Railway in Poland: Warsaw - Krakow Rail Mainline Has to Wait for Modernization

ll of those who hoped to ride a 250 km/h train from Warsaw to Krakow or Katowice have to learn patience. They wishes will come true after 2013.

It is almost certain now that the 2007- -13 Operational Programme "Infrastructure and Environment", in which all EU co-funded project are listed, will not include fund for modernising the Central Rail Mainline (CMK) to 250 km/h .

The national infrastructure manager PKP PLK and the ministry of regional development are now finishing the negotiations on the amount of funds scheduled for rail investments. The previous government, headed by Marek Belka, promised EUR 10bn from the EU budget.

In the beginning of April 2006 the new minister responsible for transport applied for EUR 5.4bn from the EU Cohesion Fund. Then this sum was limited to EUR 4,75bn.

When the ministry of regional development prepared the Operational Programme it occurred that it includes EUR 4bn (85% of the amount applied for by the transport ministry), including EUR 3.6bn for infrastructure and 400m for rolling stock.

Representatives of the ministry say that this limitation was caused by the current absorption of EU funding by PKP PLK and the fact that the company experiences some serious troubles with arranging money for co-financing the EU projects.

PKP PLK hopes that the sum proposed by the government will increase.

The reductions made in the Operational Programme eliminated CMK modernisation plans. EUR1.2-1.4 are needed only for the last section.
Source:railway-market.p