Capacity of the Polish Malaszewicze and Biała Podlaska terminals, both near the border with Belarus, will be extended with 13 additional tracks. Three new tracks will be build in Małaszewicze, while Biała Podlaska will be extended by ten tracks. Both are situated on the railway line to Warsaw, and on the New Silk Road.

PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK), the infrastructure manager of Poland, signed a contract with Trakcja, which has done several projects in the same region. The contract involves the design as well as construction of the new tracks. This was reported by the Polish industry media Rynek Kolejowy.

Longer and heavier trains

The purpose of the track extension is to handle heavier and longer freight trains, with a length of 750 metres. The scope of works also includes the construction of a traction network, turnouts and railway traffic control devices, as well as drainage for good track maintenance.

The contract is worth almost 123 million Polish zloty (26,22 million euros), and is financed from the National Railway Programme, which is intended for the recapitalisation of the infrastructure manager.

Expansion of Malaszewicze

Both the terminals are located in an important area. The most heavily used route on the New Silk Road runs through this region, and Malaszewicze handles the bulk of the rail freight volumes between Europe and China. This has resulted in congestion at the border, and the need for capacity expansion.

However, due to changing political landscape, the EU has decided not to fund a large modernisation project planned in the Małaszewicze Transshipment Area, which includes the terminals Kobylany, Małaszewicze, Bór and Chotyłów, and this project is now on hold, waiting for public funding to proceed.