Poland is planning a new airport and rail hub.
The billion-euro project could reorganize the traffic in the country - and have an impact as far as Germany.
The Polish government is building a new airport with a rail connection for several billion euros.
The project under the abbreviation “CPK” should initially have a strong expansionary effect - meanwhile it seems that the BER will feel at most effects.
The associated rail expansion will, however, ensure more high-speed lines - also an advantage when traveling from Germany to Poland.
Baranowo - Poland is planning a gigantic infrastructure project: The project in Baranowo in central Poland could replace Warsaw's Chopin Airport and improve the structure and quality of Poland's rail network.
However, there are also some adversities in large-scale project construction in Germany's neighboring country: Originally
work should start in 2023 and the new major airport should be operational as early as 2027.
However, this seems illusory, especially against the background of the Corona crisis and its effects on the aviation industry.
Poland planned an airport for 100 million passengers a year - the project has already shrunk
Apparently, not only the pace, but also the size of the building has decreased significantly. In the past, the government had even planned 100 million passengers per year in some cases. It is now assumed that there are around 30 million passengers per year. The Polish traffic expert and economic consultant Adrian Furgalski confirms that the number of passengers could level off in this order of magnitude. Compared to the new Berlin-Brandenburg “Willy Brandt” airport, BER, the new Polish airport will be considerably smaller.
Unlike planned, the project will be less expansive and will only replace the current Warsaw Chopin Airport. The domestic airline LOT is the focus of the planning. LOT's CEO, Rafał Milczarski, emphasized in the Polish media that especially in the current crisis, the opportunities for the airline and investments in CPK could be used particularly well. LOT would like to significantly expand the range of long-haul flights. This would give the airline a competitive edge over other international airlines.
Furgalski does not see any negative effects on major German airports such as Frankfurt or Munich in this strategic thrust of LOT.
In the case of Berlin, the consequences are likely to be rather clear and depend heavily on which destinations are offered there.
However, Furgalski believes it is unlikely that the international airlines will prefer the new Polish airport to the German airports in its hub function.
Corona and the consequences: Poland is massively expanding rail - advantages also for travelers from Germany
While media attention is focused on the airport aspect of the CPK, the real quantum leap is taking place on the railways.
The new rail connections will total 1,600 kilometers.
The network connections are to connect CPK in a star shape with the larger cities of the country.
Almost 80 percent of the new rail connections will be designed for speeds of over 200 km / h.
This high-speed traffic is also likely to have a significant impact internationally.
Travel times, for example between Berlin and Warsaw, will probably be shorter.
“However, the lack of connections between the Polish cities in the east of the country is a disadvantage.
Everything is aligned in the direction of the CPK, ”criticized Furgalski.
For the editor-in-chief of the leading Polish transport
portal Transinfo
,
Aleksander Kierecki, Poland is opening up for a pan-European future of transport with the expansion of high-speed railways.
"So that we can travel all over Europe together, we need a rail network that does not hold us back and slow us down, but takes us to our destination quickly, comfortably and reliably," said Kierecki in an interview with
Merkur.de
.
The corona crisis offers the opportunity to replace short flight connections with low-emission rail connections.
This can already be observed in the Western European countries.
"With the right infrastructure, this could also happen in Poland," Kierecki hopes.
In Germany there has recently been heated debate about short-haul flights, but also the expansion of the rail network.
Large Polish project: CPK and rail boost could cost 9.5 billion euros - hope for the EU
Preparations for the construction of the CPK and its rail infrastructure have already started.
The first investment phase covers the period from 2020 to 2023 and, according to government figures, will cost around 13 billion zlotys, which corresponds to the equivalent of 3 billion euros.
These funds are to be generated through the sale of securities.
Investments in the rail network will take place until 2034.
The Polish government hopes to receive additional funding from the EU.
Polish media representatives estimate the total costs of the new Polish air and rail hub at 8.5 to 9.5 billion euros.
Aleksandra Fedorska
