Meridian Generic Rail Limited, a British company involved in the maintenance, testing and homologation of railway rolling stock, wants to build a test track for HSR (high-speed rail) in Zgorzelec County. In March this year, representatives of the company in question met with residents of the Ruszów commune. The website ruszow.info:

A railway siding with several tracks and a large hangar for research, analysis and calibration of the railway rolling stock being tested is to be built next to Ruszów railway station. The company plans to employ approximately 50 people in total (including mechanics, metalworkers, engineers and technical support staff), while, depending on the equipment being tested, teams of engineers and representatives of investors commissioning analyses, research and innovation will regularly come to the site.

According to the local outlet, the platforms at Ruszów station are to be rebuilt, and a “parallel, state-of-the-art track on which rolling stock is to be tested” is to be built along the Ruszów–Jankowa Żagańska route.

Ruszow.info adds:

The planned track will be approximately 18 km long, of which 4.5 km will be located within our commune.

The portal rynek-kolejowy.plbecame interested in the matter and asked Andrew Tilson, managing director of Meridian Generic Rail Limited, about the project. A. Tilson:

We can confirm that we are currently engaged in advanced discussions regarding the potential lease (or purchase) of a section of unused railway tracks on line 282. This will be a significant long-term commitment for us, involving the investment of substantial financial resources and the expansion of the tracks along with research facilities, which we hope will be completed within the next few years.

At what speed will the trains being tested travel?

Information provided by the mayor of Węgliniec indicates that trains travelling at up to 250 km/h are to be tested on the track. Andrew Tilson did not confirm this information; nevertheless, he noted that if everything goes according to plan, a “state-of-the-art technological testing and research centre” for new railway rolling stock will be built near Węgliniec.

What do you think? We invite you to join the discussion.

(Header photograph: illustrative photo).