Warsaw Metro
Encyclopedia
The Warsaw Metro is a rapid transit
system serving the city of Warsaw
, the capital of Poland
. It consists of a single north-south line that links central Warsaw
with its densely populated northern and southern suburbs. The first section was opened in 1995, then gradually extended until it reached full planned length in October 2008. There are plans to add two stations omitted during construction in the next few years. The contract for building the initial section of the second, east-west line was signed on 28 October 2009 and construction started on 16 August 2010, with completion planned for late 2013.
Plans to build an underground rail system in Warsaw
date as far back as 1918, when the idea was first floated in reaction to Warsaw regaining its status as Poland
's capital city. An underground railway system was expected to solve the transport difficulties of the densely-built city centre. Proper preliminary planning and boring
work were initiated by the Warsaw Tramway Authority in 1925, with construction expected to start in the late 1920s. The Great Depression
buried those plans as Poland
and the world was gripped by hardship. In 1934, with the election of a new mayor of Warsaw, Stefan Starzyński
, work was to resume on the metro. The mayor dusted off the plans from the mid-1920s, and with some minor adjustments, construction of the metro was planned to start by the late 1930s, with a projected finishing date of the first of two projected lines scheduled for the mid 1940s. By then, the subway network was to consist of two lines. The A line (North-South line, 7,5 km or 46 mi (74 km) long), followed most of today's route and was to link the southernmost borough of Mokotów
with the city centre and the northern borough of Żoliborz
. This line was to be connected with the newly-constructed Warszawa Główna railway station and the railway tunnel crossing the city from west to the east. The B line (East-West, 6,3 km or 4 mi (6.4 km) long) was to start beneath the westernmost borough of Wola
, proceed along the Chłodna street to the pivotal station beneath the Saxon Sq. and then further eastwards to the Vistula
river escarpment. There, the line was to go overground, cross the river through a newly-built bridge and proceed to the easternmost railway station of Warszawa Wschodnia. Altogether, in 35 years 7 lines were to be built). The works finally started in 1938, but World War II
brought an end to the ambitious undertaking. The short trace tunnels made in 1938 serve as a wine cellar today.
The city suffered heavily during World War II
. Although the majority of pre-war projects perished during the war, most of the engineers behind their creation survived the war and returned to their city to take part in its rebirth. However, the new Communist authorities of Poland envisioned a city completely different from what it used to be before the war. As the ideal communist city, Warsaw was to be decentralized and a need to commute to the city centre was to be reduced. Thus the Reconstruction of Warsaw Office (BOS) commissioned a number of engineers to prepare a project of a fast urban railway (SKM
) crossing the city in a deep cutting. Although to a large extent it was to follow the A line of the pre-war plans, only the central stations were to be located underground. However, by the end of the decade the project was cancelled. Instead, in 1948 a different concept was considered. This time the SKM was to be a rapid transit line at a depth of up to 15 metres (50 feet). The suggested North-South direction, with three parallel branches of the same line in the city centre, corresponded to the planned development of the city along the Vistula. The works however never started and this project was also abandoned.
In the 1950s, as the Cold War
raged on, Soviet strategic plans required that a secure transport link across the river Vistula be built. One of the ways to achieve this was to create a deep metro system in Warsaw (up to 46 metres or 150 feet (45.7 m) beneath the ground), which would be interlinked with the rail network and could serve as an underground conduit for transporting troops. Plans assumed that the first line (ca. 11 kilometres) would lie along North-South axis, with a branch of the same line crossing the Vistula river in the city centre. The construction works started almost simultaneously at 17 different points on both sides of the river. Until 1953 771 metres of tunnels were built, however after the death of Joseph Stalin
and the start of a period of détente
, all works were halted under the pretext of technical difficulties. In following years only one junction tunnel and one shield-driven tunnel were continued to be constructed. These works were undertaken experimentally, in order to discover the best driving methods suitable for the ground conditions beneath Warsaw (pliocene
clay
formations layer spread beneath quaternary
soils). Finally, in 1957 all the work was halted.
Since 1955 there was a return to the old idea of a shallow metro network. However, the planning phase proceeded at a very slow pace and the economical situation prevented all successive communist governments from actually starting a serious work. Finally, in 1984, the programme was approved by the government and the first tunnels were built. Lack of funds, poor planning, and tedious bureaucracy
meant that the work progressed very slowly, at a speed no greater than 2 metres a day. The Metro was opened in 1995 with a total of 11 stations. The line now has 21 stations along a distance of approximately 20 kilometres.
