Aktualności

As of Monday, March 4, pedestrians on a section of Meissner Street will face difficulties. Traffic will be redirected from the sidewalk located on the west side to the east sidewalk. The difficulties will last a week. 

Due to preparatory work related to the reconstruction of underground networks, as of Monday, March 4, the sidewalk on Meissnera Street between the pedestrian crossing by the Wieczysta Krakow Sports Club stadium and the pedestrian crossing on Chałupnika Street will be closed. 

The obstructions will last for a week, until Monday, March 11.

The tram is undoubtedly one of the most comfortable and popular means of transport. Where on the map can we find the place where we can savour such a journey for the longest time? It turns out that we don’t have to look far.

Kusttram-the world’s longest tram line-is located in Belgium. It is an intercity tram system that connects Adinkerke to Knokke-Heist railway station, running through Nieuwpoort, Ostend and Zeebrugge. The record-breaking line is 67 km long and consists of 67 stops. The journey time on the low-floor tram is 2 hours 30 minutes.

An added bonus of this route is the picturesque views. The Custtram runs along the Belgian coastline and tram passengers can see the North Sea from the windows of the carriages right next to the track. Due to its location, the line is commonly referred to as the ‘beach tram’ or ‘coastal tram’. During the peak summer season, the depots carry up to 3 million passengers a day.

The line is hugely popular and an extension is envisaged as part of the Neptune plan. The extension would reach Dunkirk in France and Breskens in the Netherlands. The narrow-gauge route has been in existence for 139 years. It has been continuously modernised, with the most recent section opened in 1998.

What is the longest tramway line in Poland?

Today, the longest tram line can be found in Warsaw. It is a tram with the number 10, which runs for 24.5 km, stops at 54 stops and has a journey time of 82 minutes.

Trams not only serve as a convenient and environmentally friendly means of public transport. For the people of Krakow, they are an important part of the city’s culture and history. Almost 123 years have passed since the first run of Krakow’s electric tram, but the origins of public transport go back a little further.

How did it all begin?

The year 1875 is considered the beginning of public transport in Krakow, when the first regular horse-drawn omnibus line was launched. Its route started from under the Main Railway Station and ended at Podgórski Bridge in the Kazimierz district.

The history of the trams themselves begins in November 1881, when the City Council of Krakow, under an agreement concluded with the Belgian Bank, granted permission for the “installation and maintenance of an iron railway called the tramway”. A year later, the first ceremonial run of the narrow-gauge horse-drawn tramway took place, and proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the construction of the Adam Mickiewicz monument.

The first tram crew ran along the route from the railway station to Mostowa Street in Kazimierz, where a tram depot was built. The carriages came in winter and summer versions and were divided into two classes: I and II. By1900, the horse-drawn tramway carried over 1.5 million passengers in Krakow.

Electrification

Electric trams appeared somewhat later. The commissioning of the first narrow-gauge tram line with a fleet of 17 electric carriages from the Wagon and Machine Factory in Sanok took place in 1901, and the ceremonial opening was performed by the city mayor Józef Friedlein. The success of electrification meant that from 1902 trams in Krakow were already running on 4 lines.

The following years also brought many important changes. As a result of the First World War, a large number of men were mobilised for the front and around 180,000 people left the city. The perceived shortage of workers meant that women also became tram drivers from 1916 onwards. The reconstruction of the tramway infrastructure actively started after the end of the war. First, the tram cars and tracks were repaired. Subsequently, the tram traffic system was changed from left-hand to right-hand traffic, and by 1925 there were already six tram lines in operation.

Drivers in the northern part of Krakow are facing further temporary changes to traffic organisation. In connection with the ongoing construction of the tram line tunnel to Mistrzejowice, from 24 February closures and narrowing of the carriageway will appear on Lublańska street.

What will change? 

• On Lublańska street traffic between the Polsad roundabout and the Bareja roundabout will use the western carriageway, which will have one traffic lane for each direction.
• The eastern carriageway of Lublańska street from the Polsad roundabout to the Barei roundabout will be completely closed to traffic. 
• Vehicular traffic from and to Bora-Komorowskiego Avenue will be redirected to the temporary intersection with Lublańska Street at the level of the exit from Promienistych Street,
• The bus stop Olsza II 02 at Lublańska Street will be moved approx. 30 m to the north.

