Jacek Sutryk, Mayor of Wrocław: ‘This is a historic moment not only for Swojczyce or Sępolno, but for the entire city. We are launching another enormous transport project. We will spend 140 million PLN, with significant European funding.
Pro-Tra Building will have 24 months to complete the project. ‘It is important that this is a Wroclaw-based company with local engineers, workers, labourers - people who feel this city and who care about it. This is an additional warranty, not specified in the paperwork - but we know that they will put their hearts into this project,’ adds Jacek Sutryk.
He added that 15,000 residents will be able to take advantage of the tram. ‘In two years' time, those who can will jump on the tram and make room on the roads for those who have to drive their cars,’ he added.
Construction will start from Swojczyce. The overhaul of the Sępolno terminus, which will result in more disruptions for passengers, will take place at a later date.
Construction of the tram line to Swojczyce - detours for drivers
‘The biggest disruption is linked with introducing one-way traffic on Swojczycka Street,’ states Andrzej Brzoza, Deputy Head of the City Engineering Department.
Drivers heading towards Strachocin and Wojnów will go along the one-way Swojczycka Street. A major change concerns drivers going in the opposite direction, as they now have to choose Miłoszycka and Mydlana Streets.
Residents and visitors in blocks of flats in the vicinity of Marco Polo, Magellana, Vasco da Gamy and Chałupnicza Street have to look out for signs prohibiting parking, which will be enforced starting on 15 November, as parked cars can impede the operation of public transit.
Construction of a tram line to Swojczyce - changes for passengers
‘We will set up line 715 to serve the Olimpia Port estate. Buses will run every 10 minutes during the rush hour,’ Andrzej Brzoza reported.
Line 715 will serve the southern part of Swojczyce in both directions, ensuring that residents can get out of the estate despite the one-way traffic on Swojczycka Street. This is because buses will have to respect the same rules as cars and will go to Zalesie and Sępolno via Miłoszycka and Mydlana Streets.
Changes to stop layout during construction of a tram line to Swojczyce
Details of the revised bus routes are listed here:
Construction of a tram line to Swojczyce - two years of disruptions
The construction of a two-kilometre-long bus and tram line, including the overhaul of all underground installations and the construction of new streets in place of the existing ones, is a major project that will be inconvenient not only for the residents of Wrocław, but also for the residents of neighbouring towns who commute to the city.
Bartosz Nowak, Deputy Head of Wrocławskie Inwestycje, the municipal company responsible for the construction: ‘We have a titanic task to tackle. It is impossible to carry out such a difficult task without disruptions, and our role is to minimise their impact. We have a difficult 24 months ahead of us, but in two years, we will enjoy a completely new reality.
‘It will be a difficult time for our residents,’ says Stanisław Piątek, Deputy Chair of the Strachocin-Swojczyce-Wojnów estate management board. ‘We relayed residents' comments on the organisation of traffic and public transit during the construction. Some were implemented, some could not be. We are working on getting more trains to service this route, but this is neither a simple matter nor one that can be dealt with quickly.
Renata Piwko-Wolny, Chair of the Strachocin-Swojczyce-Wojnów estate: ‘We hope that our residents will persevere and will be understanding when it comes to the disruptions that will occur during the next two years. Remember that you can report everything to your estate council and we will represent you in the talks with the authorities, with the contractor and the developer.
Animation showing the tram line to Swojczyce
The two-kilometre tram line starts at the existing Sępolno terminus and ends at the planned terminus near the Swojczyce Cemetery. The nearby Wrocław Swojczyce railway station makes for a convenient traffic hub.
There will be a Park&Ride car park for 166 cars at the future Swojczyce terminus, and new bike shelters will also be built. The line will feature
- 15 stops, including 8 combined tram and bus stops;
- green terminus in Swojczyce with trees in the middle,
- bus shelters with plants on the roofs,
- a public toilet at the Swojczyce terminus (available also to the visitors to the nearby cemetery),
- social hubs at both ends of the route for MPK employees.
- Tram and bus stop locations:
- On Mydlana Street (in both directions),
- in the area of the petrol station on Swojczycka Street (in both directions),
- on Magellana Street (two combined stops in both directions),
- and the remaining stops on terminuses.
The Sępolno terminus will be rebuilt so that buses will stop inside without blocking the Mickiewicza Street crossing, which is the case now.
Traffic will be significantly improved along Mickiewicza Street along the section from the terminus to the new bridges, as the existing cobblestones will be replaced with an asphalt road. The overhauls will also concern Swojczycka Street (to the terminus) and a section of Marco Polo Street.
