High-speed railway may be delayed

The plan to build a Y-shaped high-speed railway network connecting Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław is starting to pick up pace. An interdepartmental group was set up in August 2008, which presented a guideline timetable for the project, according to which the network would be built between 2014 and 2018. All formalities and administrative preparations - including a thorough feasibility study - need to be completed before work starts.

The cost of the network's construction, together with high-speed trains, is estimated at zł.26 billion.

"This could be a significant underestimate," says Marcin Kamola of transport business consultants ZDG TOR.

"It is estimated that the cost of building a kilometer of the high-speed rail network will be around zł.40 million. This price could be much higher in five years, when construction is supposed to start," Kamola added.

The timetable for construction is also very tight. With each stage of the project's preparation liable to delays, even five years may not be enough.

"In seven years, Poland wants to do something that takes double the time in Western Europe. It could be worse if the government decides to carry out this project under a PPP system - companies will seek solid guarantees from the government, and that may lengthen the process of negotiations," predicted Kamola.

"Poland needs high-speed rail, because it is part of our modern reality. But it should not be paid for by the state budget at the expense of the rest of the rail network," said Kamola. "That's why the best solution is to finance it through a PPP arrangement."

The high-speed rail network is  envisaged to be ready between 2018 and 2020.