
Extraordinary monorail in Rzeszów
Sunningwell International Polska, the leaseholder of the Częstochowa Steelworks, signed a letter of intent with the Rzeszów government regarding the construction of a monorail railway in the city.
Monorail is a railway system in which vehicles run on a single rail, most often over the ground on a special overpass. Such lines operate in many cities, mainly in Asia (China, Japan), but since 2004 also in Moscow. The President of Rzeszów, Tadeusz Ferens, has been planning to build a monorail for over 10 years now, as an alternative to trams and subways, which the capital of Podkarpacie cannot afford. Several companies from Switzerland, France and Canada, among others, wanted to implement this project, but without any results.
Sunningwell International Polska joined the project as the main shareholder of the Monorail Menagment Company and signed a letter of intent. The supplier of the technology is to be the automotive company BYD Company Limited based in Shenzhen, China, and its contractor China Communication Construction Company from Beijing. Rzeszów undertook to provide the documentation prepared so far on the construction of the railway, the cost of which varies between PLN 420 and 840 million, depending on the length of the route. So far, two have been considered: 7- and 14-kilometre long, both starting and ending at the PKP station. Sunningwell estimates that the construction of a monorail in Rzeszów amounts to 25% of the cost of building the metro.
The cooperation between Sunningwell International Poland and the Rzeszów government under the letter is to last a year. During this time professional advisors from both sides are to meet regularly. The monorail is to be electrically powered. The plan assumes the implementation of investments in the formula of public-private partnership. Because no one has yet built a monorail in Poland, the legal conditions need to be clarified. Geological analyses will also be necessary. As part of the investment, the construction of a monorail railway wagon factory in Rzeszów is also considered. In turn, Huta Częstochowa could be a supplier of metal sheets and structural elements necessary to erect a overpass on which the train will run.