en.Wedoany.com Reported - Polish state railway operator PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe has announced the completion of boring for the first railway tunnel in southern Poland after 10 months of construction. The 3.75 km long railway tunnel was bored by the TBM "Jadwiga" and is a key component of the Podłęże–Piekiełko project, connecting Męcina with Mordarka.
The Podłęże–Piekiełko project is PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe's largest single investment, with an estimated total cost of approximately PLN 17 billion (around €4 billion). The project involves modernizing 75 km of existing track on railway line No. 104 (Chabówka–Nowy Sącz) and constructing 58 km of new double-track electrified lines, designed for speeds of up to 160 km/h. The most complex part of the project is the construction of over 31 km of underground structures, including 16 railway tunnels and 4 evacuation tunnels.
TBM "Jadwiga" commenced boring this railway tunnel on March 31, 2025. With a shield diameter of approximately 11 meters and a total weight of about 2,534 tons, the machine performed simultaneous reinforced concrete lining during the boring process. The smaller TBM "Kinga", which is responsible for boring the approximately 4-meter diameter evacuation tunnel, achieved breakthrough on March 24, 2026. Both machines are operated by a consortium led by Budimex S.A. After completing this railway tunnel section, "Jadwiga" will be disassembled, transported, refurbished, and reused at the next project site.
During a previous inspection of the tunnel construction site, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that upon project completion, rail travel time from Kraków to Nowy Sącz will be reduced from about 2 hours and 40 minutes to approximately 60 minutes, and travel time to Zakopane will be shortened to about 90 minutes. Project funding comes from the Polish national budget and the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility.
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