Extensive work on the railway line 210 Szczecinek – Runowo Pomorskie

Five thousand tonnes of rails and over one hundred thousand tonnes of crushed stone. Three stages of work are completed, and in autumn it will be possible to travel the railway route from Szczecinek to Runowo Pomorskie without any difficulties.

The NDI Group based in Sopot has been conducting the investment for PKP PLK since 2017. A section of over 74 km is made in the design-build system. The net cost of this investment is PLN 134 million, of which 85% has been co-financed by the European Union from the Regional Operational Programme of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

In December last year, tasks from stage II and III were accepted, i.e. 44 kilometres of tracks on the Szczecinek – Łubowo and Złocieniec – Jankowo Pomorskie sections. On this section, NDI rebuilt 5 platforms at passenger stops: Jelenino, Silnowo, Rzęśnica, Suliszewo Drawskie, Drawsko Pomorskie as well as 25 engineering structures and 25 crossings.

‘The investment area has a specific shape. The line runs in high embankments, deep trenches reaching over 15 metres and through the marsh areas of the Bagno Ciemino Reserve,’ says Cezary Chruściński, Railway Construction Manager at the NDI Group. ‘Difficult field conditions required from us precise coordination of works and accurate logistics. The biggest challenge was to achieve adequate load capacity of railway embankments. We reinforced embankments using the file foundation in four locations. A grid of cement injection piles up to 14 metres in length was also created.

In the fourth and fifth stage of works, another 30 kilometres of track will be revitalised on the Łubowo – Czaplinek section together with the Czaplinek station and on the Jankowo Pomorskie – Runowo Pomorskie section. NDI will also build 5 new turnouts at the Czaplinek station and 1 turnout at the Drawsko Pomorskie passenger stop. A total of 11 platforms will be built: at the Czaplinek station and at passenger stops: Silnowo, Czarne Małe, Żelisławie Pomorskie, Bobrowo, Rzęśnica, Drawsko Pomorskie, Wiewiecko and Węgorzyno. At these work stages, 8 engineering structures and 28 crossings will be renovated. Modernisation of rail traffic control devices will also be carried out as well as construction of fibre optic cable over a distance of 90 kilometres, firebreaks will be created, in accordance with the new regulations, along a length of 90 kilometres of lines from both sides.

After the completion of works, passenger trains will travel at speeds up to 120 km/h, that is up to 40 km/h faster than at present. Modernisation of traffic control devices and works at 54 level crossing will increase the level of safety.

Travel time at the Szczecinek – Runowo Pomorskie section will be reduced from 1h 30 minutes to about one hour. Ahead of us, there are two more operational acceptances and the final acceptance,’ adds Cezary Chruściński from NDI. The planned investment completion date is September 2019.

In total, around 74 kilometres of track will be revitalised on the Szczecinek – Runowo Pomorskie section. 5,000 tonnes of 49 E1 rail and over 100,000 tonnes of crushed stone will be used.

The NDI Group has been active on the railway construction market since 2012. During this time, it revitalised and reconstructed railway lines throughout the country, including: railway line 353 Inowrocław-Jabłonowo Pomorskie, railway line 281 Orzechowo-Miłosław as well as railway line 219 and railway line 35 Olsztyn-Szczytno-Szymany.