Perhaps alone among world metro systems, tickets are not sold by the transport company itself, but by post offices and privately-run shops and newsagents'; however, the ticket system covers all Warsaw public transport, including the Metro, buses, trams and some suburban trains.
In addition to single (or daily/weekly) tickets, one can also purchase a proximity card at which can be charged for up to 3 months at a time, offering a cheaper alternative to single tickets.
The second line, crossing the city from east to west (heading north from central Praga on the east bank of the river) is planned, along with a short third line from central Praga going south; both of these are truncated versions of earlier plans for the lines to approach the city limits at each end. Construction has not yet commenced, but plans for the beginning of construction of the second line ("the first stage", from Dw. Wileński to Rondo Daszyńskiego) are currently being put at 2010, with its completion after 2012, possibly in 2014. Earlier
plans for completing it by 2012 were too optimistic.
The first line was a compromise between earlier route proposals further east and west (one of which belonged to the planned Line 4) and as such does not go to some important areas of the city. For example, it does not pass directly under the old town, Warsaw's main tourist attraction, which has few public transport links, passing it about 600 m to the west. It also does not go to the central railway station
, and the nearest stop is over 400 m to the east (the planned second line will also avoid it, with the closest station also about 400 m to the north). Furthermore, the first line, and thus the Metro system for the immediate future, is confined to the western bank of the Vistula river, thus doing nothing to ease traffic problems on Warsaw's bridges, a major bottleneck between the city centre and the eastern Praga
district. Plans for the third line to Okęcie airport have been abandoned for the foreseeable future.
Transport planners have suggested that the WKD
, a light rail
line that runs to the western suburbs, could be integrated with the city's tram system, or be more closely tied to the Metro and a future suburban rail network, or both. The first such plans were prepared in the late 1930s and the railway tunnel running below the city centre was to be shared by both the railways and the metro. In the mid-1990s the WKD, PKP and Warsaw Metro systems were temporarily integrated and Warsaw city travel cards were valid also in the suburban railways. This idea was, however, dropped in 1999 due to financial problems.
. There is a single-track connection between the depot and Warszawa-Okęcie station on the PKP
rail network. This link is not electrified, and used only for an occasional rolling-stock transfer.
Initially, all of the trains were Russian built. They first arrived in Warsaw in 1990 as a gift from the USSR, five years prior to the Metro's opening, from Metrovagonmash plant in Mytishchi
(near Moscow) (model 81-717.3/714.3 - 10 carriages). Subsequent trains arrived from Saint Petersburg
's Yegorov Plant in 1994 (81-572/573 - 32 carriages) and additional 18 81-572.1/573.1 carriages in 1997.
In 1998, 108 new carriages were ordered from Alstom
. These were all delivered by 2005 (24 were produced in Barcelona
and the rest in Chorzów
). In 2006 additional carriages were ordered from Russia, with deliveries taking place during 2007, to lengthen the existing trains using older Russian carriages.
Currently, out of the 40 trains running, 15 consist of the older Russian-produced cars, 7 of the newer Russian-produced cars and 18 of Alstom-produced cars. The Russian and Alstom carriages are incompatible and cannot be used in the same train.
In February of 2011 an order has been signed with Siemens
for 35 complete trains from their new Inspiro line. A large number of these are to be manufactured in Poland
by Newag
.
In 2009, Warsaw metro won two "Metro Award" prizes in the categories: "Special Merit Award for Commitment to the Environment" and "Best Maintenance Programme". Also, the Warsaw metro is well-known for its beautiful stations (for example stations from Słodowiec to Młociny, Plac Wilsona or Ratusz-Arsenał Station.)
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system serving the city of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, the capital of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It consists of a single north-south line that links central Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
with its densely populated northern and southern suburbs. The first section was opened in 1995, then gradually extended until it reached full planned length in October 2008. There are plans to add two stations omitted during construction in the next few years. The contract for building the initial section of the second, east-west line was signed on 28 October 2009 and construction started on 16 August 2010, with completion planned for late 2013.
