Katowice railway station
Katowice | |
|---|---|
| A | |
 | |
| Location |
city centre, Katowice, Silesian Voivodeship Poland |
| Owned by | Polskie Koleje Państwowe S.A. |
| Platforms | 8+2 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Location | |
  Katowice | |
Katowice railway station is a railway station in Katowice, Silesia, Poland, and the largest railway station in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region. Domestic and international trains connect at the station to most major cities in Europe and are operated primarily by Polskie Koleje Państwowe.
History
The station replaced the 19th century Katowice historic train station. Opened in 1972, the new station was an example of modern architecture and the main railway hall was designed by Polish architects Wacław Kłyszewski, Jerzy Mokrzyński and Eugeniusz Wierzbicki, with construction supervised by Wacław Zalewski. The hall's design took into account the unusual ground conditions of this former coal mining region, which is still susceptible to tectonic movement.[1]
The new station
The Polish government in July 2009 signed a construction agreement with the Spanish firm Neinver for the building of a new integrated transportation/commercial center in Katowice. The investment involved the reconstruction of the railway station, the construction of an underground bus station, a shopping center (Galeria Katowicka), [2] an office tower, and the reconfiguring of streets, sidewalks and public space around the station. The overall investment is estimated at about 240 million euros.
The new project broke ground in May 2010 and by the end of September 2010 a temporary train station was open for passenger service. The old concourse closed on 1 October 2010 and gradually a number of platforms were also shut, with staggered platform repair being carried out in stages. Demolition of the main hall lasted from 22 December 2010 to 11 January 2011. The entire complex (including the adjoining Galeria Katowicka mall on Szewczyk Square) was completed by the summer of 2013, with the new main hall and its integrated (underground) bus station in operation by late 2012. The new station is connected to a large shopping mall.
Underground parking for about 1,200 cars is also under construction.
References
External links
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Media related to Katowice Central station at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 50°15′30″N 19°01′03″E / 50.25833°N 19.01750°E