- Today, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe has signed a contract for the modernization of West Station with its contractor
- The investment with a total value of nearly PLN 2.4 billion is to be completed by 2023
- Warsaw, together with PKP PLK, will also build an underground tram stop connected to the underground passage and the station. From here, the tram will go through a tunnel about 500 meters long under the West Park
Travelers are expected to benefit from modern systems and technologies used at the modernized station. Governance will be more efficient rail traffic on the capital’s node.
It will be the most modern station in Poland
– Reconstruction of West Warsaw is a revolution on the transport map of Warsaw. Thousands of passengers use this station every day. After the reconstruction, more long-distance and suburban trains will appear. This is another step on the road to the goal of safe, comfortable and predictable Polish railways – he said today when signing the contract Andrzej Adamczyk, minister infrastruktury.
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The contract concluded between PKP PLK and Budimex SA will create nearly 500 jobs at the station’s reconstruction itself. The investment will be co-financed from EU funds.
– Rebuilt Warsaw West will be the most modern railway station in Poland. Every day thousands of passengers on the agglomeration and long-distance railways will gain attractive travels and efficient connections with public transport. West Warsaw will be adapted to the needs of all passengers. The new station capabilities will increase the role of railways in the communication system of Warsaw, the Masovian Voivodeship and Poland – said Ireneusz Merchel, president of PKP PLK.
The West Railway Station in Warsaw is the largest station in Poland in terms of the number of trains running. On average, around a thousand agglomeration, regional, national and international long-distance trains pass through the station daily. The reconstruction of Warsaw West is the next stage in the modernization of the cross-city line.
Covered platforms, elevators, escalators
What will change? As we read on the PKP PLK website, all platforms will be roofed. Escalators and lifts adapted for transporting prams and bicycles are provided. The station will be fully accessible to people with reduced mobility. Clear signage and passenger information system will facilitate the use of railways. Additional platform from ul. Tunelowa will increase the possibilities for trains.
Communication in the station area will be facilitated by a footbridge that connects Wola and Ochota. The underground passage will change completely – it will be taller and wider and connected to the waiting room and ticket office space. The passage will also be extended to platform No. 8 at the perimeter line.
At the Warszawa Zachodnia station, the new track system will enable trains to travel from the perimeter line to the Radom line and create direct connections Piaseczno – Legionowo and Legionowo – Chopin Airport. About 30 km of tracks, 130 switches and the overhead contact line will be completely rebuilt.
Train traffic maintained during renovation
During the reconstruction of the station, train traffic and passenger service will be maintained. First, the construction of an underground passage from the perimeter line, i.e. platform No. 8, was planned. local rail traffic control center and a new platform from the Tunelowa side.
The contractor will start building the footbridge on the east side of the station. Thanks to this solution, access to platforms will be provided during the reconstruction of the existing underground passage. The main track works will start from ul. Tunelowa and will be implemented in the direction of Al. Jerusalem. The investment is planned to be completed in the second half of 2023.
The capital city will also join the investment. Warsaw. It will be up to the Town Hall, and specifically to the municipal company Tramwaje Warszawskie, to provide residents with access to the renovated station by an underground tram line.
Half a kilometer of new tunnel
This will be the first stage of work, allowing in the future to extend the route towards Wola. Together with PKP PLK, the city will build an underground tram stop, connected to the underground passage and the railway station. The maximum cost of part of the investment financed by the capital is PLN 170 million.
As part of a separate task, Warsaw Trams are working on a tram route that will start under the Warsaw West train station rebuilt by PKP PLK. From this station the tram will take a tunnel about 500 meters long under the West Park. The exit from the tunnel and the next stop will be between the streets of ul. Battle of Warsaw 1920 at the height of the Ibis hotel.
Then the route will run along this street up to Grójecka, where the trams will turn towards Centrum, Okęcie or go straight to the Banacha loop. Thanks to this investment, passengers will be able to take a tram to the West Railway Station, and a comfortable underground interchange will be built under the station itself, from which it will be easy to get to the railway and bus platforms. The city signed a contract for the design of this route in January 2020. Next year, projects and building permits will be ready.
Tram stop like a metro station
What will the underground tram stop look like? It will be similar to a metro station. The platforms will be very close to the WKD queue platforms and will be at level -2. On level -1 there will be a corridor connecting all platforms. There will be escalators and elevators, and passengers will not have to go outside to change from tram to train.
The construction of the route to the Warszawa Zachodnia station is part of a larger project divided into several stages. The route with a total length of almost 19 km will eventually connect Wola, Odolany, Dworzec Zachodni, Ochota, Mokotów and Wilanów. The capital streetcar workers are now working, among others over the section to Wilanów. They are also working on building a new depot in Annopol. Warsaw will also gain 213 new trams, for which the contract was signed in June 2019.
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