#09 Door to door

Year after year, the increase in car traffic on the way to and from the center of Katowice has motivated us to look for effective solutions to improve communication in the city. This is how the idea of building four interchanges, "Ligota", "Brynów", "Zawodzie" and "Sądowa" in the most congested parts of Katowice, was born. Construction of the interchange in Zawodzie, at the site of the former tramway terminal, began in late 2017. It was a problematic site to implement project assumptions as it was the area of shallow mining exploitation, which had a significant impact on soil and water conditions. It was necessary to carry out specialist surface and deep geophysical surveys and drilling works to identify and define post-mining anomalies. The results of geological investigations had an impact on the verification of the soil reinforcement technology, foundation and construction of the designed objects, as well as on the route of underground utilities.

The investment included the construction of a modern infrastructure: a passenger service building, a steel platform shelter, two Park & Ride car parks for 405 cars and a bike shelter with 36 parking spaces. There are also parking spaces for public transport buses, taxis and Kiss & Ride areas. It was also necessary to rebuild the road system near 1 Maja, Krakowska and Bagienna Streets and the railway track. Integrated bus and tram platforms were built to enable passengers to make comfortable door-to-door transfers. The interchange is equipped with a visual monitoring system, boards informing passengers about the departures of buses and trams, infoterminals, ticket machines, a parking system with a parking space system showing available parking spaces, as well as sound systems and wireless Wi-Fi Internet access. The facility has also been adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. The interchange at Zawodzie integrates bus, tram and individual transport, including cycling. It serves five tram lines and 12 bus lines which depart every three minutes. Modern infrastructure enables quick access to the center of Katowice, as well as to the eastern districts of the city: Dąbrówka Mała, Szopienice, Burowiec and Janów, as well as many metropolitan cities: Mysłowice, Sosnowiec, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Chełm Śląski, Imielin and Bieruń.

I live in Katowice Zawodzie and the interchange is just a stone's throw away. The changes that have taken place here are truly spectacular. The new center is spacious, bright and clean. It's lit up in the evening. A great asset is the passenger service building, where there is a waiting room with benches. You can wait here in comfortable conditions and hide from the rain or the wind and snow in winter. The platforms are also roofed. A great convenience for passengers are boards informing about the arrival and departure times of buses and trams. There are also restrooms. The whole place is modern and comfortable. I run my own business in the service industry and often use trams to get downtown. It's just more convenient that way because it's very difficult to find a parking space in the city center during the day. There are times when a lot of time can be wasted on searching. Choosing the tram, I reach the city center within ten minutes. I save time and don't think about fuel and parking meters. Initially, because of the pandemic, there was little traffic here, but I observe that there are more and more travelers every month. A large car park was built next to the interchange, so you can leave your car here and do not wait in traffic jams. I hope that more and more residents will use the interchange, which will relieve the city center of car traffic. Among other things, this will result in improved air quality and reduced noise emissions.

For me, the interchange which has been built in Zawodzie is a form of revitalization of this area of Katowice. Zawodzie, in fact, is perceived nowadays as an extension of the center, taking into account the direct distance from the town square and the time needed to get to the station. This is a great bonus for us, the residents, because thanks to this investment the attractiveness of our district has increased. Efficient communication is one of the most important issues that investors pay attention to. I believe that the interchange center will be an impulse for further investment projects in this part of the city.