Editing Łódź (section)

==Economy and infrastructure==
[[File:EC1-Łódź-Budynek.jpg|thumb|left|[[EC1 Science and Technology Center in Łódź|EC1 Science and Technology Center]] in a former [[power plant]]]]
Before 1990, the economy of Łódź was heavily reliant on the [[textile|textile industry]], which had developed in the city in the nineteenth century owing to the abundance of rivers used to power the industry's fulling mills, bleaching plants and other machinery.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kobojek |first1=Elżbieta |date=2017 |title=A Small River Within the Urban Space: the Evolution of the Relationship Using the Example of Łódź |journal=Space-Society-Economy |volume=19 |issue=19 |pages=7–20 |doi=10.18778/1733-3180.19.01 |url=http://repozytorium.uni.lodz.pl:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11089/22637/0_1_%5b7%5d-20_Kobojek.pdf |issn=1733-3180 |access-date=13 July 2018 |doi-access=free |archive-date=13 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713200410/http://repozytorium.uni.lodz.pl:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11089/22637/0_1_%5b7%5d-20_Kobojek.pdf |url-status=live }} (p. 10).</ref> Because of the growth in this industry, the city has sometimes been called the "Polish [[Manchester]]"<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lamprecht |first1=Mariusz |date=2014 |title=Fluctuations in the Development of Cities. A Case Study of Lodz. |journal=Studia Regionalia |volume=38 |pages=77–91 |url=http://journals.pan.pl/Content/98189 |issn=0860-3375 |access-date=13 July 2018 |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928212105/https://journals.pan.pl/Content/98189/mainfile.pdf |url-status=live }} (p. 82).</ref> and the "[[lingerie]] capital of Poland".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/style/polish-bras.html|title=The Best Bras Might Be Made in Poland|last=Cormier|first=Amanda|date=2019-12-25|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-12-30|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=30 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230053340/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/style/polish-bras.html|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, Łódź grew from a population of 13,000 in 1840 to over 500,000 in 1913. By the time right before World War I Łódź had become one of the most densely populated industrial cities in the world, with 13,280 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>, and also one of the most polluted. The textile industry declined dramatically in 1990 and 1991, and no major textile company survives in Łódź. However, countless small companies still provide a significant output of textiles, mostly for export. Łódź is no longer a significant industrial centre, but it has become a major hub for the business services sector in Poland owing to the availability of highly skilled workers and active cooperation between local universities and the business sector.<ref>{{cite report |date=2019 |title=Business Services Sector in Poland 2019 |url=https://absl.pl/storage/app/uploads/public/5d0/7a1/406/5d07a140668f0191663458.pdf |publisher=Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) |pages=28, 55 |access-date=11 January 2020 |archive-date=11 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111132002/https://absl.pl/storage/app/uploads/public/5d0/7a1/406/5d07a140668f0191663458.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Rynek Manufaktury, budynek wykańczalni.jpg|thumb|right|[[Manufaktura]] – a textile factory that became a shopping centre]]

The city benefits from its central location in Poland. A number of firms have located their logistics centres in the vicinity. Two motorways, [[A1 autostrada (Poland)|A1]] spanning from the north to the south of Poland, and [[A2 autostrada (Poland)|A2]] going from the east to the west, intersect northeast of the city. {{As of|2012|post=,}} the A2 is complete to Warsaw and the northern section of A1 is largely completed. With these connections, the advantages of the city's central location should increase even further. Work has also begun on upgrading the railway connection with Warsaw, which reduced the 2-hour travel time to make the {{convert|137|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} journey 1.5 hours in 2009. {{As of|2018|post=,}} travel time from Łódź to Warsaw is around 1.2 hours with the modern [[Pesa SA]] Dart trains.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pl.omio.com/pociagi/lodz/warszawa|title=Pociągi Łódź – Warszawa – Omio|website=www.pl.omio.com|access-date=14 February 2018|archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106182710/https://pl.omio.com/pociagi/lodz/warszawa|url-status=live}}</ref>

