Tri-city on track

At the end of July, the Regional Development Ministry revealed the list of projects which will receive EU funds. Among these was the Trójmiejska Kolej Metropolitalna (Tri-city Metropolitan Railway), a project which will link Gdańsk and Gdynia with Lech Wałęsa airport, as well as the outlying Kaszuby region.

The project involves the renovation of a large section of railway in Tri-city, as well as the construction of a new section to the airport. The railway will connect with Tri-city's Szybka Kolej Miejska (Fast Urban Rail) system.

The estimated cost of the project is zł.612 million, with zł.306 million to be provided by the EU.

A tender for the feasibility study for the railway was launched in August and a winner is expected to be announced in early September. The study is slated for completion in July 2009, meaning that the construction design plan and necessary changes to the area's spatial development plan will need to be carried out very quickly, in order to ensure that work is finished before the start of the Euro 2012 soccer championships, as planned.

"We will expect the contractors in each stage of the project to complete their work in time to make it possible to complete the project before the start of Euro 2012," said Małgorzata Pisarewicz, press spokesperson of the Pomorskie voivodship government.

The new railway will not only benefit travelers transiting through Tri-city's airport. Many businesses, particularly those involved in advanced technology, are setting up their operations in the area around the airport.

"The Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot agglomeration is developing very quickly. For it to function properly, the development of public transport is essential. The railway can provide a fast, environmentally friendly link between outlying regions and the center, offering an alternative to cars and buses, and eventually becoming the main form of transport," explained Pisarewicz.