Kraków Main Station
The railway station was situated in a historical building, constructed between 1844 and 1847 by Rosenbaum, which lies parallel to the tracks. The design was chosen to allow for future line expansion. The station was initially a terminus of the Kraków – Upper Silesia Railway (Kolej Krakowsko-Górnośląska, German: Oberschlesische-Krakauer Eisenbahn). Trains entered the trainshed via a brick archway at the northern end of the station which was almost doubled in size in 1871. In 2014, a new building was opened.
In 2023, it served 23.4 million passengers, making it the country's third busiest railway station behind Wrocław Główny and Poznań Główny stations.
History and early connections
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The station opened on 13 October 1847, with the first train leaving for Mysłowice (the point where the Austrian, German and Russian Empires adjoined during era of the partitions of Poland).
The railway line was extended eastwards in 1856, when the first section to Dębica (then Dembitz in the Habsburg Empire) of the future Galician Railway of Archduke Charles Louis connecting Kraków with Lwów (then Lemberg) in Galicia. The increasing traffic resulted in the station's modernization and enlargement in several stages between 1869 and 1894. The next substantial expansion took place in the 1930s in the reborn Polish Republic. At that time the northern brick wall and trainshed were demolished, the latter replaced by individual platform roofs.
Underground expansion and revitalisation
A new urban shopping mall, Galeria Krakowska (Kraków Mall), opened in September 2006 with adjacent parking for 1,400 cars. The construction of the Galeria Krakowska and remodeling of the area in front of the main station building means that taxis are no longer able to drive up to the station or collect passengers directly from the main entrance; however, the free overhead parking and passenger pick-up right above the tracks is now closer to the platforms, accessible via a convenient elevator.
The station has undergone a multi-million złoty refurbishment to improve passengers' experience.
A new transport interchange has been developed. This includes a bus station to the east, and an express tram line under the station which opened in December 2008.
A new underground ticket hall opened in February 2014, with waiting rooms, travel centers and other amenities. This is located to the north of the earlier platform underpass, and connected to the platforms by escalators. It also provides two new direct exits/entrances to the station complex, one from the lower level of Galeria Krakowska and another from the Regional Bus Station located to the east of the railway station. The current platform underpass will also be refurbished. As part of this large investment all platforms and tracks have been replaced.
Train services
The station is served by the following service(s):
- EuroCity services (EC) (EC 95 by DB) (IC by PKP) Berlin - Frankfurt (Oder) - Rzepin - Wrocław – Katowice – Kraków – Rzeszów – Przemyśl
- Express Intercity Premium services (EIP) Warsaw - Kraków
- Express Intercity Premium services (EIP) Gdynia/Kołobrzeg - Warsaw - Kraków (- Rzeszów)
- Express Intercity services (EIC) Warsaw - Kraków - Zakopane
- Intercity services (IC) Warsaw - Kraków - Zakopane
- Intercity services (IC) Gdynia - Gdańsk - Bydgoszcz - Łódź - Czestochowa — Krakow — Zakopane
- Intercity services (IC) Łódź Fabryczna — Tomaszów Mazowiecki/Częstochowa — Kraków Główny
- Intercity services (IC) Poznań - Ostrów Wielkopolski - Kępno - Lubliniec - Częstochowa - Kraków
- Intercity services (IC) Kołobrzeg - Piła - Poznań - Wrocław - Opole - Kraków
- Intercity services (IC) Zielona Góra - Wrocław - Opele - Częstochowa - Kraków - Rzeszów - Przemyśl
- Intercity services (IC) Ustka - Koszalin - Poznań - Wrocław - Katowice - Kraków - Rzeszów - Przemyśl
- Intercity services (TLK) Poznań - Ostrów Wielkopolski - Kępno - Lubliniec - Częstochowa - Kraków'
- Intercity services (TLK) Gdynia Główna — Zakopane
- Intercity services (TLK) Kołobrzeg — Gdynia Główna — Warszawa Wschodnia — Kraków Główny
- Regional services (PR) Katowice — Kraków
- Regional services (PR) Katowice — Kraków — Dębica
- Regional services (PR) Zakopane - Nowy Targ - Chabówka - Skawina - Kraków Główny
- Regional service (PR) Bielsko-Biała Główna — Wadowice - Kraków Główny
- Regional services (PR) Kraków - Bochnia - Tarnów - Dębica - Rzeszów
- Regional services (PR) Kraków - Bochnia - Tarnów - Nowy Sącz - Piwniczna
- Regional services (PR) Kraków - Bochnia - Tarnów - Nowy Sącz - Piwniczna - Krynica-Zdrój
- Regional Service (KMŁ) SKA1 Kraków Lotnisko (Airport) - Kraków Gł. - Kopalnia - Wieliczka Rynek-Kopalnia
- Regional Service (KMŁ) SKA2 Sędziszów - Miechów - Kraków Gł. - Skawina - Podbory Skawińskie - Przeciszów - Oświęcim (Auschwitz)
- Regional Service (KMŁ) SKA3 Oświęcim (Auschwitz) - Trzebinia - Kraków Gł. - Tarnów
- Regional Service (KŚ) S3 Katowice - Mysłowice - Trzebinia - Krzeszowice - Kraków Gł.
