The Rapid Regional Railway (; SKR) is a commuter rail system operating since 14 December 2008 in the Katowice urban area, connecting Tychy with Sosnowiec via Katowice, operated by Silesian Railways.
Route The Rapid Regional Railway route spans 30.458 km. It utilizes , , and Warszawa Zachodnia–Katowice railway.
The route includes 13 stops, operates on an hourly clock-face schedule, and offers additional peak-hour services on the shorter Tychy Lodowisko to Katowice route.
KmNameCityDistrictPark & RideConnections 0.000 Sosnowiec Główny Sosnowiec No Tram, bus 3.366 Katowice Szopienice-Burowiec No Bus 6.109 Zawodzie No 8.834 Katowice Śródmieście No Tram, bus 12.239 Załęska Hałda-Brynów No 14.549 Ligota-Panewniki Yes Bus 16.222 Piotrowice-Ochojec No Bus 19.952 Podlesie No Bus 25.439 Tychy Tychy Yes Trolleybus, bus 27.787 No Trolleybus, bus 28.292 Tychy Aleja Bielska No Bus 28.721 Tychy Grota-Roweckiego No Trolleybus, bus 29.989 Tychy Lodowisko Yes Trolleybus, bus
Tickets In addition to the standard Silesian Railways fare, Rapid Regional Railway operates under the Orange Tariff. Orange Tariff tickets are valid on trains between Tychy Lodowisko and , as well as on Metropolitan Transport Authority buses and trolleybuses, but only within the administrative boundaries of Tychy.
History Origins In the 1990s, the rise of individual and bus transport led to a significant decline in passenger numbers on the Tychy to route. The route to Katowice via was circuitous, further reducing its appeal. Consequently, passenger services on the Tychy to Tychy Miasto line were suspended on 19 February 2001.
In 2005, the first plans of the Marshal's Office of the Silesian Voivodeship and the Tychy City Office appeared regarding the creation of a rapid urban rail system connecting Tychy, Katowice, and Sosnowiec. On 27 July 2006, the Silesian Voivodeship signed an agreement with Stadler Rail for the delivery of four 4-car FLIRTs to serve Rapid Regional Railway.
Operations On 14 December 2008, Rapid Regional Railway commenced operations between Tychy Miasto and Katowice, serviced by newly acquired FLIRT trains.
From 13 December 2009, FLIRT trains also partially served the route from Częstochowa to Katowice route.
On 18 August 2010, a FLIRT EN75-003 train derailed near Niezapominajek Street in Katowice, tilting onto an embankment, injuring five people and sustaining significant damage. The damaged train was sent to Switzerland for repairs. On 12 December 2010, Rapid Regional Railway route was extended to Sosnowiec.
In early 2011, the voivodeship authorities decided to reassign all FLIRT trains to the Gliwice to Częstochowa route. On 15 February 2011, signed a contract with the Transport Construction Enterprise in Kraków to construct the Tychy Aleja Bielska, Tychy Grota-Roweckiego, and Tychy Lodowisko railway stations and modernize . In August 2011, a strike by Przewozy Regionalne employees led the voivodeship to temporarily abandon plans to transfer Rapid Regional Railway operations to Silesian Railways. On 1 October 2011, FLIRT trains previously used by the Silesian branch of Przewozy Regionalne, including those on Rapid Regional Railway, were transferred to the newly launched Silesian Railways.
On 22 March 2012, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe signed a contract with a consortium of Unitor B and KZA Katowice to revitalize between Tychy and , excluding stops, which were covered by a separate contract signed the previous year. On 1 September 2012, three new stops – Tychy Aleja Bielska, Tychy Grota-Roweckiego, and Tychy Lodowisko – were opened, and the route was extended to Tychy Lodowisko. That same day, some bus services to Katowice operated by the were discontinued. From 12 to 14 October 2012, a strike by Silesian branch of Przewozy Regionalne train drivers led to the cancellation of most services, which were replaced by Silesian Railways trains, marking their debut on Rapid Regional Railway route. For several days afterward, the line was operated by Silesian Railways drivers using Przewozy Regionalne rolling stock. On 9 December 2012, Silesian Railways fully took over Rapid Regional Railway operations, and the Tychy Miasto railway station was reinstated. On 18 December 2012, Tychy authorities signed a contract with Aldesa Construcciones to build two Park & Ride parking facilities, each for 352 cars, at the Tychy Lodowisko and Tychy railway stations.
On 1 June 2013, Silesian Railways implemented a recovery plan, reducing train services by half. In September 2013, construction began on a bus and trolleybus transfer hub at the Tychy railway station. On 15 December 2013, operations at Tychy Miasto railway station were discontinued again.
In January 2015, a Park & Ride parking facility opened at the Tychy railway station. In July 2015, another Park & Ride facility opened at Tychy Lodowisko.
Awards and recognition
On 25 June 2012, the Transport Construction Enterprise in Kraków received the Third Degree Award in the 2012 Construction of the Year competition for constructing four Tychy Rapid Regional Railway stations.
References