Kraków Fast Tram ( pl, Krakowski Szybki Tramwaj) is a light rail network being developed in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. It consists of several modernized or purpose-built tram tracks with radio-controlled

absolute priority Absolute may refer to: Companies * Absolute Entertainment, a video game publisher * Absolute Radio, (formerly Virgin Radio), independent national radio station in the UK * Absolute Software Corporation, specializes in security and data risk manage ...

on crossings, a long tunnel under

Kraków Główny Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

railway station with two underground stops and a long overpass over Kraków

Płaszów Płaszów is a suburb of Kraków, Poland, now part of Podgórze district. Formerly a separate village, it became a part of the Greater Kraków in 1911 under the Austrian Partition of Poland as the 21st cadastral district of the city. During World ...

rail station. Unlike many light rail systems, Kraków Fast Tram is not separate from regular tramway lines: the tracks are a part of the wider "classic" tramway network and are used by ordinary trains, which benefit from moving through a fast tram corridor. The stops at the fast tram tracks are equipped with an electronic

passenger information system A passenger information system, or passenger information display system, is an automated system for supplying users of public transport with information about the nature and the state of a public transport service through visual, voice or other m ...

showing estimated departure times live. As of 2017, the system is also installed on other, less modern tram lines.

History

The first fast tram line was opened on 12 December 2008, more than 30 years since construction started; however due to the missing tracks through

, it temporarily used the link through

Kazimierz Kazimierz (; la, Casimiria; yi, קוזמיר, Kuzimyr) is a historical district of Kraków and Kraków Old Town, Poland. From its inception in the 14th century to the early 19th century, Kazimierz was an independent city, a royal city of the ...

and

Podgórze Podgórze is a district of Kraków, Poland, situated on the right (southern) bank of the Vistula River, at the foot of Lasota Hill. The district was subdivided in 1990 into six new districts, see present-day districts of Kraków for more details. ...

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, where short lengths of track were not in its own right-of-way but were connected to the traffic light control system and passenger information system. That gap was eliminated when the light rail

overpass An overpass (called an overbridge or flyover in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries) is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway. An ''overpass'' and ''underpass'' together form ...

over the rail station in Płaszów opened on 30 August 2015. The construction costs amounted to 164 million złoty, of which 67 million was covered by EU funds. It incorporates a tram stop with stairways and elevators to the rail platforms underneath and can be used by both pedestrians and cyclists, in addition to trams and emergency vehicles.

Lines

In addition to the ordinary lines, there are two "fast tram lines" that run at up to 5 minute intervalshttp://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/ on the fast tram tracks:

History

Lines

See also

References

External links