By tram, tunnel to Warsaw West. The tender starts

Mateusz Pawlak
20-03-2023, last update 20-03-2023 12:39

Warsaw Trams have announced a tender for the construction of the first underground tram route in the capital. Passengers will use it via Ochota to Dworzec Zachodni. Work will start next year.

source: AdobeStock

The new route will not only allow you to quickly get to the West Railway Station – it will also be used by the residents of Stara Ochota and Szczęśliwice. In the future, it will become part of the emerging tram line from Wola to Wilanów.

The new tram route – approximately 1.6 km long – will start at the Warszawa Zachodnia Railway Station. An underground stop will be built, connected to an underground passage and a railway station. The tram will go through a tunnel (approximately 500 meters long) under the Five Sisters Park.

The exit from the tunnel will be located between the roadways of ul. Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920 – near ul. Szczęśliwicka. Then the route will run between the roadways of ul. Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920 to Grójecka Street, where there will be a turnout junction – allowing trams to turn towards the center, Okęcie or Banacha loop.

Thanks to this investment, passengers will be able to reach the Warszawa Zachodnia station, and a convenient underground transfer hub will be built right next to the station, from which it will be easy to go to the railway and bus platforms. The journey time from Grójecka Street will be regarding five minutes, and from the Politechnika metro station – just over a quarter of an hour.

Underground stop

The underground tram stop will be similar to a metro station. It will differ from it in the height of the platforms (the floor in trams is lower than in subway trains). The tram platforms will be very close to the WKD railway platforms – on level -2. Thanks to escalators and lifts, passengers will not have to go outside to change from tram to train.

Which lines will take you to Warszawa Zachodnia?

Ultimately, trams from Wilanów will run to the railway station. At the beginning, following building the route along ul. Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920, trams from ul. Grójecka. Further, along the newly built tracks, they will reach the underground stop at the end of the route. In this place, tracks will be built to change the direction of trams. Two-way trams will have to be used on such a line. These will be Jazzy or new Hyundais.

Deadlines and costs

Construction works are planned for 2024 and 2025. The contractor selected in the tender will have 26 months to complete the entire investment. The project is part of a larger project “Construction of a tram route to Wilanów along with the purchase of rolling stock and accompanying infrastructure” and is intended for co-financing from the Operational Program European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, Environment 2021-2027. The value of the investment is approx. PLN 224 million.

Warsaw is running the largest tram investment program in Poland. Over 11 km of new tram routes are currently under construction – to Kasprzaka, Gagarina and Wilanów. Warsaw Trams are working on preparing new routes – to Gocław, along Pole Mokotowskie, to Zielona Białołęka and along Modlińska Street. The most modern tram depot in Poland is also being built – in Annopol. 76 out of 123 Hyundai low-floor and two-way trams have already arrived in Warsaw.

rp.pl

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