Construction of new tram lines in Olsztyn officially completed

On 29 December of this year, after two and a half years of work, a key task for urban public transport in Olsztyn was completed by a consortium comprising of Polimex Infrastruktura Sp. z o.o.  - consortium leader, Polimex Mostostal S.A. - consortium partner and Trakcja S.A. Thanks to this project the city's residents will be able to use two new tram lines, which will connect the os. Pieczewo with the city centre and the junction at Olsztyn Central Station.

“This is an extremely important moment for our city,”, says the Mayor of Olsztyn, Piotr Grzymowicz. “Making such a large project required a huge amount of work and determination to get there. More residents of Olsztyn are gaining access to a safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly mode of transport.”

The new infrastructure is approximately six kilometres of double track running through the following streets: Wilczyńskiego, Krasickiego, Synów Pułku, Wyszyńskiego and al. Piłsudskiego. The implementation also involved the reconstruction of underground infrastructure and the road system.

An interchange has been created at the High Gate. The project also includes the replacement of some of the existing traditional intersections with roundabouts, the construction of around 10 km of bicycle paths and the expansion of the ITS system.

“We are delighted to have completed this altogether challenging project this year. Construction was carried out in an active urban environment - there was vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the reconstructed streets at all times. It took more than a year to rebuild all the networks. We have made new road and pavement surfaces and new bicycle paths along the entire tram line. What’s interesting the longest tram overpass in north-eastern Poland, 270 m long, was built using prestressed concrete technology along the tram line. The author of today’s success is the team of experienced engineers from Polimex Infrastruktura and Trakcja company,” summarised Krzysztof Figat, President of the Management Board of Polimex Mostostal

Thanks to the project completion it was also possible to finance the purchase of part (of a total of 12) of the new tramways that were built for Olsztyn in Turkey. No less important is the greenery. Inherent in the tram project that has just been completed is a programme of planting almost three thousand trees, and tens of thousands of shrubs, perennials and flowers.

An important part is also building of a new tram depot, a mirror image of the existing one. Olsztyn's tram network is served by 27 tram cars. Until now, a maximum of 18 tram cars could stand under the canopy at the base of the Municipal Transport Company. In order to ensure that the remaining cars are not stationed 'under the sky', which could affect their lifespan, the infrastructure has been extended with a new facility.

“In Olsztyn, there are specialists in completing difficult or even impossible projects,” said Maciej Berliński of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development at the task completion ceremony. “The project completed in Olsztyn was the largest single transport project. It was the only one that required notification of the European Commission.  Thank you for your courage in taking decisions.”

The first tram cars for the new line, No. 4, will begin their run at 11:15 AM on Saturday (30 December). For the first two days, you will be able to ride on them free of charge between Pieczew and the station. Line No. 5, which will take passengers to the High Gate, will start its first run on 1 January 2024. A revised Olsztyn public transport system will also come into effect on that day.