The public transport company of Warsaw ZTM has announced a tender for the construction of the city’s first underground tram route which will be used by passengers via Ochota district (west of Warsaw) to Warsaw Dworzec Zachodnia station (Warsaw West station), which is currently under modernisation and construction works.
The construction works are planned to start in 2024 – 2025 and the selected contractor is expected to complete the works within 26 months (more than 2 years). PLN 224 million (EUR 47.7 million) is the value of the works co-financed by the European Union through the Infrastructure, Climate and Environment programme for 2021-2027 (FEnIKS).
This project is part of a lager programme to build the tram extension to Wilanów including the procurement of new trams and works. PLN 1.9 billion (EUR 404.5 million) is the total value of the project, PLN 555 million (EUR 118.16 million) being covered by the EU funds through the Infrastructure, Climate and Environment programme.
The new 1.6 km tram line will start at Warsaw West station with an underground station connected to an underground passage and the railway station. The line will go through a 500-metre-long tunnel under the Five Sisters Park, to the exit located between the roadways of the Battle of Warsaw 1920, near Szczęśliwice Park, in Ochota district. From here the route will go to a junction allowing trams to turn towards the city’s centre, Banacha terminus or Okęcie, a suburban residential neighborhood where the Warsaw Chopin Airport is located.
Under the project an underground transport hub will be built next to the Warsaw West station from which it will be easy to access the railway and bus platforms. The underground tram stop’s design will be similar to the metro stations, excluding its platforms’ height as the low-floor trams are lower than the metro trains. The tram platforms will be very close to the Warsaw West station platforms on level -2. Thanks to escalators and lifts, passengers will not have to go outside to change from tram to train.
Warsaw underground tram route will become part of the Wola – Wilanów tram line, linking capital’s business center, in north part of the city (Wola) with the southern area in Wilanów.
In March 2022, Budimex signed a PLN 685 million (EUR 145.8 million) contract to build a 8-km Wilanów tram extension including 4 junctions. The project will allow the residents of Wilanów to save travel time and to reach the city centre in 30 minutes, instead of currently 45 minutes on road along the same route.
The trams from Wilanów will run to the train station and 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 allow a change of direction which is able to be performed by two-sided Pesa Jazz or Hyundai trams. Hyundai won a contract to supply 123 light rail vehicles, 76 being already delivered.
Warsaw is modernising and expanding its tram network. More than 11 km of new tram tracks are currently under construction including the routes towards Kasprzaka, Gagarina Street and Wilanów, including the underground tram route, while preparation works are underway for new connections to Gocław, Pole Mokotowskie metro station on Line 1, to Zielona Białołęka and along Modlińska Street. In addition, ZTM is constructing Annopol facility, which will be Poland’s most modern tram depot, a project worth PLN 300 million (EUR 63.8 million) and is co-financed by the EU under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme 2014-2020. Egis has been involved in the project by developing the guidelines for applying BIM technology to infrastructure solutions. The tram facility will be equipped with an intelligent control system and will serve 150 low-floor vehicles. The 12-hectare facility will have 14 km of tram tracks and 14 buildings in its area including the repair and maintenance halls as well as parking hall. 4 buildings will be equipped with solar photovoltaic plants and 1,200 m3 is the capacity of the tanks collecting rainwater from the roofs of the depot buildings. The sustainable tram depot will reduce 147 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The facility will be equipped with a depot management system to manage the technological processes and activities, including identification and location of the vehicles, automatic control of switches and arriving and departing trams. It will be an integrated system which will be also connected to the washing area, diagnostic and maintenance stations as well as maintenance devices.
The tram depot is expected to be commissioned in 2024 when the Wilanów tram extension will be also completed.
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