Kraków 2023-11-02
Kraków Bieżanów railway station.
Geographic coordinates 50.021N 20.028E. Elevation 201 m.
Renovation of the Kraków Bieżanów station.
The Kraków Bieżanów railway station was built in 1856 and its purpose was to connect the Kraków - Rzeszów route with Wieliczka, and more precisely with the Wieliczka salt mine.
Recently, the Kraków Bieżanów station has undergone modernization. Two new platforms were built. The footbridge over the old platform was removed. To allow passengers to reach the platforms, a new tunnel was built, which was connected by stairs to a footbridge over the tracks of the freight station and the rolling stock operation plants. The tunnel starts at Stacyjna Street, next to the station building, and ends at the Kraków Płaszów freight station. Three tracks run through the station. The outer tracks are intended for agglomeration trains, and the middle track is intended for long-distance trains.
The historic building of the Kraków Bieżanów station, at Stacyjna Street, was provisionally renovated and the pseudo-art of vandals was removed. It is worth writing that the building is on the list of railway facilities intended for renovation. At the moment (2023), railway workers do not provide details on the scope of work planned in Bieżanów or what exactly can be expected in the renovated facility. The basic list also includes the following locations in Małopolska: Andrychów, Dulowa, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Lanckorona, Podłęże, Tarnów Mościce and Trzebinia. The reserve list, in addition to the station at the Kraków Bonarka station, also includes: Balin, Biały Dunajec, Bukowno, Jaroszowiec Olkuski, Leńcze, Łowczówek Pleśna, Stronie, Stryszów, Sucha Beskidzka, Wola Rzędzińska and Wolbrom.
Platforms.
Two modern platforms were built. Platform 1 on the station side is single-edge, high (0.60 m from the rail head), roofed. The length of the platform is 200 m. The length of the roof is approximately 120 m. There is only one track at the platform. Platform 2 is an island, two-sided, roofed platform. Also 200 m long. The platforms are adapted to service trains of the Fast Agglomeration Railway. On the side of the platform edges, 1 m wide prefabricated boards were placed, equipped with a yellow warning line and buttons. The rest of the platform surfaces are paved with concrete pavement. The station renovation did not apply to the platforms towards Wieliczka, which were renovated in 2012.
In addition to the stairs, elevators have been installed for passengers in wheelchairs, parents with strollers, people with large luggage or bicycles. Lighting and sound systems were installed, benches and resting areas were installed. A new information system for travelers has been launched. In addition to the traditional timetable boards, dynamic passenger information boards were installed, showing the times of train arrivals and departures.
The station renovation was completed on March 11, 2023. At the same time, on the Kraków Płaszów - Kraków Bieżanów section, passenger trains have three tracks at their disposal, which greatly facilitates the operation of agglomeration trains. On this section, the traveling speed is 160 km/h. The completed investment was visited by the Minister of Infrastructure, Andrzej Adamczyk. The minister said that a program is being implemented throughout the country to eliminate communication exclusion, which was caused by the previous Masonic governments.
The modernization of the Kraków Bieżanów railway station was an element of the project "Works on the E30 railway line on the Kraków Główny Towarowy - Rudzice section, along with the construction of agglomeration line tracks". It was the largest EU transport investment in Krakow. The project was worth over PLN 1.2 billion and was co-financed by the European Union under the CEF "Connecting Europe" instrument. According to data from the Office of Rail Transport, the Kraków Bieżanów station was used by up to 300 passengers a day in 2022.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman