POLAND’s Central Communication Port (CPK), a major hub airport and new network of 12 connecting high-speed lines totalling 2000km, faces an audit following the country’s general election in October. Incoming prime minister and former European Council president, Mr Donald Tusk, stated in December that his government would review the project.
On January 19 it was revealed that CPK CEO, Mr Mikołay Wild, had been dismissed by the government’s CPK representative Mr Maciej Lasek, who had replaced the CPK supervisory board two days before.
Lasek confirmed on January 20 that an audit of the CPK project was underway after he criticised unrestrained spending of public funds.
“Unlike [under our] predecessors, [our work] will be based on reliable and complete analysis, but will also take into account the actual situation of the Polish budget [as well as] the economic situation and market needs,” Lasek told Polish media.
He appeared to signal a policy reversal on the hub principle that underpins the CPK concept by suggesting that the new government would encourage the development of regional airports. “People want to fly from an airport near their home,” Lasek said. “They don’t want to travel to a large airport by road or rail for 2-3 hours.”
Lasek added that until the audit was complete he was unable to comment further on the future of the CPK project, although he suggested the 2028 opening date for the new airport was unrealistic.
“Based on [the audit results] we will present recommendations to the government regarding CPK and its individual elements,” he said.
In December the planned high-speed rail line between Warsaw and Łódź, one of the key components of the CPK project, cleared a major hurdle when it completed the statutory environmental approval process.
Invitations to tender for the final construction stage of a 4.6km double-track section under the city of Łódź were expected to be the next step in building this high-speed line, but it is not clear whether this will go ahead until the audit has been completed.
CPK announced that it had secured planning permission for the 4km tunnel beneath Łódź city centre on January 17. It says that construction work is already underway in the city on other stages of this element of the CPK project.
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