The European Union has invested more than EUR 432 million – out of a total cost of nearly EUR 749 million – in the extension of Warsaw’s metro line 2. As well as giving Poland’s capital six new metro stations, the project includes the installation of technical facilities at the existing Kabaty station, the purchase of 13 new trains and preparatory work for an additional extension to the line.
Warsaw’s metro line 2 extended to increase public transport use and reduce pollution
- 28 August 2017
The extension to metro line 2 is 6 kilometres in length. The six stations built under the project are Trocka, Targówek and Szwedzka on the north-eastern section of the line, and Księcia Janusza, Młynów and Płocka on its western section.
A total of 5 573 temporary jobs have been created during the construction phase, while 154 permanent posts are to be opened up once the track is operational. The work is located in Warsaw’s Wola, Praga Północ, Targówek and Ursynów districts.
Better links and a shift towards public transport
With a population of about 1.75 million, Warsaw is one of the most congested cities in Europe. Its metro currently consists of two lines: line 1 linking central Warsaw with its densely populated northern and southern suburbs, and the initial central segment of the east-west line 2. The latter received EU financial support to the tune of EUR 3.11 billion under a previous project and opened in March 2015. At present, it includes seven stations – from Rondo Daszyńskiego to Dworzec Wileński – and is 6.7 kilometres in length.
Further development of line 2 will improve connections between the eastern and western sides of the city and better integrate Warsaw’s various urban transport systems. As a result, residents will have easier access to fast, modern and clean transport and the project will achieve its primary objective of increasing the share of public transport use for journeys within the city. The number of journeys on the metro is expected to reach approximately 218 million in 2020.
A cleaner environment and improvements to quality of life
Such a shift from cars to the metro will bring environmental benefits by reducing traffic congestion and associated air and noise pollution in line with the European Energy Union objectives on low-emission mobility. Sustainable urban transport of this kind is also a key element within the EU’s low-carbon economy strategy and should bring tangible improvements to the quality of life of local people.
The Warsaw Metro first opened in 1995 with an 11-kilometre, 11-station section of line 1 from Kabaty to Politechnika. A series of small northward extensions were made to line 1 between 1998 and 2008, and it now runs from Kabaty to Młociny. It has 21 stations and is 22.7 kilometres in length.
When it is complete, line 2 is expected to be 32 kilometres long and to have 27 stations. Plans are also under development for the construction of a third metro line. It is initially intended to have eight stations.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Construction of the Warsaw metro line II with associated infrastructure and rolling stock, stage II” is EUR 748 882 495, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 432 250 581 through the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.