Gdańsk Główny railway station

Gdańsk Główny
Railway Station

Gdańsk Główny railway station
Location Gdańsk, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Poland
Operated by PKP
Przewozy Regionalne
SKM Tricity
Koleje Mazowieckie (summer only)
Line(s) 9: Warsaw–Gdańsk railway
202: Gdańsk–Stargard railway
227 Gdańsk Główny–Gdańsk Zaspa Towarowa railway
249: Gdańsk Główny–Gdańsk Nowy Port railway
250: Gdańsk Śródmieście–Rumia railway
Platforms 10
Tracks 10
Other information
Classification A
History
Opened 30 October 1900 (1900-10-30)
Electrified yes
Location
Gdańsk Główny
Gdańsk Główny (Poland)

Gdańsk Główny (Polish for Gdańsk main station) is the main railway station serving the city of Gdańsk, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. The station opened in 1900 and is located on the Warsaw–Gdańsk railway, Gdańsk–Stargard railway, the parallel Gdańsk Śródmieście–Rumia railway, Gdańsk Główny–Gdańsk Zaspa Towarowa railway and Gdańsk Główny–Gdańsk Nowy Port railway. The train services are operated by PKP, Przewozy Regionalne and SKM Tricity. Koleje Mazowieckie trains operate here during the summer.

History

The first railway line in Gdańsk opened in 1852.[1] Around 1867, in the area of today's main railway station (Główny) a small, temporary passenger terminal Gdańsk Brama Wyżynna was built. Access to it was only from the west, from the so-called. "Promenade" (ul. 3 Maja). To the east of the station the city separated because of the modern fortifications and moat of Gdańsk. The station could begin to expand after filling up the old moat and demolishing the western bastions.

The existing station was built between 1894 and 1900, with the official opening on 30 October 1900.

In 1945 the station was set on fire and was restored after World War II. The tower escaped the fire.

On 2 January 1952 the SKM Trojmiasto suburban railway was opened, parallel to the existing line between Gdańsk and Gdynia.[2]

The station features five island platforms, of which three function for the regional commuter SKM services and the other two for long distance services and regional services. Access to the platforms is via subways from the east and west sides of the city. On the east side, the subway ends on the other side of Podwale Grodzkie street, and on the west side it goes directly into the PKS (long-distance bus) station. Connecting tunnels enable access to the station building and tram stops, and contain shops, fast food bars, newsagents, and other kiosks.

Station building

Gdańsk Główny Aerial view

The station building hails from the end of the 19th century.

Nowadays there is a small shopping centre on the patio, and a McDonald's and KFC inside the terminal. Ticket offices are open all day, and the station sells international as well as domestic tickets.

History

Prior to World War II, Gdańsk Główny was named Danzig Hauptbahnhof (German for "Danzig Main station"; some sources translate Hauptbahnhof as central station). At the end of the World War II, Soviet forces razed the station building almost completely (with the rest of the city), and the entire structure was rebuilt after the war.

The station shares its design with Colmar station in Alsace, France. Thus the buildings are 'twins' of one another.

Modernisation

In the early 1990s, during the general overhaul of the train station, a two-level hall was built for shops. This did not prove popular and was demolished in 2013.

Modernisation work is set to take place in early 2017. The work will remove changes made to the northern part of the building, replace windows and doors, update the passenger information system, security systems, introduce escalators, renewed lifts and an extension of the tunnel located to the east of the station. The estimated cost of the reconstruction will amount to about 50 million zł, and will take about 18 months.

In terms of the reconstruction of the railway infrastructure, PKP PLK plans to overhaul long-distance platforms 1 and 2 and the tunnels, replace lighting (preserving their historical shapes) and installation of passenger information systems, elevators and escalators.

Train services

The station is served by the following services:

Preceding station   PKP   Following station
EuroCity
toward Berlin Hbf
EuroCity
toward Wien Hbf
PKP
towards Bielsko-Biała Główna or Rzeszów Główny
PKP
towards Zamość or Przemyśl Główny
PKP
towards Bielsko-Biała Główna or Zakopane
PKP
towards Wrocław Główny or Zielona Góra
towards Szczecin Główny, Kolobrzeg or Łeba
PKP
Preceding station   Przewozy Regionalne   Following station
PR
toward Olsztyn Główny
PR
Preceding station   SKM Tricity   Following station
toward Kartuzy
SKM TricityTerminus
toward Wejherowo
SKM Tricity
Terminus

Media related to Gdańsk Główny at Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. ↑ SKM Tricity History
  2. ↑ SKM Tricity History
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.