Recent years have seen many foreign companies opening and establishing their offices in Łódź. The Indian IT company [[Infosys]] has one of its centres in the city. In January 2009 [[Dell]] announced that it will shift production from its plant in [[Limerick]], Ireland to its plant in Łódź, largely because the labour costs in Poland are a fraction of those in Ireland.<ref name="afp_jan">{{cite web|author=(AFP)–24 Jan 2009 |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jfg1UcJtfo3IzRq-Dne3j2H1cSoA |title=AFP: Dell seeks refuge in Poland as crisis bites |date=24 January 2009 |access-date=11 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525040047/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jfg1UcJtfo3IzRq-Dne3j2H1cSoA |archive-date=25 May 2012 }}</ref> The city's investor friendly policies have attracted 980 [[Foreign direct investment|foreign investors]] by January 2009.<ref name="afp_jan"/> [[Foreign direct investment|Foreign investment]] was one of the factors which decreased the [[unemployment|unemployment rate]] in Łódź to 6.5 per cent in December 2008, from 20 per cent four years earlier.<ref name="afp_jan"/>

===Transport===
[[File:Łódź Fabryczna - hol dworca (1).JPG|thumb|Main hall of the Łódź Fabryczna station]]

Łódź is situated near the geographical centre of Poland, only a short distance away from the motorway junction in [[Stryków]] where the two main north–south ([[National road 1 (Poland)|A1]]) and east–west ([[A2 autostrada (Poland)|A2]]) Polish transport corridors meet, which positions the city on two of the ten major trans-European routes: from [[Gdańsk]] to [[Žilina]] and [[Brno]] and from [[Berlin]] to [[Moscow]] via [[Warsaw]].<ref name="Wiśniewski">{{cite journal |last1=Wiśniewski |first1=Szymon |date=2017 |title=Łódź in the Regional and National Transportation System |journal=Space-Society-Economy |volume=19 |issue=19 |pages=65–86 |doi=10.18778/1733-3180.19.04 |url=http://dspace.uni.lodz.pl:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11089/22640/0_4_%5b65%5d-86_Wi%c5%9bniewski.pdf |issn=1733-3180 |access-date=17 July 2018 |doi-access=free |archive-date=17 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717212553/http://dspace.uni.lodz.pl:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11089/22640/0_4_%5b65%5d-86_Wi%c5%9bniewski.pdf |url-status=live }} p. 66.</ref> It is also part of the [[Eurasian Land Bridge|New Silk Road]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Shepard |first=Wade |title=Europe Finally Wakes Up To The New Silk Road, And This Could Be Big |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/11/10/europe-finally-wakes-up-to-the-new-silk-road |work=Forbes |date=10 November 2016 |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722130308/https://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/11/10/europe-finally-wakes-up-to-the-new-silk-road |url-status=live }}</ref> a regular cargo rail connection with the Chinese city of [[Chengdu]] operating since 2013.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bentyn |first1=Zbigniew |date=2016 |title=Poland as a Regional Logistic Hub Serving the Development of the Northern Corridor of the New Silk Route |journal=Journal of Management, Marketing and Logistics |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=135–44 |url=http://dergipark.ulakbim.gov.tr/jmml/article/download/5000196803/5000170450 |issn=2148-6670 |access-date=20 July 2018 |archive-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722132124/http://dergipark.ulakbim.gov.tr/jmml/article/download/5000196803/5000170450 |url-status=dead }} (p. 142).</ref> Łódź is served by the [[national roads in Poland|national motorway network]], an international airport, and long-distance and regional railways. It is at the centre of a [[regional rail|regional]] and [[commuter rail]] network operating from the city's various train stations. Bus and tram services are operated by a municipal public transport company. There are {{convert|193|km|abbr=on}} of bicycle routes throughout the city (as in January 2019).<ref>{{cite web| url=https://rowerowalodz.pl/infrastruktura/statystyki-rowerowek| title=Statystyki rowerówek| trans-title=Bike roads statistics| website=rowerowalodz.pl| access-date=2020-11-10| language=pl| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815195139/https://rowerowalodz.pl/infrastruktura/statystyki-rowerowek| archive-date=2019-08-15| url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:LodzDocelowyUkladDrog.svg|thumb|left|Major road network in the city (2009)]]

Major roads include:
* [[A1 autostrada (Poland)|A1]]: Gdańsk – Toruń – Łódź – Częstochowa – Cieszyn (national border)
* [[A2 autostrada (Poland)|A2]]: Świecko (national border) – Poznań – Łódź – Warszawa
* [[Expressway S8 (Poland)|S8]]: Wrocław – Sieradz – Łódź – Piotrków Trybunalski – Warszawa – Białystok
* [[Expressway S14 (Poland)|S14]]: Pabianice – Konstantynów Łódzki – Aleksandrów Łódzki – Zgierz
* DK14: Łowicz – Stryków – Łódź – Zduńska Wola – Sieradz – Złoczew – Walichnowy
* DK72: Konin – Turek – Poddębice – Łódź – Brzeziny – Rawa Mazowiecka
* [[National road 91 (Poland)|DK91]]: Gdańsk – Tczew – Toruń – Łódź – Piotrków Trybunalski – Radomsko – Częstochowa

====Airport====
{{main|Łódź Władysław Reymont Airport}}
The city has an international airport: [[Łódź Władysław Reymont Airport]] located {{convert|6|km|mi|0|abbr=off}} from the city centre. Flights connect the city with destinations in Europe including Turkey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lotnisko.lodz.pl/en/our-destinations.html|title=Our destinations – Port Lotniczy Łódź im. Władysława Reymonta|last=www.lifemotion.pl|work=lodz.pl|access-date=28 January 2016|archive-date=3 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203093413/http://lotnisko.lodz.pl/en/our-destinations.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014 the airport handled 253,772 passengers.<ref>Wiśniewski, p. 79.</ref> It is the 8th largest airport in Poland.<ref>Statistic taken from the Łódź Władysław Reymont Airport Wikipedia article on 19 July 2015.</ref>{{circular reference|date=August 2020}}

====Public transport====
{{see also|Trams in Łódź}}
[[File:Pesa Swing and Moderus Gamma Łódź Olechów (2).jpg|thumb|right|Trams in Łódź]]
[[File:Transfer station Piotrkowska-Centrum, Łódź Piłsudskiego Av. November 2015 01.jpg|thumb|right|Piotrkowska Centrum tram station, also known as "The Unicorn Stable"]]
The Municipal Transport Company – Łódź (Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne – Łódź), owned by the Łódź City Government, is responsible for operating 58 bus routes and 19 tram lines.<ref>Sourced from the Łódź article on the Polish Wikipedia site on 19 July 2015</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mpk.lodz.pl/showarticleslist.action?category=1079&About%20MPK|title=About MPK – MPK-Lodz Spolka z o.o.|work=lodz.pl|access-date=12 October 2016|archive-date=8 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408125533/http://www.mpk.lodz.pl/showarticleslist.action?category=1079&About%20MPK|url-status=live}}</ref> The tram network is one of the longest in the country and was the first electrified cable tramway in [[Congress Poland]], beginning its operation on 23 December 1898. The regional tramway network also connects Łódź with the adjacent cities of [[Pabianice]] (since 2023) and [[Konstantynów Łódzki]] (since 2024), which are within the Łódź Agglomeration. The rolling stock largely comprises older but modernised wagons by [[Konstal]] and newer Polish-manufactured types such as [[Pesa Swing]] and [[Moderus Gamma]]. Among the popular models for buses are Mercedes Conecto LF and [[Solaris Urbino 18]].

====Rail====
Łódź has a number of long distance and local railway stations. There are two main stations in the city, but with no direct rail connection between them—a legacy of 19th-century railway network planning. Originally constructed in 1866, the centrally-located [[Łódź Fabryczna]] was a [[terminus station]] for a branch line of the [[Warsaw-Vienna railway]],<ref>Grzegorczyk, p. 144.</ref> whereas [[Łódź Kaliska railway station|Łódź Kaliska]] was built more than thirty years later on the central section of the [[Warsaw-Kalisz Railway|Warsaw-Kalisz railway]]. For this reason most intercity train traffic goes to this day through Łódź Kaliska station, despite its relative distance from the city centre, and Łódź Fabryczna serves mainly as a terminal station for trains to [[Warsaw]]. The situation will be remedied in 2026 after the construction of a tunnel connecting the two,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.rynek-kolejowy.pl/wiadomosci/lodz-tunel-srednicowy--kolejne-dwa-lata-opoznienia-117918.html |title= Łódź: Tunel średnicowy – kolejne dwa lata opóźnienia |access-date= 26 April 2024 |archive-date= 11 April 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240411125402/https://www.rynek-kolejowy.pl/wiadomosci/lodz-tunel-srednicowy--kolejne-dwa-lata-opoznienia-117918.html |url-status= live }}</ref> which is likely to make Łódź Poland's main railway hub.<ref name="dworzec">{{cite news |url=http://www.tvn24.pl/lodz,69/tak-bedzie-wygladalo-lodzkie-prawie-metro,696399.html |title=Superdworzec już jest, będzie (prawie) metro. Łódź ma być komunikacyjnym centrum kraju |date=2 December 2016 |website=TVN24 |access-date=3 August 2017 |archive-date=9 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709010217/https://www.tvn24.pl/lodz,69/tak-bedzie-wygladalo-lodzkie-prawie-metro,696399.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The tunnel will additionally serve [[Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna|Łódź Commuter Railway]], providing a [[rapid transit]] system for the city, dubbed the Łódź Metro by the media and local authorities.<ref name="metro">{{cite web |url=http://lodz.wyborcza.pl/lodz/1,44788,20093817,lodz-bedzie-miala-metro-i-to-juz-niedlugo.html |title=Łódź będzie miała 'metro'. I to już niedługo |date=18 May 2016 |website=Wyborcza.pl: Magazyn Łódź. |access-date=3 August 2017 |archive-date=19 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919090758/http://lodz.wyborcza.pl/lodz/1,44788,20093817,lodz-bedzie-miala-metro-i-to-juz-niedlugo.html? |url-status=live }}</ref> Three new stations are being constructed on the underground line, one serving the needs of the [[Manufaktura]] complex, another one serving Koziny neighbourhood and the third one located in the area of [[Piotrkowska Street]].<ref name="metro" />
[[File:Stadler FLIRT 100-lecie Bitwy Warszawskiej (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna]] is a commuter and regional rail service in Łódź]]

