The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), which includes “railways, inland waterways, short sea shipping routes and roads linking urban nodes, maritime and inland ports, airports and terminals”, represents an ambition – or an intention – that began on 7th February 1992, when the Maastricht Treaty, one of the founding agreements of the European Union, was signed. This included in its “New Policies” section, the assignment to that incipient union of “responsibilities for: trans-European networks”, among others. One of these trans-European networks is precisely the TEN-T – in addition to the energy and telecommunications networks – an initiative of the European Union and the European Commission to, in general, territorially integrate the member countries and, in particular, to “planning and developing a coherent, efficient, multimodal, and high-quality transport infrastructure”.
It is in this context that one of the world’s largest multimodal transport hubs is now being developed: the Central Communications Port in Poland (in Polish, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, or CPK). Whilst from a European point of view the CPK is a key element of the TEN-T, from a local – in other words, national – perspective, it is a centrepiece of the communications strategy that the Polish government refers to as the “triple jump”. This strategy includes, first, a high-speed rail network “so that everyone can travel quickly between its major cities”; second, a major international airport – plus regional ones; the third component is “the development of LOT Polish Airlines”, the country’s airline.
The CPK is designed by the architectural firm Foster + Partners and covers some 2,600 ha of land in a rural area some 45 km west of Warsaw – where, by the way, land expropriation has already begun. It will therefore be a gigantic multimodal station with a bus terminal, a high-speed railway station and an international airport, all connected to each other, to facilitate transit, and to the TEN-T Baltic-Adriatic corridor – one of the 9 on which it is deployed.
To get an idea of its dimensions, it is enough to consider that, in terms of size, CPK will be twice the size of Heathrow Airport in London, UK, and almost 20% larger than JFK in New York, USA. Its annual capacity will be between 30 and 60 million passengers, according to Grant Brooker, director of Foster + Partners, who told The B1M. The estimated investment of €30.4 billion makes it the largest infrastructure project in Poland’s history and one of the most important in the context of the European Union. The Polish authorities are proposing a financing model combining public resources, European funds and private capital. The magnitude of the investment – equivalent to approximately 4.2% of the country’s GDP in 2024 – and its environmental impact have triggered debates.
Whilst the authorities highlight the CPK’s innovations in energy efficiency and sustainable mobility, environmental groups have pointed out its contradiction with the objectives of the European Green Pact, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. Those defending the project, including the Polish government, argue that it will boost Eastern Europe’s economy and relieve congestion at Western airports – in addition to Warsaw’s already overcrowded Chopin Airport. However, critics call it a “pharaonic project” because of its size, financing and dubious economic viability. Incidentally, the first phase of the CPK is expected to be operational in 2032.
For those of you who are curious and want to know more, here is a map showing the detailed deployment of the TEN-T: TEN-T Map
Sources: TEN-T – Wikipedia, Central Communication Port – Wikipedia, Government of Poland, The B1M, EUR-Lex, European Commission.
Images: Foster + Partners.
