Monthly Archives: March

Convenient access to housing estates, quite a lot of greenery, new lighting – this will be the new look of the Mistrzejowice terminus.

The tram terminus in Jancarza Street, constructed in the 70s, is going to undergo an extensive reconstruction. The terminus, opened on 29 November 1974, made quick carriage of passengers between Hipokratesa roundabout and Mistrzejowice possible. In 2024, also the route in a westerly direction will start here as part of KST IV project.

Mistrzejowice terminus tailored to the 21^st century

The whole area will be newly developed: lush vegetation, new LED lighting, bicycle parking and convenient footways adjusted to the needs of people with disabilities will be provided. Residents of neighboring estates will benefit most from this reconstruction. Transfer to buses operating from a neighboring bus terminal will be much easier – the existing crosswalk will be moved westwards, thanks to which the distance will be shorter. Four comfortable tram platforms will be 65 meters long, which means that they will be significantly longer than the present ones, thanks to which passenger ingress and egress will be safer. At each of them, there will be waiting shelters with modern passenger information boards next to them. A new traffic control point will be constructed which will serve also as tram drivers’ facilities. The area between Jancarza, Załuskich and Kolbego Streets will be tailored to the 21^st century.

Facilities for all traffic participants

A new dedicated bike path will be constructed on the southern side of Jancarza Street, reaching the terminus. It will be connected to the existing shared zone on the eastern side of the terminus. In order to meet the expectations of the residents, an additional lane was designed for turning right from Jancarza Street into Załuskich Street. This will be of benefit not only to those using public transport, but also to drivers and cyclists.

Since the new infrastructure is to be created at the location of an operating tram terminus, the matter of keeping the tram traffic during the construction works has to be solved. – The operation of the terminus will be undisturbed for most of the duration of the construction works. The traffic will be suspended temporarily for the planned integration of the new infrastructure, during which passengers will use replacement transport service. Those changes are scheduled for 2024 and will last no longer than a few months – says Wojciech Janosz, site manager from Gülermak – the company implementing the project.

There will be displays showing the estimated time of arrival of trams on each stop on the route to Mistrzejowice. Traffic Tram Supervision System (TTSS) is the source of this practical information.

Time is money so we appreciate modern technologies thanks to which we may efficiently and quickly get from A to B. Passengers of public transport in Kraków have been enjoying the benefits of TTSS for 14 years, which streamlines the management of urban transport in real time. Data from one of the system providers shows that TTSS supported shortening travel time by tram from Krowodrza Górki to Kurdwanów from 42 to just over 37 minutes. Together with the area-wide traffic lights control system, it helps residents save time on the way to work or school on a daily basis. The same software is used by some of the biggest cities worldwide: Zurich, London, Riyadh, Singapore and Bonn.

Tramway to Mistrzejowice comes together with a dynamic passenger information system

The TTSS comes with a bonus: a passenger information system with over 300 electronic displays placed throughout the city showing estimated time of arrival of trams and buses and their final stop. The displays may be also used to quickly spread any messages, e.g. about changes in traffic organization or detours. The practical information is driven by advanced solutions that will also be applied on the tram route to Mistrzejowice.

Dynamic passenger information system – how does it work?

How do the displays “know” when the vehicle we expect arrives? How is the data displayed actually updated? The heart of the dynamic passenger information system is the route information controller located in the dispatcher of ZDMK and the MPK carrier. Data on the actual position of vehicles that are currently on the routes are provided by GPRS transmitters installed in them based on the GPS location. Advanced prediction algorithms, supporting precise prediction of departure times from stops, process them, also using historical data. This is how you get reliable information.

In order for the correct arrival times to be displayed at the specific stop, a broadcast system is needed. It uses optical fibers or GPRS. Effective data delivery requires not only the installation of displays (at each stop on the tram route to Mistrzejowice), but also underground infrastructure which was ensured already at the design stage.

The contractor of the tram route to Mistrzejowice will apply a special mineral-asphalt mixture to reduce traffic noise even more effectively. Together with other solutions that suppress noise and vibrations, it will ensure everyday comfort for the residents.

The so-called ‘noise reducing’ surface is a solution that reduces the noise level associated with car traffic. For the sake of simplicity: it is more porous than a traditional wear layer. The air that collects in it supports absorbing some of the noise generated as a result of rolling wheels. The noise-reducing surface will be applied on the pavements reconstructed as part of the Tram to Mistrzejowice project. They will be placed in the area where tests revealed permissible noise standards may be exceeded.

Noise-reducing surface fitting urban conditions

According to the decision of environmental conditions, at least an SMA8 surface is required yet its properties work better on highways or expressways than in urban conditions – they reduce noise at higher speeds. In order to best match the designed solutions to the conditions in which the new infrastructure will operate, the private partner suggested using a different mixture: BBTM. It works well also on local roads where cars move slower.

“The designer’s assumptions for our investment, supported by research, imply that the BBTM pavement will reduce noise by approx. 4.5 decibels, while the previously proposed SMA8 mixture would provide a reduction of 1 decibel” – says Agnieszka Gurgacz, environmental protection specialist with Gülermak.

Protection against vibrations and noise

Together with the system reducing noise and vibrations from the trackbed area, vibration damping mats, green trackbed and noise barriers, the noise-reducing surface will ensure compliance with environmental quality standards in terms of noise as required under such investments. This condition could not be met when using SMA 8.

“We do not use BBTM surfaces in Kraków. The first one ever will be used in the Tram to Mistrzejowice construction. We hope that this technology will bring good results” – says Marcin Hanczakowski, Director of Kraków Municipal Road Authority (ZDMK).