History
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
date as far back as 1918, when the idea was first floated in reaction to Warsaw regaining its status as Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
's capital city. An underground railway system was expected to solve the transport difficulties of the densely-built city centre. Proper preliminary planning and boring
Boring (earth)
Boring is drilling a hole, tunnel, or well in the earth.-Earth boring:Boring is used for a wide variety of applications in geology, agriculture, hydrology, civil engineering, and oil and natural gas industries...
work were initiated by the Warsaw Tramway Authority in 1925, with construction expected to start in the late 1920s. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
buried those plans as Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the world was gripped by hardship. In 1934, with the election of a new mayor of Warsaw, Stefan Starzyński
Stefan Starzynski
Stefan Starzyński was a Polish politician, economist, writer and statesman, President of Warsaw before and during the Siege of Warsaw in 1939.-Soldier:Starzyński was born on August 19, 1893 in Warsaw...
, work was to resume on the metro. The mayor dusted off the plans from the mid-1920s, and with some minor adjustments, construction of the metro was planned to start by the late 1930s, with a projected finishing date of the first of two projected lines scheduled for the mid 1940s. By then, the subway network was to consist of two lines. The A line (North-South line, 7,5 km or 46 mi (74 km) long), followed most of today's route and was to link the southernmost borough of Mokotów
Mokotów
Mokotów is a dzielnica of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Mokotów is densely populated. It is a seat to many foreign embassies and companies...
with the city centre and the northern borough of Żoliborz
Zoliborz
Żoliborz is one of the northern districts of the city of Warsaw. It is located directly to the north of the City Centre, on the left bank of the Vistula river. It has approximately 50,000 inhabitants and is one of the smallest boroughs of Warsaw....
. This line was to be connected with the newly-constructed Warszawa Główna railway station and the railway tunnel crossing the city from west to the east. The B line (East-West, 6,3 km or 4 mi (6.4 km) long) was to start beneath the westernmost borough of Wola
Wola
Wola is a district in western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it is slowly changing into an office and residential district...
, proceed along the Chłodna street to the pivotal station beneath the Saxon Sq. and then further eastwards to the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
river escarpment. There, the line was to go overground, cross the river through a newly-built bridge and proceed to the easternmost railway station of Warszawa Wschodnia. Altogether, in 35 years 7 lines were to be built). The works finally started in 1938, but World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
brought an end to the ambitious undertaking. The short trace tunnels made in 1938 serve as a wine cellar today.
The city suffered heavily during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Although the majority of pre-war projects perished during the war, most of the engineers behind their creation survived the war and returned to their city to take part in its rebirth. However, the new Communist authorities of Poland envisioned a city completely different from what it used to be before the war. As the ideal communist city, Warsaw was to be decentralized and a need to commute to the city centre was to be reduced. Thus the Reconstruction of Warsaw Office (BOS) commissioned a number of engineers to prepare a project of a fast urban railway (SKM
Szybka Kolej Miejska (Warsaw)
Szybka Kolej Miejska is a rail operator providing services in the Warsaw metropolitan area using the national rail network while constituting a part of the cities integrated public transport system organized by the Warsaw Transport Authority.- History :...
) crossing the city in a deep cutting. Although to a large extent it was to follow the A line of the pre-war plans, only the central stations were to be located underground. However, by the end of the decade the project was cancelled. Instead, in 1948 a different concept was considered. This time the SKM was to be a rapid transit line at a depth of up to 15 metres (50 feet). The suggested North-South direction, with three parallel branches of the same line in the city centre, corresponded to the planned development of the city along the Vistula. The works however never started and this project was also abandoned.
In the 1950s, as the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
raged on, Soviet strategic plans required that a secure transport link across the river Vistula be built. One of the ways to achieve this was to create a deep metro system in Warsaw (up to 46 metres or 150 feet (45.7 m) beneath the ground), which would be interlinked with the rail network and could serve as an underground conduit for transporting troops. Plans assumed that the first line (ca. 11 kilometres) would lie along North-South axis, with a branch of the same line crossing the Vistula river in the city centre. The construction works started almost simultaneously at 17 different points on both sides of the river. Until 1953 771 metres of tunnels were built, however after the death of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
and the start of a period of détente
Détente
Détente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...
