Skawina 2023-09-20
Podbory Skawińskie Railway Station near Skawina.
Geographic coordinates: 49.966 N 19. 772 E. Elevation 213 m.
Borek Szlachecki.
Borek Szlachecki is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Krakow County, Skawina Commune. The town is located west of Skawina, with which it borders. Borek Szlachecki stretches along the National Road No. 44 Kraków - Oświęcim. The railway line No. 94 Kraków Płaszów - Oświęcim runs north of the town.
Behind the tracks, to the north, there is the Łączański Canal, also known as the Łączany - Skawina Canal, which enters the Vistula River system. The purpose of the Łączański Canal is to supply the Skawina Power Plant with water for industrial purposes. In Borek Szlachecki, on the Łączański Canal, there is a lock with the highest head in Poland, which is 12.0 m. The lock is 85 m long and 12 m wide. The Borek Szlachecki Hydroelectric Power Plant is located nearby.
The population of Borek Szlachecki in 2022 was 1,502 inhabitants. In the period 1954-1961, the town was the seat of the Borek Szlachecki community, and after its liquidation, it became part of the Skawina community. There is a historic manor house and the parish of the Annunciation in Borek Szlachecki.
PKP Podbory Skawińskie.
Photo description: View towards Oświęcim.
Photo description: View towards Oświęcim.
Photo description: View towards Skawina and Krakow.
In the town of Borek Szlachecki there is a railway station called Podbory Skawińskie. The station was launched in 1951. Its main goal was and is to deliver wagons with hard coal to the Skawina Power Plant, as well as to service the Building Materials Factory (Building Elements Production Plant in Skawina). A railway siding was built to both plants and is still in use (2023). The entrance to the station from the siding is protected by a maneuvering shield and a protective rib. For passenger traffic, it is a through station that served and still serves all passenger trains traveling on line No. 94. The station was used by employees of workplaces in Skawina and people commuting to schools in Skawina and Kraków.
The railway station is located at km 19.420 of the railway line No. 94 Kraków Płaszów - Oświęcim. Until 1958, it was only a passenger stop with two single-line platforms.
The station at Podbory Skawińskie is a typical example of socialist realist architecture in Poland. Socialist realism was an architectural style implemented in Poland in the period 1949-1956, within the framework of the then applicable doctrine of socialist realism. It was architecture defined at that time as "socialist in content and national in form". The main emphasis was on form, without paying attention to the functionality of the objects. Therefore, this style was quickly replaced by modernism, which emphasized spaciousness, lighting and functionality. Modernism is also often called functionalism. Modernist architecture is perceived as modern because it is adapted to the needs of its users. It is characterized by simple, geometric shapes without excessive decorations, equipped with numerous and large windows. Looking at the station at Podbory Skawińskie, we immediately see the buildings erected in Nowa Huta. In the station building there was a ticket and luggage counter, a waiting room, a "RUCH" kiosk and a bar. The upper floor was intended for housing for railway workers.
Two platforms were built at the station; one island and one single-edge from the station side. Until 2022, passengers accessed Platform 2 via a passage at track level. In 2022, a tunnel under the tracks was put into operation, connecting Dworcowa Street, Platform 1, Platform 2 and Szuwarowa Street, on the northern side of the station. Three modern elevators have been installed for passengers in wheelchairs, strollers, cyclists and travelers with large luggage. Currently (2022), the platforms are adapted to the needs of disabled people.
From 2022, the Podbory Skawińskie station is served by Szybka Kolej Aglomeracyjna. The station is served by 20-22 pairs of trains per day. In 2022, after reconstruction, the station served over 150 passengers a day. The station is served on the SKA2 Kraków Główny - Podbory Skawińskie route. In the future, it is planned to extend the connection to Oświęcim.
Train traffic at the station is controlled by the "PS" signal box. Rail and road crossings along streets; Szuwarowa and Topolowa were equipped with automatic barriers and traffic lights.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman