Kraków 2023-12-20
Kraków Główny railway station.
Geographic coordinates: 50.067N 19.947E. Elevation 217 m.
Kraków Główny is the most important railway station in the south of the Republic of Poland. The current layout of the underground station and above-ground platforms was created in 2014. The entire communication and commercial complex includes: a bus station, a fast underground tram, a parking lot and a shopping center with the leading Galeria Krakowska.
The station and railway station were first opened on October 13, 1847, when Kraków was under the Austro-Hungarian partition. The current name of the Kraków Główny station has been in force since 1946. The historic station building is listed as a monument under registration number A-704 of July 12, 1986.
Track layout.
Initially, the Kraków station was a head-end station, but only for a few years, as funds were collected for the construction of another section from Kraków to Tarnów and Dębica. A railway and road crossing was built along Lubicz Street. But heavy train traffic made traffic in the city much more difficult. Therefore, Lubicz Street was let into the ravine and a viaduct was built. The designer of the viaduct was engineer Teodor Talowski, and the viaduct was put into operation in 1898. Water towers were built in the area of the station, the youngest of which was launched in 1925 and is still standing (2023). In 1927, a railway printing house was built on the railway premises. There was a locomotive shed, coal fences and a marshalling hill at the station. The station expanded towards the north-west.
In the 1930s, a new railway line was built to Kielce and Warsaw. Until now, the Kraków - Warsaw connection was operated via Mysłowice or Maczki. The construction of the new line resulted in a significant reconstruction of the track system at the station. The station hall was dismantled. The number of platforms was increased from three to four, with Platform 1 being extended and serving two trains on one edge.
Before World War II, plans were made to build a new station in a north-western direction, approximately 300 m from the existing station. During the German occupation, the station in Kraków was very important in the German war plans. The Kraków junction was a bottleneck. Therefore, it was decided to build a railway bypass, from the Kraków Łobzów station, through the new Olsza station, through the new bridge over the Vistula, to the Kraków Płaszów station. The Germans planned to build a large new station in the Dąbie District. In Dąbie, the Germans planned to build a large residential district for their supermen (Aryans).
After World War II, Krakow began to rebuild railway traffic, repair the damage caused by the Germans and complete the investments that had already been started. Major changes took place in the track system of Krakow in connection with the construction of the Metallurgical Plant and the new city of Nowa Huta. The plans included the construction of a new station near Rondo Mogilskie, and a socialist triumphal arch was to be built at the end of Lubicz Street, inside which public administration offices were to be located. These plans were not implemented.
Because Kraków was still a railway bottleneck, a new northern railway bypass was built, which is currently railway line No. 95. These two bypasses meant that Kraków Główny could practically only handle passenger traffic.
Railway lines. 2023.
Railway line No. 8 Warszawa Zachodnia – Kraków Główny.
Railway line No. 8 Warszawa Zachodnia - Kraków Główny runs longitudinally. It is 317.164 km long. It is electrified and mostly double-tracked. It runs through the cities of: Warka, Radom, Skarżysko Kamienna, Kielce, Sędziszów, Kozłów. It is used in passenger and freight traffic. Electrification was carried out in stages; On May 28, 1960, Kraków Batowice - Kraków Główny. On December 22, 1961, Warszawa Zachodnia - Czachówek Południowy. On September 8, 1966, Sędziszów - Tunel. On April 29, 1967, Kielce - Sędziszów. On October 1, 1967, Zagnańsk - Kielce. On December 28, 1967, Radom - Zagnańsk. On April 22, 1968, Tunel - Kraków Batowice. On November 21, 1969, Czachówek Południowy - Radom.
Railway line No. 91 Kraków Główny – Medyka.
Railway line No. 91 Kraków Główny - Medyka runs latitudinally. It is 258,974 km long. It is electrified and mostly double-tracked. The maximum speed is 160 km/h. The line is part of the E30 route. The line was built in the period 1856–1861. Electrification took place in stages: On April 29, 1959, Kraków Główny - Kraków Płaszów. On March 29, 1960, Kraków Płaszów – Kraków Bieżanów. On May 28, 1960, Kraków Bieżanów - Podłęże. On April 28, 1962 Podłęże - Bogumiłowice. On September 29, 1962 Bogumiłowice – Tarnów Mościce. On May 25, 1963 Tarnów Mościce – Dębica. On September 26, 1963, Dębica – Rzeszów Główny. On April 28, 1964, Rzeszów - Medyka.