, all works were halted under the pretext of technical difficulties. In following years only one junction tunnel and one shield-driven tunnel were continued to be constructed. These works were undertaken experimentally, in order to discover the best driving methods suitable for the ground conditions beneath Warsaw (pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
formations layer spread beneath quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
soils). Finally, in 1957 all the work was halted.
Since 1955 there was a return to the old idea of a shallow metro network. However, the planning phase proceeded at a very slow pace and the economical situation prevented all successive communist governments from actually starting a serious work. Finally, in 1984, the programme was approved by the government and the first tunnels were built. Lack of funds, poor planning, and tedious bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
meant that the work progressed very slowly, at a speed no greater than 2 metres a day. The Metro was opened in 1995 with a total of 11 stations. The line now has 21 stations along a distance of approximately 20 kilometres.
Perhaps alone among world metro systems, tickets are not sold by the transport company itself, but by post offices and privately-run shops and newsagents'; however, the ticket system covers all Warsaw public transport, including the Metro, buses, trams and some suburban trains.
In addition to single (or daily/weekly) tickets, one can also purchase a proximity card at which can be charged for up to 3 months at a time, offering a cheaper alternative to single tickets.
Lines:
| # | Opened | Length | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1995 | 23,1 km | 21 |
| 2 | under construction | ||
| Total: | 23,1 km | 21 |
Future plans
plans for completing it by 2012 were too optimistic.
The first line was a compromise between earlier route proposals further east and west (one of which belonged to the planned Line 4) and as such does not go to some important areas of the city. For example, it does not pass directly under the old town, Warsaw's main tourist attraction, which has few public transport links, passing it about 600 m to the west. It also does not go to the central railway station
Warszawa Centralna station
Warsaw Central is the most important railway station in Warsaw, Poland. Its construction began in 1972 and was completed in 1975. The station, located on the Warsaw Cross-City Line, has four underground island platforms and is served by long-distance domestic and international trains of PKP...
, and the nearest stop is over 400 m to the east (the planned second line will also avoid it, with the closest station also about 400 m to the north). Furthermore, the first line, and thus the Metro system for the immediate future, is confined to the western bank of the Vistula river, thus doing nothing to ease traffic problems on Warsaw's bridges, a major bottleneck between the city centre and the eastern Praga
Praga
Praga is a historical borough of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It is located on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.- History :...
district. Plans for the third line to Okęcie airport have been abandoned for the foreseeable future.
Transport planners have suggested that the WKD
Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa
Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa is a suburban light rail line in Poland's capital city of Warsaw. The line, together with its two branches, links Warsaw with the municipalities of Michałowice, Pruszków, Brwinów, Podkowa Leśna, Milanówek and Grodzisk Mazowiecki to the south-west of Warsaw.-History:The...
, a light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
line that runs to the western suburbs, could be integrated with the city's tram system, or be more closely tied to the Metro and a future suburban rail network, or both. The first such plans were prepared in the late 1930s and the railway tunnel running below the city centre was to be shared by both the railways and the metro. In the mid-1990s the WKD, PKP and Warsaw Metro systems were temporarily integrated and Warsaw city travel cards were valid also in the suburban railways. This idea was, however, dropped in 1999 due to financial problems.
Operational characteristics
Rolling stock
A single depot is located south of the Kabaty stationKabaty (Warsaw Metro)
Metro Kabaty is at the southern end of Line 1 of the metro. It is close to the metro train depot and a Tesco supermarket. Kabaty station is situated at the southern end of Al. KEN....
. There is a single-track connection between the depot and Warszawa-Okęcie station on the PKP
Polskie Koleje Panstwowe
is the dominant railway operator in Poland.The company was founded when the former state-owned operator was divided into several units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union...
rail network. This link is not electrified, and used only for an occasional rolling-stock transfer.
Initially, all of the trains were Russian built. They first arrived in Warsaw in 1990 as a gift from the USSR, five years prior to the Metro's opening, from Metrovagonmash plant in Mytishchi
Mytishchi
Mytishchi is a city and the administrative center of Mytishchinsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, which lies to the northeast of Russia's capital Moscow, on the Yauza River and the Moscow–Yaroslavl railroad. The city is the oblast's largest center for industry and education...
(near Moscow) (model 81-717.3/714.3 - 10 carriages). Subsequent trains arrived from Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
's Yegorov Plant in 1994 (81-572/573 - 32 carriages) and additional 18 81-572.1/573.1 carriages in 1997.
