Poland Opens 17 km Lomza Rail Line on 14 June 2026

WARSAW – Polish infrastructure manager PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK) confirmed that passenger trains will return to Łomża, a regional centre in Podlasie Voivodeship, with the summer timetable change on 14 June 2026. The €1.3 billion Kolej Plus programme funded the reconstruction of 17 km of railway line No. 49 between Śniadowo and Łomża, including new tracks, turnouts, engineering structures, and platforms adapted for passengers. Łomża’s last scheduled passenger service ran 33 years ago, making this one of Poland’s highest-profile rail reconnection projects since the 1990s closure wave.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The scope covers physical reconstruction of the disused 17 km single-track line, installation of modern signalling and traffic control systems, renovation of the passenger halt at Łomża, and the design-and-build procurement for an entirely new Łomża station building—launched as a separate tender in June 2026. PKP PLK stated that work will continue beyond the reopening with further upgrades at intermediate stops and stations on the Łapy–Śniadowo–Łomża corridor to increase line capacity and attractiveness. Total investment for the Śniadowo–Łomża section was not officially disclosed, but comparable Kolej Plus single-track rebuilds typically fall between PLN 200 million and PLN 300 million (approximately €45–€68 million).

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

The Łomża reconnection is part of Poland’s Kolej Plus programme, which has allocated at least PLN 11 billion (€2.5 billion) through 2028 to restore or build over 1,200 km of railway line, targeting towns above 10,000 inhabitants that lost services in the 1990s (Source: Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, 2023). A comparable case is the 2024 reopening of the 14 km Busko-Zdrój branch, another regional centre reconnected after a 15-year pause, completed at a cost of PLN 180 million (Source: PKP PLK, 2024). Across the European Union, the Łomża project aligns with the revision of the TEN-T regulation, which prioritises filling regional connectivity gaps and mandates that all urban nodes above 100,000 residents have rail access by 2030—a threshold Łomża is now nearing through complementary high-speed investments planned between Warsaw and Białystok.

Editor’s Analysis

Reopening a 17 km stub does not by itself reshape national mobility, but its political and symbolic value as a Kolej Plus flagship is significant. In a country where over 200 towns lost passenger services after 1990, Łomża’s reconnection tests whether demand can be rebuilt through infrastructure alone, without concurrent investment in integrated bus-rail ticketing and service frequency. Poland’s broader rail investment tempo—record PLN 12.5 billion in 2025 budget allocations (Source: Ministry of Finance, 2025)—suggests the state will sustain capital injections, but ridership recovery in depopulating eastern voivodeships remains the variable no construction contract can guarantee.

FAQ

Q: When will I be able to buy a ticket to Łomża by train?
A: Passenger services start with the summer timetable on 14 June 2026. PKP PLK has not yet published the timetable for the Śniadowo–Łomża segment or confirmed which operator will run the trains.

Q: How long will the train journey from Łomża to Warsaw or Białystok take?
A: Official travel times have not been disclosed. Based on similar single-track branch lines in the region, analysts expect Łomża–Warsaw journeys of approximately 2.5–3 hours, depending on connections at Śniadowo or Łapy.

Q: What is the Kolej Plus programme?
A: Kolej Plus is a Polish government programme worth PLN 11 billion (€2.5 billion) launched in 2021 to reconnect towns that lost rail services after 1990 and to build new lines, co-financed with EU funds. It targets over 20 cities and 1,200 km of track by 2028 (Source: Ministry of Infrastructure, 2023).

Note: Independent verification of the exact construction cost of the Śniadowo–Łomża section was not available at time of publication, as PKP PLK has not separated this contract value from the wider corridor modernisation budget.