The excavator connected the new passenger tunnel with the old underground passage at the Western Railway Station. In December, Wola will gain a new underground connection with Ochota.
The journalists gathered in the tunnel first heard loud bangs. After a few moments, the ground began to slide and a hole was created in the wall, in which an excavator bucket was seen. Thus, at the renovated Western Railway Station, the underground tunnel connecting the railway platforms and two neighboring districts became a whole. Railway workers connected the station hall under construction and the underground connector with the existing old underground passage.
Passengers will have convenient access to trains, and residents will have a new connection between Wola and Ochota. The new passage will be wider and longer, so there will be space for service and catering premises, ticket offices and waiting rooms.
The president of PKP PLK, Piotr Wyborski, assured that the investment would be completed in December 2024. Then the tunnel will be accessible from the Wola side. – Some work related to the tram segment will still be carried out from the Ochota side, Wyrobski announced.
Construction of platforms is underway
Currently, according to railway workers, platforms 1, 2 and 3 are being built at the station, with a roof over them. From the June timetable adjustment, travelers will be able to use all platforms. The construction of the new station building on Tunelowa Street is ready. Finishing works are being carried out inside.
New tracks and elements of the traction network are being laid within the station. New railway traffic control devices are being installed. Elevators operate on the modernized platforms 4-8.
– Before Easter, a technical elevator is planned to be launched from the side of Aleje Jerozolimskie, which will make it easier for passengers with heavy luggage, baby strollers and people with limited mobility – assured railway workers.
“This is the most important station on the railway network in Poland”
After the reconstruction, all platforms at the Western Station will be roofed. Escalators, elevators, a dynamic information system and wide passages will facilitate access to trains. It will be easier to combine rail travel with public transport. Safe management of railway traffic will be ensured by modern devices and computer systems. Completion of track laying and platform reconstruction is scheduled for mid-2024.
– This is the most important station on the railway network in Poland, on average from 900 to a thousand trains pass through it daily. This will be a completely new quality for passengers. We know what the platforms of the Warszawa Zachodnia station looked like, we remember the asphalt dripping from the platforms. It will be a European-style station, it will accept more trains and more passengers, it will gain in functionality – said Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Piotr Malepszak, multiplying the advantages of the new Warsaw West.
Main photo source: tvnwarszawa.pl