In 1998, 108 new carriages were ordered from Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
. These were all delivered by 2005 (24 were produced in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and the rest in Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
). In 2006 additional carriages were ordered from Russia, with deliveries taking place during 2007, to lengthen the existing trains using older Russian carriages.
Currently, out of the 40 trains running, 15 consist of the older Russian-produced cars, 7 of the newer Russian-produced cars and 18 of Alstom-produced cars. The Russian and Alstom carriages are incompatible and cannot be used in the same train.
In February of 2011 an order has been signed with Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
for 35 complete trains from their new Inspiro line. A large number of these are to be manufactured in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by Newag
Newag
Newag S.A. is a Polish company, based in Nowy Sącz, specialising in production, maintenance and modernisation of railway rolling stock. The company products include the 14WE type electric multiple unit.- History :...
.
Future extensions
- Plac KonstytucjiPlac Konstytucji (Warsaw Metro)Plac Konstytucji is a proposed and planned Warsaw Metro station. It was included in the original plans, however it was temporarily dropped in 1989 due to budget constraints. As of 2009 this station is in hiatus - it is listed as a planned investment, but the last official update regarding its...
and MuranówMuranów (Warsaw Metro)Warsaw metro station A-16 Muranów is a proposed and planned Warsaw Metro station. It was included in the original plans, however it was temporarily dropped in 1989 due to budget constraints. As of 2009 this station is in hiatus - it is listed as a planned investment, but the last official update...
, two stations omitted from the original plan to reduce cost were to be built by 2009 but construction has not yet started, and will not start in the near future. http://www.metro.waw.pl/page.php?id=223.
- Line 2 - the first, central section http://www.metro.waw.pl/page.php?id=260 will consist of 7 stations: Rondo DaszyńskiegoRondo Daszyńskiego (Warsaw Metro)Warsaw Metro station B-10 Rondo Daszyńskiego will be the first station of the central part of the Warsaw Metro line 2, which is now under construction...
, Rondo ONZRondo ONZ (Warsaw Metro)Warsaw Metro station B-11 Rondo ONZ will be the first station of the central part of the Warsaw Metro line 2, which is now under construction. It should be built by 27 October 2013, but it won't be operational until the whole central part of the line 2 is finished.The station will be located under...
, ŚwiętokrzyskaSwietokrzyska (Warsaw Metro)Metro Świętokrzyska is a Warsaw Metro station located under the crossing of Świętokrzyska and Marszałkowska streets in the borough of Śródmieście. It was opened in 2001. This station will be used as a change-over point to Line 2 when it is built....
, Nowy ŚwiatNowy Świat (Warsaw Metro)Warsaw Metro station B-13 Nowy Świat will be the fourth station of the central part of the Warsaw Metro line 2, which is now under construction...
, PowiślePowiśle (Warsaw Metro)Warsaw Metro station B-14 Powiśle will be the fifth station of the central part of the Warsaw Metro line 2, which is now under construction. It should be built by 27 October 2013, but it won't be operational until the whole central part of the line 2 is finished, which is scheduled for the end of...
, Stadion and Dworzec Wileński. It will pass under the Vistula river between the Powiśle and Stadion stations. Most of the funding for building this section has been secured from the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and construction started in August 2010. The original plan to finish this section in time for Euro 2012 was too optimistic, and the expected completion date is Fall of 2013. This line will be built using a different boring technology which should allow for much faster construction, compared to the first line. The rest of the line, which will consist of 28 stations in total, will be built later. A tender was opened for 35 trains (most to be used on line 2, some on line 1); Škoda Transportation and Vagonmash submitted the lowest price but SiemensSiemensSiemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
/NewagNewagNewag S.A. is a Polish company, based in Nowy Sącz, specialising in production, maintenance and modernisation of railway rolling stock. The company products include the 14WE type electric multiple unit.- History :...
scored more points and were chosen to provide the trains.