Railway line No. 118 Kraków Główny – Kraków Airport.
Railway line No. 118 Kraków Główny - Kraków Airport is a 11,960 km long, double-track, electrified line. The maximum speed is 80 km/h. The line was established in 2015 as a result of the modernization of the single-track, non-electrified railway line Mydlniki - Olszanica fuel depot (currently PKN Orlen) - Balice military airport, which was launched in 1951.
Railway line No. 133 Dąbrowa Górnicza Ząbkowice – Kraków Główny.
Railway line No. 133 Dąbrowa Górnicza Ząbkowice - Kraków Główny is a railway line running through the Silesian and Lesser Poland Voivodeships. The Jaworzno Szczakowa - Kraków Główny section is part of the international railway line E 30. The line is 70.779 km long. The maximum speed is 120 km/h. The line is double-track, electrified. In the period 2014-2018, the last modernization of the line was carried out.
Railway line No. 629 Kraków Główny – Kraków Bieżanów.
Railway line No. 629 Kraków Główny - Kraków Bieżanów is a line created as a result of the modernization of the cross-town route. It was put into operation in 2023. On the Kraków Główny - Kraków Płaszów section, the line is double-tracked (maximum speed 100 km/h), and on the Kraków Płaszów - Kraków Bieżanów section, the line is single-track (maximum speed 160 km/h). The length of the line is 9,905 km. Line No. 629 runs parallel to line No. 91.Kraków Główny.
Platforms.
Currently, Kraków Główny has five island platforms with 10 platform edges. Due to the limited size of the station plane, the platforms are arched at their ends. The station plain on the western side is bordered by the "Galeria Krakowska" shopping center. The gallery was built on the former railway grounds and the former "PKS" bus station. To the east of the platforms is the "MDA" bus station.
There is a paid parking lot for passenger cars above the platforms. There is a TAXI rank there. Access to the parking lot is possible from the west, Pawia Street and from the east, Wita Stwosza Street. The size of the parking lot is 110 m x 150 m. The parking lot is connected to the platforms via stairs and elevators, with each platform.
The platforms are numbered on the west side. It's always been that way. The platforms are completely roofed. Platform 1 is 350 m long. Track No. 9 and 11. Platform 2 is 380 m long. Track No. 5 and 3. Platform 3 is 380 m long. Track No. 1 and 2. Platform 4 is 350 m long. Track No. 6 and 4. Platform 5 is 350 m long. Track No. 10 and 12. There are three tracks between Platform 1 and 2 and similarly between Platform 4 and 5 there are three tracks. A total of 12 tracks run through the stations.
There are three tunnels under the platforms. On the northern side of the platforms there is a tunnel with ramps that served as a luggage tunnel. It is currently open to travelers. The central tunnel belongs to the underground station. The southern tunnel is the renovated oldest tunnel at the station. There are ticket offices at the station, which are open 24 hours a day. There are 28 cash registers in total. There are also ticket machines at the station and shopping mall.
Passenger traffic.
In 2017, the station served 16,600,000 passengers, in 2018, 15,100,000 passengers, in 2019, 15,400,000 passengers, in 2020, 8,300,000 passengers (decrease due to the Chinese virus pandemic), in 2021, 11,800,000 passengers, in 2022, 20,100,000 passengers. In 2024, there will be a decline in the number of passengers served because Polish society will become poorer due to the rule of Freemasonry.
In December 2023, 286 trains departed from Kraków Główny station. You could go to: Bielsko-Biała Główna, Bohumin, Bydgoszcz Główna, Czechowice-Dziedzice, Dębica, Frankfurt/Oder, Gdynia Główna, Hrubieszów Miasto, Jelenia Góra, Katowice, Kielce Główny, Kołobrzeg, Kozłów, Kraków Airport, Kraków Nowa Huta, Kraków Płaszów, Krynica Zdrój, Krzeszowice, Lublin Główny, Łódź Fabryczna, Miechów, Mockava, Nowy Sącz, Olkusz, Olsztyn Główny, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Oświęcim, Piwniczna, Poznań Główny, Przemyśl Główny, Rzeszów Główny, Sędziszów, Sucha Beskidzka, Szczecin Główny, Świnoujście, Tarnów, Trzebinia, Ustka, Warszawa Gdańska, Warszawa Wschodnia, Wieliczka Rynek-Kopalnia, Wolbrom, Wrocław Główny, Zagórz, Zakopane, Zebrzydowice, Zielona Góra Główna.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman