PKP Skawina. 2021.

Skawina 2021-09-25

Railway station in Skawina.

PKP Skawina. 2021 year. Photo by Karol Placha Hetman

The railway station in Skawina is located 16 km from the center of Krakow in the south-west direction. Geographic coordinates: 49 ° 58′38 ″ N 19 ° 49′20 ″ E. Skawina is a town in the Lesser Poland Province, in the Krakow County. It is the seat of an urban-rural commune. The city is situated on the Skawinka river.

The railway station in Skawina was launched in 1884, simultaneously with the opening of the Kraków Płaszów (then Podgórze) - Sucha Beskidzka (then Sucha) railway route. The trail was part of the Galician Transversal Railway, which was to meet the military needs of Austro-Hungary. Only then should we develop the economy. At that time, Małopolska was under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nevertheless, the railway revived the region's economy. Successively established, among others: a brewery (1895), a kerosene refinery (1900), the First Galician Factory of Stone and Szamot Products (1909) and the Henryk Franck and Sons Coffee Products Factory (1910).

Skawina Railway Station.

The station building is one of the typical railway stations built at that time in the Austro-Hungarian partition. It is medium-sized, two-story, with an undeveloped attic. The building is to resemble a small palace. From the side of the street it has an avant-corps in the middle. From the side of the tracks, it has a platform covering along its entire length. On November 14, 1995, the station was added to the list of historical monuments.

At the station, the waiting room and ticket offices were closed in May 2012. At the same time, the railway apartments on the first floor, offices of the PKP Cargo company and the Railroad Guard post located in the former station manager's office were also liquidated at the station. The PKP company decided to get rid of unnecessary real estate, as is the case with other railway stations in Poland. In 2018, the station was handed over to the city of Skawina. The building has been renovated. He gained a usable attic, which means it is currently three-story. From September 29, 2020, passengers can use the renovated historic railway station in Skawina. In addition to the railway function, the building also gained a cultural function, because it housed the new seat of the Municipal Public Library. The new seat of the library is fully adapted to the needs of disabled people. There are ramps, an elevator, a library drop box and other improvements. There is a shop in the building.

Development of the railway station.

The station developed in line with the development of the local industry. More railway structures were built. A water tower was built and later a second one. Workshops with a forge were established. There was a small depot at the station in Skawina. There were 6 main tracks at the station.

The large development of the Skawina station took place after the Second World War. The reason was the establishment of several industrial plants nearby: a power plant (currently a heat and power plant), confectionery plants, an aluminum smelter and others. All major plants had their own railway sidings. The aluminum smelter and power plant had their own shunting locomotives.

During this period, a footbridge for travelers was built over the platforms, which was also used by residents and employees of nearby factories. The footbridge connected the town of Skawina with its northern, industrial part. At that time, the railway station PKP Skawina Zachód was also launched, which was used by employees of the power plant and aluminum smelter.

There were two water towers in Skawina. Both come atypical. The first, older one was a building built on a rectangular plan. The first storey was made of brick, and the second storey was covered only with boards. There was a water tank. The second, younger tower was also rectangular in shape. It had two brick storeys and the whole thing was covered with an envelope roof.

Until 2006, there were only curb-high platforms at the station, i.e. very low. In 2006, both platforms were rebuilt into high and much more modern ones. On Platform 2, shelters with benches were installed to protect passengers from rain and snow. These activities were related to the initiative to renovate the Railway Trail of John Paul II from Kraków to Wadowice. As part of this project, the nearest track at the station, which has not been used for a long time, has been removed. A few disused railway buildings were also dismantled, such as: Railroad Section, Road Section warehouses, social maneuvering building, building of an energy plot and track master, building of the former ACZ and DZ forge, warehouse buildings directly next to the station and a wagon weight booth located at the side track.

In December 2017, the Skawina railway station became the terminal station of the second line of the Fast Agglomeration Railway on the Sędziszów - Miechów - Kraków Główny - Skawina route. The train from Skawina to the Kraków Główny station takes 20 minutes.

In 2020, the Skawina Communication Center was built next to the station, where there is a bus terminus, a shelter for 60 bikes and a park & ride parking lot for 500 vehicles.

In 2021, a tunnel for travelers and residents was built instead of a footbridge over the tracks. The footbridge was closed on May 20, 2019 and pulled down. The difference between the closure of the footbridge and the opening of the tunnel was a very burdensome period for the inhabitants of Skawina, especially those who wanted to go to the hospital, health center or workplaces.

PKP Skawina now.

Skawina is a junction station where a single-track, electrified line branches off the double-track, electrified line from Kraków Płaszów to Oświęcim, running through Kalwaria towards Sucha Beskidzka. There are two platforms at the station and there are 6 main tracks.

Platform 1 is single-edged. It is located on the side of the station. There is track 4 at this platform.

Platform 2 is a two-edge island platform. There are tracks 1 and 2 at this platform. Access to the platform is provided by a tunnel with stairs and a lift for wheelchairs and bicycles.

Train traffic at the station is carried out by two control boxes: "Sk" and "Sk1", which have recently been modernized. Two railway lines run through the station:

Railway line No. 94 Kraków Płaszów - Oświęcim is a national railway line, 64,502 km long, double-track, electrified. The Kraków - Spytkowice section was electrified in 1970. The section Spytkowice - Oświęcim was electrified in 1971.

The railway line No. 97 Skawina - Żywiec is a single-track, electrified railway line with a length of 82.708 km, opened in 1884. The Skawina - Sucha Beskidzka section was electrified in 1974. The Sucha Beskidzka - Żywiec section was electrified in 1989.

Mainly PolRegio passenger trains on connections to / from Krakow run through the Skawina station; Zakopane, Bielsko Biała, Sucha Beskidzka. The Agglomeration trains, the so-called SKA2 line (Fast Agglomeration Railway), are finishing their course in Skawina; Skawina - Kraków - Miechów - Sędziszów. In summer, InterCity long-distance trains run through Skawina to / from Zakopane. Overall, in summer there are 75 pairs of passenger trains per day (summer 2021 schedule). In winter, there are 47 pairs of passenger trains a day (winter 2021 schedule). Freight train traffic is moderate.