Andrzej Bittel, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, who was present at the signing of the contract, announced that modernized platforms so that “you do not have to climb the steps while getting on the train”.
– There will be a new anti-skid surface on the platforms with guidance for the visually impaired and the blind, elevators and escalators will be installed – calculated Bittel.
In addition to the amenities for passengers, the tracks and the traction line are to be modernized. A new traffic control system is also to be installed, a new control room is to be built, and a new passenger information system is to be built.
– The contractor has 30 months to carry out the works, their net cost is PLN 382 million, of which 120 million are funds from the Eastern Poland program, the remaining part is money from the state budget – Bittel informed.
The contract includes the possibility of extending the scope of work, the cost of which may increase to PLN 470 million. At that time, i.a. more tracks will be renovated than is covered by the signed contract.
One of the most important points of the contract signed on Monday is the construction of an underground tunnel that will connect the Olsztyn Główny railway station with the Zatorze district.
The president of PKP PLK, Ireneusz Merchel, said that he grew up in this district of Olsztyn and already as a child “heard that such a crossing was to be built”.
“It has been waited for years, it is finally coming true,” he said.
Artur Chojecki, the voivode of Warmia and Mazury, spoke in a similar vein, emphasizing that “finally, it will not be necessary to cover additional distances in Zator, because this district has no connection with the station”.
The contractor, Torpol, has 30 months to complete the investment.
The contract signed on Monday does not include the renovation of the station hall. The one in Olsztyn is currently in a deplorable condition. PKP wants to demolish the existing building and build a new one, which is opposed, among others, by the community of architects and regionalists who argue that the modernist shape is a great example of utility construction.
Deputy Minister Bittel expressed his hope that the station building would also be modernized soon.
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