Poland’s national rail operator PKP closed Warsaw Central (Warszawa Centralna) at noon on 8 November, diverting all long-distance and suburban services until the morning of 16 November. The closure—announced only three days earlier—allows engineers to replace four high-speed turnouts on the east–west "linia średnicowa" as part of a €330 million modernisation designed to boost throughput before Poland co-hosts UEFA EURO 2028.
Practical impact is immediate: airport-bound SKM and Koleje Mazowieckie (KM) trains now terminate at Warszawa Zachodnia or Wschodnia, forcing passengers to transfer to buses or ride-hail for the final 9 kilometres to Chopin Airport. PKP Intercity has re-routed flagship Pendolino services from Berlin and Prague through Warszawa Gdańska, adding 20–35 minutes. Carriers are offering ticket cross-honouring, and the city has activated a temporary Airport Express bus every 15 minutes from Zachodnia.
![Warsaw Central Station shuts for eight-day track works, severing rail link to Chopin Airport]()
For mobility managers the timing is awkward: November is peak season for expatriate home-leave trips ahead of Poland’s Independence Day on 11 November. Corporations were advised to update traveller tracking tools and allow extra buffers in duty-of-care risk assessments. The Polish Travel Agents’ Association estimates the diversion could affect 180,000 passengers over eight days, including delegates to the Shared-Services & Outsourcing Week conference in Łódź.
The works also close parts of the station concourse for deep cleaning and lighting upgrades, but retail and metro access remain open. PKP insists the compressed schedule will avoid the pre-Christmas rush; however, unions warn that any overrun could clash with the rail timetable change on 15 December, compounding disruption.
Long-term, the upgrade will raise Centralna’s line speed from 40 km/h to 80 km/h and add capacity for an extra eight trains per hour—critical as Warsaw’s population nudges 2.1 million and the government advances plans for the new Solidarity Hub airport-rail interchange at Baranów.
Practical impact is immediate: airport-bound SKM and Koleje Mazowieckie (KM) trains now terminate at Warszawa Zachodnia or Wschodnia, forcing passengers to transfer to buses or ride-hail for the final 9 kilometres to Chopin Airport. PKP Intercity has re-routed flagship Pendolino services from Berlin and Prague through Warszawa Gdańska, adding 20–35 minutes. Carriers are offering ticket cross-honouring, and the city has activated a temporary Airport Express bus every 15 minutes from Zachodnia.
For mobility managers the timing is awkward: November is peak season for expatriate home-leave trips ahead of Poland’s Independence Day on 11 November. Corporations were advised to update traveller tracking tools and allow extra buffers in duty-of-care risk assessments. The Polish Travel Agents’ Association estimates the diversion could affect 180,000 passengers over eight days, including delegates to the Shared-Services & Outsourcing Week conference in Łódź.
The works also close parts of the station concourse for deep cleaning and lighting upgrades, but retail and metro access remain open. PKP insists the compressed schedule will avoid the pre-Christmas rush; however, unions warn that any overrun could clash with the rail timetable change on 15 December, compounding disruption.
Long-term, the upgrade will raise Centralna’s line speed from 40 km/h to 80 km/h and add capacity for an extra eight trains per hour—critical as Warsaw’s population nudges 2.1 million and the government advances plans for the new Solidarity Hub airport-rail interchange at Baranów.