Temporary traffic organisation south of Miechowity Street will remain unchanged (stage 2.2): [link].

Temporary traffic organisation stage 2.2

The new traffic organisation will be introduced on 24 February, starting at 5.00am.  

With the completion of tree replanting for the construction of the tram line to Mistrzejowice, it is worth taking a closer look at the process. Here is a brief overview of how the trees were replanted. 

When to report trees?

The best time to replant trees is when they are dormant, i.e. early spring or late autumn and winter, when the temperature outside is positive and the soil is not frozen. During these seasons, trees are dormant, their growth and metabolic activity are limited.

What kind of trees are replanted? 

Due to their greater adaptability, mainly young trees are transplanted. They usually have smaller roots and are less complicated to transport, making the process less stressful for them.

Old trees, due to their extensive root system and longer life span, may prove less resistant to transplanting and are less likely to adapt to their new environment.

According to estimates, the limiting age that gives a prognosis for the adaptation of a transplanted tree is 20-25 years. For older trees, their chances of survival fall below 30 percent.

Replanting trees step by step

• Assess the health of the tree, its age, size and root characteristics.
• Reducing the crown – this will allow the plant to focus on re-rooting rather than feeding the shoots and leaves with nutrients.
• Delineating and digging a trench at the selected target location.
• Using a transplanting machine to precisely dig up the tree with an eye to minimizing root damage. After digging out the tree with the soil stock, the root ball is secured with a jute bag.
• Transporting the tree and placing it in the hole dug earlier.
• Stabilizing the trunk with stakes – this will prevent the tree from falling over.
• Regular monitoring of the tree’s condition.

As a Private Partner, we replanted 42 trees (their location is marked in red on the map). The remaining 41* trees were replanted by the Urban Greenery Board (3 trees are in the process of replanting). 

*Updated on 25.04.2024: “The Board of Urban Greenery of Krakow informs that to date, 41 pieces of trees have been replanted by the local unit from the KST stage IV investment area. We would like to mention that, in accordance with the arrangements, it is planned to replant another 3 pieces of trees growing at the intersection of Jana Pawła II Avenue, Mogilska Street and Meissnera Street in the autumn of 2024 or spring of 2025.” – explains Katarzyna Chochół.

The construction of a tunnel as part of the emerging tram line to Mistrzejowice is one of the biggest engineering challenges of the project.  One of the key aspects is the use of BIM technology. What does it involve? We explain.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an advanced method of creating, managing and analysing building project information that contains highly detailed data and covers a wide range of processes. BIM brings together all relevant project information resources (technical, geometric, cost, other) to provide a comprehensive platform.

What it means, or say it “not in engineering terms“

BIM is a technology used in the construction industry to help create, manage and analyse information about buildings or infrastructure in a digital and 3D way. Imagine a building is like a jigsaw puzzle, but instead of using cardboard pieces, we use virtual elements that can be moved, rotated and adjusted in any way.

In BIM, each element of a building is modelled in 3D. At the same time, each of these objects has data associated with it, such as materials, dimensions, technical properties or cost information. It is as if we added to each element with a description of what it relates to what it can be used for.

This technology enables collaboration between the various professionals involved in the construction process, such as architects, engineers, plant designers or builders. With BIM, they can work on one common model, which facilitates communication and eliminates errors due to inconsistencies between different documents or drawings.

In addition, BIM allows different scenarios to be simulated and the impact of changes on the entire project to be analysed, helping to make better decisions at each stage of construction. In other words, with BIM we can plan, design and build better, leading to more efficient construction projects.

In PPP projects, the partner is responsible for comprehensive implementation from design to construction to maintenance for a specified number of years. In this case, there is a need for effective communication and data flow between many stakeholders such as the client, designers, administration, operators, managers of individual infrastructure elements, contractors, internal departments of the company, supervision inspectors, subcontractors. 

With access to extensive data, teams from different trades can work on a project simultaneously, seeing changes in real time. BIM technology improves the efficiency of the construction process by reducing the risk of errors and clashes, optimising costs and speeding up project delivery. In the context of the construction of the Tram to Mistrzejowice, the implementation of BIM has become essential to achieve a high level of safety and to run the project to the highest quality standards.