In December 2016, a few years after the demolition of the old building of {{lang|pl|Łódź Fabryczna|italic=no}} station, a [[Łódź Fabryczna|new underground station]] was opened.<ref name="dworzec" /> It is considered to be the largest and most modern of all train stations in Poland and is designed to handle increased traffic after the construction of the tunnel.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rogaczewska |first=Beata |url=http://www.rp.pl/Zycie-Ziemi-Lodzkiej/311019890-Lodz-Fabryczna-najwiekszy-podziemny-dworzec-kolejowy-w-Polsce-i-trzeci-w-Europie.html |title=Łódź Fabryczna: największy podziemny dworzec kolejowy w Polsce i trzeci w Europie |date=1 November 2016 |website=rp.pl |access-date=3 August 2017 |archive-date=4 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804052923/http://www.rp.pl/Zycie-Ziemi-Lodzkiej/311019890-Lodz-Fabryczna-najwiekszy-podziemny-dworzec-kolejowy-w-Polsce-i-trzeci-w-Europie.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It also serves as a multimodal transport hub, featuring an underground intercity bus station, and is integrated with a new transport interchange serving taxis and local trams and buses.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kozlowski |first1=Remigiusz |last2=Palczewska |first2=Anna |last3=Jablonski |first3=Jakub |chapter=The Scope and Capabilities of ITS – The Case of Łódź |editor1-last=Mikulski |editor1-first=Jerzy |date=2016 |title=Challenge of Transport Telematics |publisher=Springer |pages=305–16 |isbn=9783319496450}} (p. 308)</ref> The construction of the new Łódź Fabryczna station was part of a broader project of [[urban renewal]] known as [[Nowe Centrum Łodzi]] (New Centre of Łódź).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://urbact.eu/new-centre-%C5%82%C3%B3d%C5%BA-has-local-action-plan-0|title=The New Centre of Łódź has a Local Action Plan – URBACT|work=urbact.eu|access-date=19 July 2015|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308031712/https://urbact.eu/new-centre-%C5%82%C3%B3d%C5%BA-has-local-action-plan-0|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The third-largest train station in Łódź is [[Łódź Widzew railway station|Łódź Widzew]]. There are also many other stations and train stops in the city, many of which were upgraded as part of the [[Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna]] commuter rail project. The rail service, founded as part of a major regional rail upgrade and owned by [[Łódź Voivodeship]], operates on routes to [[Kutno]], [[Sieradz]], [[Skierniewice]], [[Łowicz]], and on selected days to [[Warsaw]], with plans for further expansion after the construction of the tunnel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kurierkolejowy.eu/aktualnosci/29253/rekorodowy-rok-lodzkiej-kolei-aglomeracyjnej.html |title=Rekordowy rok Łódzkiej Kolei Aglomeracyjnej |date=22 December 2016 |access-date=3 August 2017 |website=kurierkolejowy.eu |archive-date=4 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804113106/https://kurierkolejowy.eu/aktualnosci/29253/rekorodowy-rok-lodzkiej-kolei-aglomeracyjnej.html |url-status=live }}</ref>