Warsaw Tramway

Warsaw Tramway Background Locale Warsaw, Poland Transit type Tramway Number of lines 24 Operation Began operation 1866 Operator(s) Tramwaje Warszawskie Number of vehicles Konstal 105Na 550, Konstal 116Na 30, PESA 120Na 186 Technical System length 120 kilometres (75 mi) Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) A map of the Warsaw tram system (line construction animated map) Map of Warsaw tramway network before 1945 (interactive version) Horse tram on Marszałkowska Street, 1867 Electric trams on Marszałkowska Street, 1914 Restored type A electric tram from 1910s on display Restored Konstal N tram car from the 1950s running on a special tourist line Konstal 13N tram cars from the 1960s, retired in 2012

The Warsaw Tramway (Polish: Tramwaje Warszawskie) is a 120-kilometre (75 mi) (240-kilometre (150 mi) of single track) 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 the Warsaw Transport Authority. Since 1994 the system is operated by the municipal-owned company Tramwaje Warszawskie Sp. z.o.o.

History

Horse tram

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 overcome limitations placed by the occupational Russian authorities which, for strategic reasons, prevented the construction of a railway bridge. In 1880, a second line was constructed with 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 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

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 owned light 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

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

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 is changing with the purchase of new rolling stock, modernization of key tram lines, deployment of a passenger information system. Plans also include an "intelligent" traffic management system which is to prioritize trams on traffic lights and plans to extend the network. In August 2008, a tender for delivery of 186 completely low-floor, air-conditioned trams was launched, allowing for a dramatic change of the outlook of the tramway system.

As of the 2013 city is in the process of laying two completely new tram routes. The first in the northern part of the city across the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Bridge presently 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

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 the PCC 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<br/ > 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

This is a list of Warsaw Tramway lines. There are currently several track closures all over the tramway system, due to the building of works of the second underground 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]

References

External links

• Map of Tramlines (Valid as of March 27, 2013)
• Official website of Tramwaje Warszawskie (Polish)
• Tramwar - a private website about trams in Warsaw (Polish)

v t e Tram transport in Poland Operating systems Bydgoszcz Częstochowa Elbląg Gdańsk Gorzów Grudziądz Katowice (Silesian Interurban) Kraków Łódź Ozorków Pabianice Poznań - Poznań Fast Tram Szczecin Toruń Warsaw Wrocław Zgierz Former systems Białystok Bielsko Cieszyn Głogów Gubin Inowrocław Jelenia Góra Kostrzyn Koszalin Legnica Lublin Olsztyn Opole Piła Radom Słubice Słupsk Stargard Szczeciński Świnoujście Tarnów Wałbrzych Zgorzelec

v t e Transport in Warsaw Warsaw Chopin Airport Warsaw–Modlin Mazovia Airport Koleje Mazowieckie Szybka Kolej Miejska Trolleybuses Veturilo Warszawa Centralna Warsaw Cross-City Line Warsaw Metro Warsaw Railway Junction Warsaw Tramway Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego