the stations "Łódź Widzew", "Fabryczna" and "Kaliska") and on the north-south axis (through the stations "Łódź Widzew", "Fabryczna", "Żabieniec"). In addition, the tunnel is expected to make it possible to travel around Lodz in no more than a quarter of an hour, and it is expected to take only a few minutes to get to the center from residential areas.
third stop on the "small subway" route
Initially, there were plans to build only two stops: "Łódź Polesie" and "Łódź Śródmieście". "Łódź Polesie" located at the back of "Manufaktura" near "Ogrody Karskiego", and the "Łódź Śródmieście" station at the intersection of Zielona Street and al. Kosciuszki street. The investor, after estimating the costs, decided that it would be possible to build a third station.
The "Łódź Koziny" stop will be built at the intersection of Włókniarzy Avenue and Drewnowska Street, at the point where single-track tunnels branch off: two towards the "Łódź Kaliska" station and two towards the "Łódź Żabieniec" station. Particularly intriguing is the fact that the station will have three underground floors: a communication level; platforms for trains in the direction of "Łódź Kaliska" and "Żabieniec" and platforms in the direction of the "Łódź Fabryczna" station.
Design of the third station of the cross-town tunnel in Łódź "Łódź Koziny"
© PKP PLK
Three floors of the station
© PKP PLK
modern tunnel boring technology
The Lodz cross-town tunnel is being built using modern TBM technology. This is a modern, safe and efficient system used worldwide for the construction of railroad and road tunnels. Its most important advantages include, first of all, minimizing the risks associated with work carried out in the vicinity of dense urban development - TBM, among other things, prevents land subsidence, buildings, landslides and vibrations. In addition, it reduces interference with the urban fabric.
The main construction work of the tunnel is carried out by two TBMs, "Catherine" and "Faustina", which have already managed to gain popularity in social media.
The progress of the work depends, among other things, on geotechnical conditions. The machines have to overcome a lot of difficulties, including unreliable soil, boulders or sand. One of the machines at work can be seen below.
The estimated cost of building the stop will be nearly PLN 188 million. However, PKP PLK S.A. is expected to receive EU funding from the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Program. The construction of the stop, as well as the entire cross-town tunnel, will be carried out by PBDiM Minsk Mazowiecki. The project is prepared by PKP PLK S.A.
elaboration: Katarzyna Domagała
