Warsaw, a dynamically developing capital, has witnessed intensive construction work in the field of public transport for respective years. fresh tram lines grow up like mushrooms after the rain on Wola, Mokotów or Ochota, and on the horizon there is another gigantic task – “Tram to Goclaw”. However, in pursuit of modernity, do we not overlook a solution that could not only be much cheaper but besides more ecological and comfortable for residents? Experts are beating the alarm: before spending hundreds of millions of PLN on the next tracks, it is worth seriously considering the return of trolleybuses. This solution will revolutionize transport in many cities of Europe and Poland.
Hidden Cost of Tram Revolution in Warsaw
No 1 questions the convenience of the tram as a means of transport, but its construction involves huge costs and paralysis of the citywhich lasts for months or even years. all kilometer of a fresh tram line is simply a gigantic resource that consumes the city budget. We're talking about investments in a row. tens of millions of PLN per kilometer, but for the cost of maintenance of the tracks, of switches and of complex underground infrastructure. By comparison, the construction of the tram line on Wilanów has already taken over PLN 1.2 billion, and it is not planned to be completed until 2024, after years of difficulty in movement.
The inhabitants of Warsaw are well aware of this scenario: open streets, closed intersections, continuous noise, detours and endless traffic jams. It's not just discomfort, but real losses for local businesses and a fall in quality of life. What's more, even the most modern tram depots make sound – squeaking on turns, tapping on turns, rolling sound – which in dense urban buildings, specified as planned Gocław or already existing Peaches, is big problem. Do we truly gotta endure these inconveniences erstwhile there is an alternate that eliminates most of them?
Trolejbus: Quiet and economical alternate That Changes Game
In many Polish and European cities, the answer to this question is: definitely not. More and more metropolises are betting on modern trolleybuses – quiet, ecological and much cheaper to operate. The key difference is the cost of building a network. The construction of the trolleybus network is from 4 to 5 times cheaper than a kilometer of a fresh tram line. Why? due to the fact that you don't request tracks, a shower, drainage of the track, costly journeys or complex reconstruction of the full underground infrastructure. Just a traction over the roadway and a modern rolling stock.
Moreover, modern trolleybuses are not the same vehicles that we remember from PRL. present they are vehicles equipped with batteries that let you to drive without wires for respective kilometres. This gives unprecedented flexibility in way planning and allows you to operate sections where traction construction is unprofitable or impossible. Trolejbus moves on the asphalt almost silently – there are no impacts on the rails, there are no vibrations moving onto buildings. In districts like Gocław, where intensive construction is planned, Silence and deficiency of vibration These are arguments that cannot be overestimated for the comfort of the lives of the inhabitants.
Flexibility and Proven Solutions: Why Should Warsaw Look at Trolejbuses?
One of the biggest advantages of trolleybuses over trams is their Incomparable operational flexibility. The tram, due to the movement on the tracks, is entirely dependent on its route. If there's an accident on the road, an accident or a blockage, all traffic is on hold. The trolleybus, thanks to its electrical power supply and battery-driving capabilities, can bypass the obstacle, drive on a detour, or proceed the course even without access to the traction network. This. key featurewhich minimises the hazard of communication paralysis and increases the reliability of the system.
Poland and Europe supply many examples of how the modern trolleybus network can operate in the 21st century. In Poland Gdynia and Lublin are pioneers by investing in battery vehicles and developing networks that scope fresh districts without major investment in track infrastructure. Gdynia presently has more than 100 trolleybuses And he's constantly upgrading his fleet. In Europe Zurich links trams and trolleybuses in 1 strategy and in Riga Trolleybuses even service suburban lines. W Stockholm battery models are tested as an alternate to costly tram projects, and in Sarajevo modern articulated trolleybuses decision on the narrow streets of the center, where a tram would be impossible to enter.
Trolejbusy in Warsaw: past and Back to the Future?
Interestingly, trolleybuses are not fresh to Warsaw. Their past in the capital dates back to the early postwar years erstwhile the city was rebuilding from the ruins. The first trolleybus line “A” began on 5 January 1946, connecting the Lublin Union Square with Piaseczne, providing a temporary and inexpensive solution for damaged communication. In the 1950s the network was dynamically expanding, and in 1951 4 lines (A, B, C, D) were already moving in Warsaw, reaching Wilanów and Młocin, among others.
The biggest improvement took place in the mid-1960s, erstwhile trolleybuses became an integral part of urban transport, serving major arteries specified as Ujazdowskie Avenue or Puławska. Unfortunately, in the 1970s, trolleybuses were discontinued for more flexible (then) combustion buses, and The last trolleybus line, No. 51, was liquidated on June 30, 1973. Today, in the face of technological advancement and increasing environmental awareness, the arguments for returning trolleybuses are stronger than ever. Is Warsaw, a city that erstwhile utilized their advantages, ready to reopen to this ecological and efficient means of transport?
Continued here:
Millions of gold in the mud? Warsaw has a quieter and cheaper alternate to the tram!