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Main entrance promenade -
Original appearance of the station building in the 1850s -
Interior of the Main Railway Station -
Ticket offices -
Pendolino PKP Intercity Krakow -
The Station island platforms -
Departures. Interior -
Long-distance bus terminal
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References
- ^ History and modernization of Kraków Główny, at PKP S.A. Robi się. Accessed July 23, 2011. Archived August 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Poznaliśmy najpopularniejsze stacje kolejowe w Polsce. Wrocław Główny z rekordem". portalsamorzadowy.pl (in Polish). 25 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Kraków tram tunnel opened". Railway Gazette International. 31 January 2009. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ "Kraków Główny station concourse opened". Railway Gazette International. 17 February 2014.
- ^ PKP EIC Warsaw - Kraków - Zakopane Timetable. https://koleo.pl/en/pociag/EIC/1350-TATRY
- ^ PKP IC 31112 Karłowicz Zakopane — Warszawa Wschodnia. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/IC/31112-KAR%C5%81OWICZ/
- ^ Koleo. PKP IC 5360 Witkacy. Gdynia Główna — Zakopane. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/IC/5360-WITKACY/
- ^ Koleo. PKP IC 1334 Kazimierz Łódź Fabryczna — Kraków Główny Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/IC/1334-KAZIMIERZ/
- ^ Koleo. PKP IC 13108 Reymont Łódź Fabryczna — Kraków Główny Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/IC/13108-REYMONT/
- ^ Koleo. PKP IC 73102 Wybicki Poznań Główny — Kraków Główny. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/IC/73102-WYBICKI/
- ^ Koelo. IC 8306 Malczewski Kołobrzeg — Kraków Główny. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/IC/8306-MALCZEWSKI/
- ^ Koleo. PKP IC 73104 Mehoffer Zielona Góra Główna — Przemyśl Główny. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/IC/73104-MEHOFFER/
- ^ Koleo. PKP IC 87172 Przemyślanin Ustka — Przemyśl Główny. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/IC/87172-PRZEMY%C5%9ALANIN/
- ^ Koleol. PKP TLK 73100 Pułaski Poznań Główny — Kraków Główny. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/TLK/73100-PU%C5%81ASKI/
- ^ Koleo. PKP TLK 53170 Karpaty Gdynia Główna — Zakopane. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/en/pociag/TLK/53170-KARPATY
- ^ Koleo. PKP TLK 53104 Małopolska Gdynia Główna — Zakopane. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/en/pociag/TLK/53104-MA%C5%81OPOLSKA
- ^ Koleo. TLK 83170 Ustronie Kołobrzeg — Kraków Główny. Timetable. https://koleo.pl/pociag/TLK/83170-USTRONIE
- ^ Polregio. Regio 43312 Katowice — Kraków Główny. Timetable. https://bilety.polregio.pl/pociag/REG/43312
- ^ Polregio. Regio 43802 Katowice — Dębica. Timetable. https://bilety.polregio.pl/pociag/REG/43802
- ^ Polregio. PR 30534 Zakopane — Kraków Główny. Timetable. https://bilety.polregio.pl/pociag/REG/30534-PODHALE/
- ^ Polregio. PR 43610 Beskidek Bielsko-Biała Główna — Kraków Główny. Timetable. https://bilety.polregio.pl/pociag/REG/43610-BESKIDEK
- ^ Polregio. PR 39311 Kraków Główny — Rzeszów Główny. Timetable. https://bilety.polregio.pl/pociag/REG/39311/
- ^ Polregio. PR 30601 Kraków Główny — Piwniczna. Timetable. https://bilety.polregio.pl/pociag/REG/30601/
- ^ Polregio. PR 33151 Jaworzyna Kraków Główny — Krynica-Zdrój. Timetable. https://bilety.polregio.pl/pociag/REG/33151-JAWORZYNA
External links
Media related to Kraków Główny train station at Wikimedia Commons
