PKP unveils public-private plans to modernize Warsaw-Radom railroad

Today Polish State Railways (PKP) will present its modernization concept for the Warsaw-Radom line. The plan involves the creation of a company based on the public-private partnership principle to modernize the 100 kilometer route at a cost of zl. 1.3 billion. The company responsible for the modernization will then receive the rights to run the line. Finance for the investment will come from the company's investors, i.e. the State Treasury and the future route operator, as well as the European Union. The project now awaits verification by the Infrastructure Ministry. The investment will entail the construction of another track on the route and increasing the speed of trains, thus cutting the journey time from Radom to the capital from 90 minutes down to 50 minutes. The costs of buying railroad carriages for the investment are estimated at zl. 300 million. Several companies have already expressed interest in the project, among them Alcatel and PRK 7. According to unofficial information, Bombardier, a producer of railroad carriages, is also interested in the venture. The concept may also be used on other routes, such as Radom-Kielce and Kielce-Krakow. (Puls Biznesu, p. 11) M.T.K.