Timeline
| Segment | Date opened | Length (km) |
|---|---|---|
| Kabaty Kabaty (Warsaw Metro) Metro Kabaty is at the southern end of Line 1 of the metro. It is close to the metro train depot and a Tesco supermarket. Kabaty station is situated at the southern end of Al. KEN.... – Politechnika Politechnika (Warsaw Metro) Politechnika Metro is a Warsaw Metro station located near the main campus of Warsaw University of Technology .-See also :*Plac Konstytucji: a planned station north of Politechnika... |
7 April 1995 | 11.0 |
| Politechnika Politechnika (Warsaw Metro) Politechnika Metro is a Warsaw Metro station located near the main campus of Warsaw University of Technology .-See also :*Plac Konstytucji: a planned station north of Politechnika... – Centrum Centrum (Warsaw Metro) Metro Centrum is a Warsaw Metro station located under the Plac Defilad square in the borough of Śródmieście, next to the Roman Dmowski roundabout, where two main streets, Marszałkowska and Aleje Jerozolimskie, intersect. It is located close to the Palace of Culture and Science and Warsaw Central... |
26 May 1998 | 1.4 |
| Centrum Centrum (Warsaw Metro) Metro Centrum is a Warsaw Metro station located under the Plac Defilad square in the borough of Śródmieście, next to the Roman Dmowski roundabout, where two main streets, Marszałkowska and Aleje Jerozolimskie, intersect. It is located close to the Palace of Culture and Science and Warsaw Central... – Ratusz Arsenał |
11 May 2001 | 1.7 |
| Ratusz Arsenał – Dworzec Gdański Dworzec Gdanski (Warsaw Metro) Metro Dworzec Gdański of the Warsaw Metro is located just south of the Warszawa Gdańska railway station, at the junction of Słomińskiego and Andersa streets. It is one of the major transport hubs in the northern part of the city of Warsaw... |
20 December 2003 | 1.5 |
| Dworzec Gdański Dworzec Gdanski (Warsaw Metro) Metro Dworzec Gdański of the Warsaw Metro is located just south of the Warszawa Gdańska railway station, at the junction of Słomińskiego and Andersa streets. It is one of the major transport hubs in the northern part of the city of Warsaw... – Plac Wilsona Plac Wilsona (Warsaw Metro) Metro Plac Wilsona is one of the Warsaw Metro stations and was opened in 2005. On 7 April 2008 during the Metrorail convention it won a Metro award for the best recently constructed station.... |
8 April 2005 | 1.5 |
| Plac Wilsona Plac Wilsona (Warsaw Metro) Metro Plac Wilsona is one of the Warsaw Metro stations and was opened in 2005. On 7 April 2008 during the Metrorail convention it won a Metro award for the best recently constructed station.... – Marymont Marymont (Warsaw Metro) Metro Marymont is the 17th working station of the first line of the Warsaw Metro, opened on 29 December 2006. It is located in the Marymont neighbourhood of Warsaw. Since the station has no reversing facility of its own, from its opening until March, 2008 it was connected to the rest of the network... |
29 December 2006 | 0.9 |
| Marymont Marymont (Warsaw Metro) Metro Marymont is the 17th working station of the first line of the Warsaw Metro, opened on 29 December 2006. It is located in the Marymont neighbourhood of Warsaw. Since the station has no reversing facility of its own, from its opening until March, 2008 it was connected to the rest of the network... – Słodowiec |
23 April 2008 | 1.0 |
| Słodowiec – Młociny | 25 October 2008 | 3.0 |
| Total | 21 Stations | 23.1 km |
Warsaw Metro in Rankings
- List of Metro Systems by length - ranked 109th out of 143
- List of Metro Systems by number of stations - ranked 62nd out of 68
In 2009, Warsaw metro won two "Metro Award" prizes in the categories: "Special Merit Award for Commitment to the Environment" and "Best Maintenance Programme". Also, the Warsaw metro is well-known for its beautiful stations (for example stations from Słodowiec to Młociny, Plac Wilsona or Ratusz-Arsenał Station.)
See also
- List of metro systems
- Metro systems by annual passenger ridesMetro systems by annual passenger ridesThe most-used metro systems in terms of passenger rides per year:# Tokyo Subway 3.161 billion # Moscow Metro 2.348 billion # Seoul Subway 2.048 billion...
- Transport in PolandTransport in PolandThe transport in Poland involves air traffic, waterways, and railroads.As a country located at the 'cross-roads' of Europe, Poland, with its developed economy is a nation with a large and increasingly modern network of transport infrastructure....