The construction of a new tram depot had been discussed in Poznań for over 20 years. Various locations were proposed, but plans were repeatedly postponed. In light of the city’s decision to sell the old depot on Gajowa Street, bold decisions were made – a new, key facility for the city’s transport operations will be built in Poznań’s Franowo district.
On April 15, 2009, MPK Poznań signed a contract for the preparation of design documentation and obtaining a building permit with a consortium of contractors: the architectural design office “ABPROJEKT” Sp. z o.o. based in Tychy and Progreg from Kraków. The project included not only the construction of storage and maintenance halls, but also site development, the entire track and road layout, the overhead contact line, the power supply system for tram and energy infrastructure, as well as administrative, workshop, and storage facilities – a total of 30 areas contributing to the efficient operation of the tram depot. Such a broad scope of design work required time for thorough development. After 2 years, the project was ready, and a tender for the construction of the depot was announced. On April 14, 2011, bids were opened. 7 contractors submitted offers – mainly Polish companies, including consortia with Spanish, German, and Slovak participation. The cost estimate prepared by MPK Poznań Sp. z o.o. anticipated that the construction would cost 265 million PLN net. Meanwhile, every submitted offer was lower than expected. The cheapest was 208 million PLN, and the most expensive was 239 million PLN. The tender was won by the contractor that proposed the lowest price – a consortium consisting of ZUE S.A. from Kraków (Leader) and Elektrobudowa S.A.
– This new investment for Poznań’s transport is a great challenge and a gigantic undertaking – emphasizes Wojciech Tulibacki, President of the Management Board of MPK Poznań Sp. z o.o. – Tram depots have not been built in Poland for years. The last one built in Poznań, on Forteczna Street, dates back to the 1970s. Its construction began in 1974 and lasted 6 years. This time, even though the project is much larger, the facility will be built faster. We plan for the new depot to be ready in two years. It will be built with the participation of EU funds. The Ministry of Regional Development included the project “Construction of the Franowo depot in Poznań” on the list of the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Program. This means we have a reserved amount of 50.6 million PLN in EU funding.
This will undoubtedly be the most modern depot in Poland. The benefits of its creation are hard to overestimate, as the new investment will compensate for the operations of three areas crucial to the city’s transport. The facility will take over the operations of the old depot on Gajowa Street, which was sold by the city to a Portuguese investor in 2008. MPK Poznań had to vacate this historic facility by the end of 2010. The depot on Madalińskiego Street, which only handles old types of trams, will be moved to Franowo. The inconveniences associated with its proximity have been a subject of justified complaints from Wilda residents for years. In addition to benefits for transport, we also have social and ecological gains. Thanks to the new investment, the storage tracks on Budziszyńska Street, where trams from the Madalińskiego and Głogowska depots have been parked in the open for years, will no longer be needed. Contrary to appearances, this solution is very expensive because it requires providing security and organizing technical transfers after daily inspections, which take place at the depot on Głogowska Street.
– We are already well known in Poznań – says Wiesław Nowak, President of the Management Board of ZUE S.A., a Kraków-based company that has been building urban infrastructure for over 20 years. – Together with another partner, we are building a tram line on the section from Osiedle Lecha to Franowo in Poznań. Undoubtedly, the construction of the depot is a major engineering challenge, but thanks to the experience gained from investments across Poland, I can assure you that we will meet it.
The new depot in Franowo will be an impressive facility. Its concept and design match the most modern solutions currently used in Europe. The area of the facility, which reaches 17 hectares, will exceed the surface area of all tram depots existing in Poznań to date. For comparison, the depot on Głogowska Street, which handles the largest number of trams, occupies 2.9 hectares. Franowo will eventually have space for 150 tram trains, while Głogowska can barely fit 63 train sets. There are 439 switches in all of Poznań. In the Franowo depot alone, there will be over 330. The length of tracks in the city is 135 kilometers. Almost 10 percent of this figure will be the tracks built in the new depot in Franowo.