Krakow light rail

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Stop in the tunnel under the main station
Construction of the Estakade near Bagry in 2015
Light rail track in the direction of Kurdwanów
In 2007, Krowodrza Górka modernized reversing loop with tram and bus station
Low-floor wagon from the second delivery
Low-floor wagon from the third delivery

The Krakow light rail ( Krakowski szybki Tramwaj ) is a project to create a fast and comfortable tram connection between the northern and southern districts of Krakow . In the medium term, further cross-city tram lines in Krakow are also to be converted to accelerated light rail-like operations.

Planning history

In 1974 they started to build an underground tunnel for the trams in the area of ​​the main train station . In 1990 a section of 180 meters was built. In 1994 a document was recognized that accepted the light rail system as the new mass transit system. Since 1995, 605 meters of tunnels have been built under "ul. Lubomirskiego" over four years.

The work was divided into several construction lots .

  • Construction lot I (completion on October 1, 2000): Construction of the tram line to Kurdwanów to the road to Wieliczka (ul. Wielicka) (meanwhile the construction of the turning loop in the Kurdwanów district, reconstruction of the intersection "ul. Nowosądecka / ul. Wielicka" and modernization of the Track on the road to Wieliczka)
  • Section II (completed in autumn 2008): Construction of the route from "Rondo Grzegórzeckie" to Krowodrza (meanwhile construction of the tunnel on the section "Rondo Mogilskie" - "Krakow Central Station Tunnel" - "Technical University / Politechnika Krakowska") and which has already been completed Modernization of the existing section from "ul. Kamienna" to the settlement "Krowodrza Górka". On the route of the Kraków light rail (Premetro) there are two underground stops “Politechnika” (two-storey) and “Dworzec Główny Tunel” (main train station). The line went into operation on December 11, 2008.
  • Section III (until the end of 2011): Construction of the tram line from "Rondo Grzegórzeckie" to "ul. Wielicka" over the "Kotlarski Bridge" (Most Kotlarski)
  • Section IV (until the end of 2013): Construction of the tram line at "ul. Lipska".

Technical remarks

The tram lines 50 and 52 currently serve the already completed light rail routes. These are each 14 and 18 kilometers long. The tram tracks run through Poland's first urban railway tunnel , in which, according to plans, the trains will travel at a speed of 60 km / h after construction is completed.

To ensure that the speed advantage achieved on the high-speed routes is not wasted on signals showing red, a traffic signal control system is introduced which is implemented by Siemens . This system was supposed to be put into operation in 2007, which only happened in November 2008 due to the delay in the renovation of "Rondo Mogilskie".

vehicles

The Krakow light rail system will only be operated by low-floor vehicles. For this reason, the Kraków public transport company has bought new trams to operate the lines that have been upgraded with light rail. The choice fell on the NGT6 from the Canadian company Bombardier Transportation . So far three deliveries have come:

  • 1999 - 14 vehicles
  • 2004 - 12 vehicles
  • 2007/2008 - 24 vehicles

A further 24 units are planned to be ordered for use on routes that will be launched in the next few years; NGT8 was chosen. Delivery is scheduled to begin in March 2012. Used cars from Vienna (E 1 + c 3 ), which were also used on tunnel routes (UStrab) in their old homeland, are to help out temporarily. Their major disadvantage, however, is a high-floor construction, which delays the change of passengers in the stations.

After the completion of the second construction section, but before the completion of the third, the first light rail line will be built from Kurdwanów via ul.Witosa, ul.Nowosądecka, ul.Wielicka, ul.Limanowskiego, ul.Na Zjeździe, ul.Starowiślna, ul. Dietla, ul.Grzegórzecka, Al. Powstania Warszawskiego, to Rondo Mogilskie, with the tunnel under ul.Lubomirskiego and the main train station with the exit near the Technical University of Krakow (Politechnika Krakowska), further to ul.Kamienna and to the end point, the loop Krowodrza Górka (approx km).

financing

The project is funded by the city. Since October 1998 the co-investor has been the Krakow Development Agency (Agencja Rozwoju Miasta Krakowa). Loans have been taken out from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank to finance the investment .

bibliography

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Krakow orders 24 Flexity trams. Eisenbahnjournal Zughalt.de, July 24, 2010, accessed on July 24, 2010 .