Transport in Warsaw

Transport in Warsaw

Warsaw has improved a lot with new roads, bridges, and more. The city has many ways for people to travel, like buses, trams, an urban railway, and a Metro system.

Even with wider streets, Warsaw still has traffic problems. More people now have cars than before, and the city wasn't always ready for so much car traffic. There aren't enough parking spots in the center of the city, and road work often happens during the day.

One line of the Warsaw Metro is finished, and a second line with 13 stations is also done. A beltway on the north side of the city has been built, and work continues on a southern beltway. The city plans to help reduce traffic in the center by making parking areas where people can leave their cars and take public transport instead.

Roads and highways

Warsaw does not have a good circular road system, and most traffic goes right through the city center. Two new circular roads are being planned. One will be about 10 kilometers long and will go around the city through streets and two new bridges. The other will connect to a major highway and an express road, and it was finished and opened in 2021.

The city has about 2,600 kilometers of streets, which are managed by the City Roads Authority. Several important national roads go through Warsaw, connecting it to other cities in Poland and nearby countries.

Bridges

The first bridge in Warsaw was built a long time ago by King Sigismund II Augustus. It was later destroyed by ice. Since then, many important bridges have been built and rebuilt.

Today, Warsaw has nine road bridges and two railway bridges. These bridges help people and vehicles cross rivers and other obstacles in the city. Some well-known road bridges include the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Bridge, General Stefan "Grot" Rowecki Bridge, Gdańsk Bridge, and others.

Cycling

The Veturilo scheme began on 30 July 2012 to give people bike rentals in central Warsaw. By 2018, there were plans for 5,300 bikes at different stations for people to use.

By 2018, Warsaw had 585 km of paths for bikes. Some paths were only for bikes, and others were for both bikes and people walking.

Air transport

Warsaw has two big airports: Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport and Warsaw–Modlin Mazovia Airport.

Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, also called Okęcie airport, is only 10 kilometers from the city center and is the biggest airport in Poland. It handles many flights each day. A new terminal opened in 2008. A train connects the airport to the city.

Warsaw–Modlin Mazovia Airport is 35 kilometers north of Warsaw and mainly serves budget flights. It opened in 2012.

There are also plans for a new airport in Baranów, expected to be ready by 2027.

Main article: Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport

Main article: Warsaw–Modlin Mazovia Airport

Municipal transport

Main article: Public Transport Authority (Warsaw)

Public transport in Warsaw includes buses, trams, Metro, light rail Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa line, urban railway Szybka Kolej Miejska and regional rail Koleje Mazowieckie. The buses, trams, urban railway and Metro are managed by the Public Transport Authority. Koleje Mazowieckie and WKD are owned by Masovian Voivodeship. There are also some suburban bus lines run by private operators.

ZTM tickets are valid on city and suburban bus lines, as well as trams, Metro, and SKM. Some ZTM tickets are also valid on the WKD and Mazovian Railroads, but only within the city or suburban zone. Tickets are best bought online, in ticket machines and at newsagents.

There are three tourist routes: "T", a vintage tram running in July and August; bus "100" which runs on weekends; and the "180" bus, a regular scheduled service that follows the "Royal Route" from the War Cemetery in the North, near the Old Town and down city's most prestigious thoroughfares – Krakowskie Przedmieście, Nowy Świat and Aleje Ujazdowskie – and terminating at Wilanów Palace.

Buses

Main article: Bus transport in Warsaw

Bus service covers the entire city, with many routes totalling a long distance. Day lines run in Warsaw and in suburbs between early morning and midnight, while night lines run late at night.

Trams

Main article: Warsaw Tramway

The Tramwaje Warszawskie (Warsaw Trams) company runs many cars on tracks. There are four tram depots in Warsaw. The trams run from early morning until late evening.

Rapid transit

Main article: Warsaw Metro

Warsaw is the only Polish city to have a public rapid transit system in the form of an underground metro. The metro has two lines (M1 and M2) and a third line (M3) is planned.

The metro has many stations along a distance of about 23 kilometers. A second line of the Warsaw Metro is being built – it will run east-west and will be about 31 kilometers long.

Until 2000, Metro entrances were not gated and the paid zone was marked by a line painted on the floor. Since October 2000, turnstiles have been installed at the entrances to every station; entry is possible when riders insert a ZTM ticket or scan a Warsaw City Card.

Light rail

SKM

Main article: Warsaw Suburban Rail

SKM stands for Szybka Kolej Miejska, which means Fast Urban Railway. This railway started with a line between Pruszków and Warsaw-Otwock that opened in 1936. After World War II, the railway wasn’t fully connected to Warsaw’s transport system. In 2005, the first train ran between Warsaw West and Warsaw Falenica, but the route changed later.

Today, Warsaw has 4 main SKM routes:

• S1 – Pruszków-Warsaw-Otwock
• S2 – Warsaw Chopin Airport-Warsaw-Sulejówek Miłosna
• S3 – Warsaw Chopin Airport-Radzymin
• S9 – Warsaw West (Platform 9)-Legionowo-Wieliszew (near Zegrze Lake)
• S4 – Zegrze Południowe-Piaseczno with a shorter version S40 (Warsaw Main Station - Piaseczno).

Only electric multiple units run on the SKM. These trains come in different types, produced in Nowy Sącz and Bydgoszcz.

WKD

Main article: Warsaw Commuter Railway

The Warsaw Commuter Railway, known in Polish as Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa (WKD), is a suburban light rail line in Poland’s capital city, Warsaw. It connects Warsaw with the nearby areas of Michałowice, Pruszków, Brwinów, Podkowa Leśna, Milanówek, and Grodzisk Mazowiecki to the south-west.

Trains on the main line run every 15 minutes during busy times and every 30 minutes at other times, with no service between midnight and 05:00. Most trains go to Grodzisk Mazowiecki Radońska, and a journey from Warsaw Śródmieście WKD station to Grodzisk Mazowiecki Radońska takes just under one hour.

Inter-city rail

Main article: Warsaw Railway Junction

Main article: Warszawa Centralna railway station

Warsaw is a big railway hub in Poland. The main station is Warszawa Centralna. From there, you can catch trains to many cities in Poland and to places like Germany and the Czech Republic.

There are five other big stations in Warsaw:

• Warszawa Wschodnia – for fast trains
• Warszawa Zachodnia – for fast trains
• Warszawa Wileńska – for local trains
• Warszawa Gdańska – for local trains
• Warszawa Śródmieście – close to Warszawa Centralna, for local trains

Different train companies bring people to and from Warsaw. These include PKP Intercity and Przewozy Regionalne. The local train company, Koleje Mazowieckie, runs trains around the Warsaw area in modern trains.

History

Warsaw has had many important railway projects over the years, like the Warsaw-Vienna Railway and the Warsaw Commuter Rail. You can learn more about Warsaw's railway history at the Museum Station, which is in the old Warszawa Główna station.

Inter-city bus

Main article: Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej

Warsaw has many bus connections to nearby towns and big cities in Poland and other countries. These buses are operated by PKS and some private companies. The Warsaw branch of PKS has two main bus terminals: one at the Central Bus Terminal near Warszawa Zachodnia railway station and another at the Stadion Terminal close to the National Stadium in Praga. There are also two smaller terminals for local area buses, one near Gdańska Station serving the area around Kampinos Forest, Legionowo, and Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, and another near the Wilanowska Metro station serving Piaseczno and Grójec. Private buses and local commuter buses go to other nearby towns and villages.