Żory and Żywiec unveil major rail infrastructure upgrades

A new viaduct in the Silesian town of Żory was opened, replacing a former level‑crossing and shortening the rail link between Pszczyna and Żory from about 32 to 21 minutes. Mayor Waldemar Socha highlighted the project’s impact on traffic flow and public transport, while PKP PLK project director Janusz Kanik described the structure’s design, which connects several streets and includes a pedestrian‑bicycle path.

Separately, local officials in the Żywiec region approved a tunnel under railway tracks to link the village of Zarzecze with the Pietrzykowice Żywieckie stop on the lake’s southern shore. The tunnel, championed by MP Mirosław Suchoń, Mayor Antoni Szlagor of Żywiec and Wójt Tadeusz Karolini of Łodygowice, is intended to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists and become part of a 50‑km network of bike routes around Lake Żywieckie. The project still requires detailed design, financing and final approvals before construction can begin.