Rail safety: Upgrading of level crossings

We have signed a new contract with PKP PLK S.A. to include support under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for a project that involves improving rail and road safety. The amount of EU co-financing under the NRP is 100% of the anticipated expenditure of almost PLN 162 million.

PKP PLK S.A. is continuing its investment in significantly improving safety at level crossings by launching a new stage of its implementation. The project will run until the first quarter of 2026.

But what does the start of a new stage of investment by the Polish Railways mean in practice? First and foremost, this means upgrading 91 level crossings. But that is not all! Depending on the specifics of each travel, the project includes a number of innovative solutions, such as:

• installation of an automatic crossing system at 84 crossings;
• installation of a closed-circuit television system at 11 crossings;
• reconstruction of lighting at 64 crossings;
• installation of railway semaphore signals at 88 crossings;
• installation of bar gates at 35 crossings;
• upgrading the road surface at 7 crossings.

The project will be implemented through 11 separate tasks, covering different railway lines and regions of the country. Among these tasks are:

• upgrading of 26 level crossings on railway lines 274, 279, 286, 290, 309, 311 and 346;
• works on railway lines 137, 274, 291, 276, 277, 143, 70, 1, 68, 7, 3, 309, 322.

The implementation of the project implies a number of benefits, such as:

• adaptation of the rail infrastructure to the actual needs of transport operators,
• increased safety at crossings through modern technical solutions,
• improving rail traffic safety,
• improving travel comfort and passenger service,
• rationalisation of operating costs.

In addition, the installation of monitoring will reduce the devastation of the railway infrastructure, and the centralisation of crossing equipment will enable flexible interworking with different railway control systems and equipment.

The role of the CEUTP

Through the judicious use of EU funds, both within the NRP as well as through programmes from the past and upcoming EU financial perspective, we are aiming to activate the Polish railway. Thanks to projects such as this, train travel, ultimately, becomes not only safer, but also more comfortable. We must also not forget that new, durable and reliable components help to rationalise the costs of operating and maintaining the railway infrastructure.

EU funding is first and foremost an investment in the future that will benefit everyone travelling by train in Poland.