Warsaw Central Rail Station

Warsaw Central Rail Station ( _pl. Warszawa Centralna) is the most important railway station in Warsaw, Poland. Its construction began in 1972 and was completed in 1975. The station, located on the Warsaw Cross-City Line, has 9 underground platforms and is served by long-distance domestic and international trains of "Polskie Koleje Państwowe" ("PKP", Polish State Railways).

The station was constructed as a flagship project of the Polish People's Republic during the economic boom fueled in the 1970s by Western loans. The station encountered substantial problems from the very beginning, however, and soon became a white elephant.

The station's design was innovative but was altered many times during construction, adversely affecting the quality of the construction work and the station's functionality. Also, for propaganda reasons, it was decided to complete the station hastily so that it would be ready for Leonid Brezhnev's 1975 visit to Warsaw. This haste further degraded the quality of the construction, necessitating immediate repairs, which continued through the 1980s.

Nevertheless the structure was advanced for its time and incorporated such things as automatic doors and escalators.

Since the mid-1980s, Warsaw Central Station has been in decline. The Warsaw city government is contemplating demolishing the station and replacing it with a new one, either at the same location or farther from the city center.

Warsaw Central Station is flanked to either side by other rail stations. To the west is "Warszawa Śródmieście WKD", the terminus of the "WKD" suburban light rail line. To the east is "Warszawa Śródmieście PKP", served by suburban trains run by "PKP" and other operators.

External links

* [http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/7666/newnm8.jpgCelebration of opening. 05.12.1975]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&t=k&ll=52.22892,21.003349&spn=0.001456,0.003626&t=k Satellite photo via Google Maps]
* [http://semaforek.nastawnia.org/plany/warszawa_centralna.gifTrack diagram]