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Krakow
Glowny central railway station.
Krakow’s main train station is
blessed with a fairly central location: it practically abuts on
the Old Town historic district, being situated just 1,000 meters
northeast, on foot, from the city’s central square. Though, a
bit confusingly, apart from platforms the premises of the Krakow
Glowny railroad station lie underground with entrances somewhat
concealed.
The new train station in Krakow was
opened in February 2014, proudly declared to be Poland’s first
entirely subterranean railway station, and in 2021 it has got the official name of the Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Station after Poland's national hero of the early 20th century. Its 10,000 square meters
of floor space is divided into three parallel arcades, one of
them raised and called entresol. The main mall contains shops,
eating places, coffee shops, etc. South of it there is an arcade
lined with ticket windows on one side where also luggage
lockers, passenger services, and waiting rooms can be found. The
southernmost mezzanine offers more waiting rooms and ticket
windows plus a VIP lounge.
Krakow Glowny train station has five
double-track platforms. Each of them is easily accessible from
the underground station facilities via numerous staircases and
elevators.
Train station is dworzec kolejowy
in Polish.
Accessibility of the Krakow
railroad station.
There are basically four gateways
the Krakow Glowny station. Unfortunately none of them is
obvious. The main entrance leads through the Galeria Krakowska
shopping mall and the most convenient access route runs from
Pawia street through the northernmost gate to the shopping
center, then immediately downstairs and straight ahead past
McDonald’s restaurant.
Another approach route from the Old
Town leads past the old station building at Lubicz street and
down a passage behind the Galeria Krakowska mall.
The Krakow Glowny train station may
also entered from the RDA central bus depot (and vice versa) at
Bosacka street. From the same street a separate entrance leads
to the mezzanine of the railway station.
Plus the Krakow central train
station is accessible from above by an elevator at a car park on
the roof over platforms. And from beneath via a short passage
connecting it with an underground tram stops.
The physical, street address of the
Krakow Glowny train station is ul. Pawia 5b.
Passenger services at the Krakow
Glowny train station.
Capacity of the Krakow main train
station is 5,000 passengers per hour and up to 100,000 a day
(i.e. 24 hours). On an average day some 660 trains run its 12
tracks.
There are 28 ticket windows. Even if
not all of them are open on any ordinary day, the management
tries to anticipate peak hours and high seasons so long queuing
is rare. Plus there are automatic ticketing machines.
Left luggage facilities consist of
four banks of coin-operated lockers situated in four bays in the
row of ticket windows as well as the manned "luggage room" open
every day from 7 am to 10 pm and located next to last ticket
window. The latter charges 3 zlotys (PLN) for a small piece of
luggage, 4 PLN for a midsize one, and 6 PLN for a big bag or
suitcase - per every calendar day and 3 zlotys per day for a
coat or other item of clothing. As regards lockers, they cost 8
PLN and 12 PLN per day for a medium-sized and a large one
respectively.
Passengers may shop at twelve stores
including a pharmacy, bookstores, and a supermarket.
Toilets for the general public are
located downstairs, in the southwestern corner of the station,
together with showers and a diaper changing room. Lavatories for
the disabled persons is situated in the station’s southeastern
corner.
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