In brief

• Exploratory boreholes have started at Dworzec Świebodzki station in Wrocław to assess the feasibility of building an underground rail tunnel.
• Work has been carried out since 28 October by the Lower Silesian Road and Rail Service (Dolnośląska Służba Dróg i Kolei), and the boreholes are 30 metres deep.
• The studies will check the bearing capacity of the ground and the groundwater level, and will indicate the construction technology.
• No decision on construction has been made.

Boreholes started on 28 October

The work began on 28 October. It is being carried out by the Lower Silesian Road and Rail Service (Dolnośląska Służba Dróg i Kolei) (Podziemna kolej w kolejnym polskim mieście. We Wrocławiu ruszyły odwierty badawcze – Rzeczpospolita). Test boreholes are being drilled in two locations near the station (Wrocław robi coś, o czym Kraków od dawna tylko mówi. Przymierza się do budowy "metra" – WNP.pl), and their depth is to be 30 metres (Metro we Wrocławiu? Ruszyły odwierty badawcze przy Dworcu Świebodzkim. "Wiemy, że się da" – radiowroclaw.pl). The studies are to check the bearing capacity of the ground and the groundwater level (Tunel pod Odrą i metro we Wrocławiu? Władze robią pierwszy krok – RMF24). The results will also show the optimal depth at which a tunnelling shield could operate, and the choice of construction technology will depend on them.

Why the city is considering underground rail

Local authorities and specialists believe that the capacity of the above-ground infrastructure has been exhausted. Suburban trains lose time waiting to enter the overloaded viaduct leading to Wrocław Główny (Dworzec Główny) station. Some regional trains could run through a new cross-city tunnel.

For a long time, many people believed that a metro, underground rail or a cross-city tunnel could not be built in Wrocław.

What next

If the study results are positive, an underground railway could be built here, which local media are calling the first metro line in Wrocław. No decision on construction has yet been made.