Warszawa Centralna station
Encyclopedia
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
(eight tracks in total) and is served by long-distance domestic and international trains of PKP Intercity
and Przewozy Regionalne as well as some of the regional trains operated by Koleje Mazowieckie
during the economic boom fueled in the 1970s by Western loans. It was to replace the inadequate Warsaw Główna. The station encountered substantial problems from the very beginning, however, and soon became a white elephant
.
The station's design was innovative but was altered many times during construction, adversely affecting the quality of the construction work and the station's functionality. Also, for propaganda
reasons, it was decided to complete the station hastily so that it would be ready for Leonid Brezhnev
's 1975 visit to Warsaw. This haste further degraded the quality of the construction, necessitating immediate repairs, which continued through the 1980s.
Nevertheless the structure was advanced for its time and incorporated such things as automatic doors and escalator
s.
Since the mid-1980s, Warsaw Centralna has been in decline. The Warsaw
city government is contemplating demolishing the station and replacing it with a new one, either at the same location or farther from the city center. Tentative plans are to demolish the present station in 2014 and replace it in the same location by 2018. Before then, in 2010-2011 the station will receive a cosmetic upgrade in time for the Euro 2012 championships.
suburban light rail
line. To the east is Warszawa Śródmieście PKP
, served by suburban trains run by Koleje Mazowieckie
and Szybka Kolej Miejska.
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...
, 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...
. Its construction began in 1972 and was completed in 1975. The station, located on the Warsaw Cross-City Line
Warsaw Cross-City Line
Warsaw cross-city line is a 7 km railway line crossing downtown Warsaw in the East-West direction. Opened in 1933 and electrified in 1936, it initially had two tracks, with additional two added in 1949...
, has four underground island platforms
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
(eight tracks in total) and is served by long-distance domestic and international trains of PKP Intercity
PKP Intercity
PKP Intercity is a company of PKP Group responsible for long-distance passenger transport. It runs about 350 trains daily, connecting mainly large aglomerations and smaller towns, also servicing most of the international trains....
and Przewozy Regionalne as well as some of the regional trains operated by Koleje Mazowieckie
Koleje Mazowieckie
Koleje Mazowieckie is a regional rail operator in the Masovian Voivodeship of Poland.- History :The company was founded in 2004 as a joint venture of the Masovian Voivodeship, with 51% shares, and the, then government-owned, PKP Przewozy Regionalne, with 49% shares, to handle local passenger...
History
The station was constructed as a flagship project of the Polish People's RepublicPeople's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
during the economic boom fueled in the 1970s by Western loans. It was to replace the inadequate Warsaw Główna. The station encountered substantial problems from the very beginning, however, and soon became a white elephant
White elephant
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth...
.
The station's design was innovative but was altered many times during construction, adversely affecting the quality of the construction work and the station's functionality. Also, for propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
reasons, it was decided to complete the station hastily so that it would be ready for Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
's 1975 visit to Warsaw. This haste further degraded the quality of the construction, necessitating immediate repairs, which continued through the 1980s.
Nevertheless the structure was advanced for its time and incorporated such things as automatic doors and escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s.
Since the mid-1980s, Warsaw Centralna has been in decline. The 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...
city government is contemplating demolishing the station and replacing it with a new one, either at the same location or farther from the city center. Tentative plans are to demolish the present station in 2014 and replace it in the same location by 2018. Before then, in 2010-2011 the station will receive a cosmetic upgrade in time for the Euro 2012 championships.
Location
Warsaw Centralna is flanked to either side by other rail stations. To the west is Warszawa Śródmieście WKD, the terminus of the WKDWarszawska 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...
suburban 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. To the east is Warszawa Śródmieście PKP
Warszawa Sródmiescie PKP station
Warsaw Śródmieście is a railway station in Warsaw, Poland in the district of Śródmieście. The station serves the suburban tracks of the Warsaw Cross-City Line, used by regional trains run by Koleje Mazowieckie and Szybka Kolej Miejska...
, served by suburban trains run by Koleje Mazowieckie
Koleje Mazowieckie
Koleje Mazowieckie is a regional rail operator in the Masovian Voivodeship of Poland.- History :The company was founded in 2004 as a joint venture of the Masovian Voivodeship, with 51% shares, and the, then government-owned, PKP Przewozy Regionalne, with 49% shares, to handle local passenger...
and Szybka Kolej Miejska.
