Trams in Warsaw

Trams in Warsaw (Polish: Tramwaje Warszawskie) is a 120-kilometre (75 mi) (240-kilometre (150 mi) of single track) tram system serving a third of Warsaw, Poland, and serving half the city's population^{[citation needed]}. It operates over 750 cars,^[1] and is the second-largest system in the country, after the Silesian system.^[2] There are about 25 regular lines,^[3] forming a part of the city's integrated public transport system organized by theWarsaw Transport Authority. Since 1994 the system is operated by the municipal-owned company Tramwaje Warszawskie Sp. z.o.o.

Contents

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• 1 History
  • 1.1 Horse tram
  • 1.2 Interbellum
  • 1.3 Second half of the 20th century
  • 1.4 Present situation
• 2 Rolling stock
• 3 Route list
• 4 See also
• 5 References
• 6 External links

History[edit]

Horse tram[edit]

The history of tram transport in Warsaw dates back to 1866 when a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) long horsecar line was built to transport goods and passengers between the Vienna Railway Station and the Wilno and Terespol stations across the Vistula River. This was in order to circumvent limitations imposed by Russian authorities, which prevented the construction of a railway bridge for strategic reasons. In 1880, a second line was constructed with the help of Belgian capital, this time intended as public transit within the city. The Belgian company quickly expanded its own lines, and in 1882 took over the line between the railway stations, which has lost most of its original purpose after a railway bridge was finally built in 1875. In 1899 the entire tram system, by then 30 kilometres (19 mi) of tracks with 234 tram cars and 654 horses operating 17 lines, was purchased by the city. By 1903, plans were drafted to convert the system to electric trams, which was done by 1908.

Interbellum[edit]

The development mostly stagnated for the next 10 years with only a few short stretches built. After World War I, the network developed rapidly handling increased traffic and extending to the outskirts of the city with the network reaching the length of 60 kilometres (37 mi) and 757 tram cars in 1939. In 1927, a privately ownedlight rail line called EKD (today Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa) was built, connecting several neighboring towns with the center of Warsaw using electric railcars similar to trams, only larger and more massive, with frequent stops and tracks running along the streets in city; however the system was incompatible with the Warsaw trams as it used standard gauge tracks while the city network still used broad gauge left from Russian times. In 1925, the company operating the Warsaw trams decided to construct a rapid transit system. Preliminary boring started, but the Warsaw Metro was postponed because of the Great Depression; the idea resurfaced in 1938, but was again buried with the outbreak of World War II.

Second half of the 20th century[edit]

The tram system remained operational, although gradually deteriorating, during most the Nazi occupation until the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, after which all the infrastructure was systematically destroyed. After the war it was rebuilt relatively fast. As the system was practically built from scratch the occasion was used to convert it to standard gauge. During the 1950s and 1960s, the network was extended to newly built districts of soviet style panel houses and industrial plants and newer trams based on the design of Presidents' Conference Committee were introduced. Due to the city's lack of a metro system and restriction on car ownership, the tram system remained the backbone of Warsaw's transport system. In the 1960s, however, a political decision was made to increase the dependency on oil imported from Russia, while Polish coal was to be exported to Western Europe in exchange for hard currency; as a result, newly developed districts were connected with the city center by buses rather than trams, and some of the existing tracks were closed.

Present situation[edit]

After 1989, the tram system in Warsaw initially received little investment with a large part of the city's budget spent on the construction of the first Warsaw Metro line. However, since 2005, the situation has been changing with the purchase of new rolling stock, modernization of key tram lines, and deployment of a passenger information system. Plans also include extension of the network and an "intelligent" traffic management system which is to prioritize trams at traffic lights. In August 2008, a tender for delivery of 186 low-floor, air-conditioned trams was launched, allowing for a dramatic change of the look of the tramway system.

As of 2013 the city is in the process of laying two new tram routes. The first is in the northern part of the city across theMaria Skłodowska-Curie Bridge recently erected over the Vistula River, linking a quickly growing remote residential district on the north eastern outskirts of the city with the existing network at the terminus of Warsaw's first metro line. The second in the western part of city, a short segment linking two existing lines in order to create a direct connection between two districts. Both projects are significantly delayed; the first one has been partially opened using specially purchased bi-directional trams that do not require a turning loop.

Rolling stock[edit]

Image	Tram car type	Number	Description
	Konstal 105Na and derived, HCP 123N	551 cars	The most commonly used in Warsaw. Produced from 1973 to 2007. An evolution of the earlier Konstal 13N, the city's first modern tram, a copy of thePCC streetcar derived Czechoslovak Tatra T1 widely used throughout the soviet bloc. First cars were based on the electrical systems from the 13N placed in a lighter body, later ones had them replaced with more efficient ones. Most commonly used in sets of two, however sets of three and single units also appear.
	Konstal 112N Konstal 116N/116Na	30 sets	A single prototype Konstal 112N partially low-floor two segment articulated tram based on 105Na, built in 1995. Additional units extended to three segments, designated 116N/116Na, produced between 1998 and 2000
	PESA 120N/120Na	199 sets further 2 on order	Produced in 2007 (120N) and from 2010 (120Na) by PESA in Bydgoszcz a modern fully low-floor five segment articulated tram. The initial 15 sets (120N) were purchased specifically for a modernized tram line in Aleje Jerozolimskie. Further 186 sets (120Na) were purchased to operate a planned new line and to replace some of the oldest trams. At the request of the city a tranche 6 sets were converted to bi-directional, designated 120NaDuo to allow using them on an unfinished line lacking a turning loop. In 2013 an additional 45 bi-directional trams of a new design were purchased from PESA to be delivered in 2014, planned to allow operating on possible new lines during their construction and sections of existing tracks during maintenance work.
	PESA 134N	30 sets ordered	Ordered January 2014 from PESA in Bydgoszcz - due for delivery in 2015.[4]

Route list[edit]

This is a list of Warsaw Tramway lines. As of 2012, there were several track closures all over the tramway system, due to the construction of the second metro line. This list shows tram lines which are operating as of 3 October 2012 and the routes they operate on as of the same date.^[5]

Line	Start	End
1	Annopol	Banacha
3	Kawęczyńska - Bazylika	Gocławek
4	Żerań Wschodni	Wyścigi
6	Ratuszowa Zoo	Koło
7	Kawęczyńska - Bazylika	P+R Aleja Krakowska
8	Osiedle Górczewska	Wiatraczna
9	Gocławek	P+R Aleja Krakowska
10	Osiedle Górczewska	Wyścigi
14	Banacha	Metro Wilanowska
15	Marymont - Potok	P+R Aleja Krakowska
16	Woronicza	Ratuszowa Zoo
17	Metro Młociny	Służewiec
18	Żerań FSO	Służewiec
20	Boernerowo	Żerań FSO
22	Dworzec Wschodni (Kijowska)	Piaski
23	Czynszowa	Nowe Bemowo
24	Gocławek	Nowe Bemowo
25	Banacha	Wiatraczna
26	Osiedle Górczewska	Annopol
27	Metro Marymont	Cmentarz Wolski
28	Koło	Żerań Wschodni
31	Służewiec	Metro Wilanowska
33	Kielecka	Metro Młociny
35	Nowe Bemowo	Wyścigi
37	Służewiec	Metro Marymont