Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa

Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa ("Warsaw Suburban Railway", WKD) is a suburban light rail line in Poland's capital city of Warsaw. The line, together with its two branches, links Warsaw with the municipalities of Michałowice, Pruszków, Brwinów, Podkowa Leśna, Milanówek and Grodzisk Mazowiecki to the south-west of Warsaw.

History

The line was opened on 11 January 1927 as Elektryczna Kolej Dojazdowa (Electrical Suburban Railway), and received its current name in 1951. It was the first electric railway in Poland and the first one with automatic colour light signalling, supplied by the Swedish firm Signalbolaget.The Milanówek branch opened in 1936.

A single-track branch line between Warszawa Szczęśliwice and Warszawa Włochy EKD operated from 1932 till 1971.

A part of Polskie Koleje Państwowe ("Polish State Railways", PKP) from 1947, the line was acquired in late 2004 by a consortium made up of the city of Warsaw, the Masovian regional government and the six municipalities served by the line. [cite web | url = http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2005/02/feature/pl0502103f.html | title = Railway dispute continues | publisher = European Industrial Relations Observatory | accessmonthday = September 18 | accessyear = 2006]

Route

Starting from the Warszawa Śródmieście WKD terminus adjacent to the mainline Warszawa Centralna station, the line initially runs to the west alongside Warsaw's main east-west railway line before turning to the south-west on its own right of way. The length of the Warszawa Śródmieście WKD to Grodzisk Mazowiecki Radońska line is 33 km, and of the Milanówek branch 3 km.The stations are: [cite web | publisher = Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa | url = http://www.wkd.com.pl/index.php/pl/article_constant/114 | title = WKD - Route Map | accessmonthday = September 18 | accessyear = 2006]

*Warszawa Śródmieście WKD
*Warszawa Ochota WKD
*Warszawa Zachodnia
*Warszawa Reduta Ordona
*Warszawa Aleje Jerozolimskie
*Warszawa Raków
*Warszawa Salomea
*Opacz
*Michałowice
*Reguły
*Malichy
*Tworki
*Pruszków WKD
*Komorów
*Nowa Wieś Warszawska
*Kanie Helenowskie
*Otrębusy
*Podkowa Leśna Wschodnia
*Podkowa Leśnia Główna
*Podkowa Leśna Zachodnia

Here the line splits into two branches. The stations on the Milanówek branch ("line 48") are:

*Polesie
*Milanówek Grudów

The stations on the Grodzisk Mazowiecki branch ("line 47") are:

*Kazimierówka
*Brzózki
*Grodzisk Mazowiecki Okrężna
*Grodzisk Mazowiecki Piaskowa
*Grodzisk Mazowiecki Jordanowice
*Grodzisk Mazowiecki Radońska

There is a single-track non-electrified link between the Komorów station and the PKP rail network (Pruszków station), carrying no scheduled traffic.

Operation

The WKD is standard gauge and electrified at 600 Volts DC on the overhead system. Train service is provided by two classes of train sets:
* Type EN94 six-axle articulated electric units, built from 1969 and normally operated in pairs. The line owns 40 of these units.
* Type EN95 ten-axle low-floor articulated electric units, built from 2004 and normally operated singly. The lines owns, or has on order, 13 of these units.

The line also possesses a vintage type EN80 four-axle electric unit, built by English Electric at Preston in 1927, and a small diesel shunter, obtained second hand from PKP. [cite web | url = http://www.railfaneurope.net/list/poland.html | title = Rail Operators in Poland | publisher = railfaneurope.net | accessmonthday = September 19 | accessyear = 2006] [cite web | url = http://www.railfaneurope.net/list/poland/poland_wkd.html | title = WKD shunters and trainsets | publisher = railfaneurope.net | accessmonthday = September 19 | accessyear = 2006]

On the main line, trains operate every 15 minutes at peak periods and every 30 minutes at other times, with a service gap between midnight and 05:00. For most of the day, one train an hour runs through to Milanówek Grudów, with most of the other trains running through to Grodzisk Mazowiecki Radońska. All trains stop at all stations on their route, and a journey from Warszawa Śródmieście to Grodzisk Mazowiecki Radońska takes just under one hour. [cite web | url = http://www.wkd.com.pl/schedule_tables/schedule_from_warsaw.htm | title = Rozkład jazdy kolejki WKD Warszawa - Grodzisk Mazowiecki | publisher = Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa | accessmonthday = September 19 | accessyear = 2006]

The company's headquarters and the main technical depot are in Grodzisk Mazowiecki.

References

External links

* [http://www.wkd.com.pl/ WKD web site] pl icon