Published on May 19, 2026
Poland’s national rail infrastructure authority, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK), has launched a tender for the construction of six railway tunnels as part of the EUR 448.5 million (PLN 1.9 billion) Kasina Wielka to Szczyrzyc and Porąbka–Stróża section of the broader Podłęże–Piekiełko project. The package covers 13 kilometres of new track through some of the most demanding mountainous terrain in Central Europe, with the six tunnels stretching a combined total of over 3.6 kilometres through the Beskid Mountains of southern Poland. Viaducts and bridges will accompany the underground structures, with the highest reaching 35 metres above ground level. A new passenger station at Kasina Wielka Północna is also included, designed with full accessibility features including platforms, elevators and underground passages for people with reduced mobility. The 38-month construction programme will see the new route connect with the modernized Line 104 in the Podłęże area south of Kraków, completing a fast rail corridor linking the Małopolska regional capital with Nowy Sącz and the resort town of Zakopane. Once complete, the Porąbka–Stróża connection will allow trains to cover the Zakopane to Nowy Sącz journey in approximately 90 minutes. Part of the funding for the broader programme comes from Poland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO), co-financed through EU instruments.
Poland’s Rail Renaissance and the Carpathian Challenge
The Podłęże–Piekiełko corridor is the single largest railway investment in Poland’s history, with a total programme cost estimated at approximately EUR 4 billion covering the modernization of 75 km of existing track between Chabówka and Nowy Sącz and the construction of 58 km of entirely new line. The new section currently under tender sits within a project that has already generated significant momentum: in April 2026, the TBM “Jadwiga” completed excavation of the first 3.75 km tunnel between Męcina and Mordarka in a milestone that sent a clear signal that Poland’s most geologically demanding infrastructure programme is on track. Earlier this year, Ferrovial and its Polish subsidiary Budimex were awarded a EUR 604 million contract for sections F and J of the Podłęże–Gdów alignment, reinforcing the scale of contractor mobilisation across the corridor. France’s Egis has been engaged as tunnel designer for the full programme, with the firm responsible for design documentation across all 13 planned tunnels. The Podłęże–Piekiełko investment is not isolated. It forms part of Poland’s National Rail Programme until 2030 and sits within the TEN-T core network, contributing to the north-south freight and passenger corridor linking Kraków toward the Slovak border via the combined transport route C-30/1. For a country investing heavily in rail modernization across more than 800 km of network, the mountainous south has historically been underserved. This tender addresses that gap directly, turning one of Central Europe’s most scenic but rail-constrained regions into a competitive commuter and tourist corridor. This drive toward high-complexity rail tunnelling is also reflected in Poland’s wider transport infrastructure pipeline, including plans to deliver the country’s longest single transport tunnel project, underscoring how tunnelling has become a defining feature of Poland’s next-generation mobility strategy.
Project Fact Sheet
- Project Name: Kasina Wielka–Szczyrzyc and Porąbka–Stróża Railway Sections (Podłęże–Piekiełko Project)
- Location: Małopolska Region (Lesser Poland Voivodeship), southern Poland
- Project Value: Approximately EUR 448.5 million (PLN 1.9 billion)
- Client/Owner: PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK)
- Procurement Stage: Tender launched (contractor not yet awarded)
- Key Components: Six railway tunnels totalling over 3.6 km, 13 km of new track, multiple viaducts and bridges (highest at 35 m), new Kasina Wielka Północna station with full accessibility features, new road viaducts and grade-separated intersections
- Design Speed: Up to 160 km/h (passenger), 120 km/h (freight)
- Construction Period: 38 months
- Programme Context: Part of the EUR 4 billion Podłęże–Piekiełko project (Poland’s largest railway investment), covering 75 km of modernized track and 58 km of new line
- Funding: National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO), EU co-financing, Polish national rail budget
- Strategic Alignment: TEN-T core network, National Rail Programme to 2030, combined transport corridor C-30/1
Project Team
- Client/Infrastructure Manager: PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK)
- Tunnel Designer (Programme-Wide): Egis (France), leading the design consortium for all 13 tunnels across the Podłęże–Piekiełko project
- Main Contractor (This Section): To be determined through open tender
- Active Contractor (Sections F and J): Ferrovial / Budimex consortium (EUR 604 million package awarded 2026)
- TBM Operator (Męcina–Mordarka Tunnel): PKP PLK (operating TBM “Jadwiga,” to be redeployed to Szczyrzyc area upon completion)
- Supervisory Authority: Ministry of Infrastructure, Republic of Poland
- EU Funding Body: Center for EU Transport Projects (CUPT)
