ThePomeranian Metropolitan Railway (Polish:Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna; PKM) is a company that ownscommuter rail line in theTricity area, in northern Poland. Founded in 2010, it began hosting scheduled rail service on the reconstructedGdańsk Wrzeszcz–Gdańsk Osowa railway on 1 September 2015.
TheGdańsk Wrzeszcz–Gdańsk Osowa railway, initially constructed from 1911 to 1914, at first connected the area ofKokoszki andWrzeszcz. In 1945, during theSiege of Danzig, the line was intentionally destroyed by retreating German soldiers.[1] For much of its history thereafter, the area around the destroyed railway remained unserved by rail, and many of the line's remaining sections were taken apart.[2] In 1974,Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport opened, initially being served by city buses.[3]
Initialfeasibility studies for rebuilding the destroyed railway, in a form wherein it linked the city's airport to the city proper, were carried out between 2005 and 2009, with the company known as the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway being founded on 1 June 2010.[4] The railway was initially planned to be rebuilt byUEFA Euro 2012.[3]
Work on constructing the railway began on 3 January 2013 inMatarnia and Kokoszki, initially largely focused on clearing the way for the railway by demolishing buildings obstructing its likely route.[5] These demolitions were complete by 28 February.[6] On 7 March, the contractors responsible for constructing the railway were revealed, a consortium of the companiesBudimex [pl] andFerrovial, who promised the lowest price for the investment, equal to 716 millionzł.[7]
On 7 May, a formal contract was signed between the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway and the consortium, encompassing the construction of a double-track railway fromGdańsk Wrzeszcz toGdańsk Osowa, a single-track railway connecting the double-track line to theNowa Wieś Wielka–Gdynia Port railway, 8 passenger stations, a technical and repair station, a traffic control centre, as well as 16 rail viaducts, 8 road viaducts, 5overpasses, as well as severallevel crossings for people and animals and anERTMS system.[8]
The line's construction was formally initiated on 1 July 2013.[9] Demolition works concluded on 18 August,[10] and the first tracks were being laid by 11 December.[11] The names of the stations located along the railway were finalized on 29 April 2014.[12] On 22 July, the railway'srolling stock was formally announced, being bought fromPesa, following a failed deal withNewag.[13] On 12 September, the tracks of the railway were first used, with adraisine moving along them near theGdańsk Niedźwiednik station.[14]Load testing of the railway's viaducts began on 17 October 2014.[15]
From 20 to 24 April 2015, the line's first higher-speed tests were conducted, usingAlstom Traxx locomotives loaned byLotos Kolej.[16] On 3 July 2015, the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway company moved to new headquarters in Matarnia, byGdańsk Matarnia station,[17] and was formally reviewed as safe for passenger service on 13 August.[18] The line was ceremonially opened on 31 August, with trains moving between theGdańsk Strzyża andGdańsk Port Lotniczy railway stations,[19] and passenger service began on 1 September.[20]
The PKM was extended toKartuzy on 1 October 2015.[21] On 29 December 2015, the Railway's owners began a public auction to determine who would execute the construction of two new stations in Gdynia;[22] the contract for this project was awarded to Ferrovial and Budimex, who had also been responsible for the construction of the rest of the main line, on 22 September 2016,[23] and the two stations, namelyGdynia Karwiny [pl] andGdynia Stadion [pl], were opened on 8 December 2017.[24] On 30 May 2018, the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway received 62 millionzł inEuropean Union funding toelectrify its main line and construct a new station,Gdańsk Firoga [pl].[25] The station opened on 11 December 2022.[26]
In May 2018, aletter of intent was signed inKartuzy regarding the reconstruction of a railway link toGdańsk viaStara Piła as part of theNowa Wieś Wielka–Gdynia Port railway.[27] This project, colloquially named theKartuzy bypass (Polish:bajpas kartuski), saw preparation work initiate in February 2019.[28] On 6 May 2019, an initial auction was held for the construction contract of theKartuzy bypass,[29] with auction actions concluding on 10 December 2020. The companies PHU Rajbud and Torhamer were awarded the contracts for a broader reconstruction of the line,[30] and the PKM's construction contract was signed with Torhamer on 22 December 2020.[31] On 6 January 2022, the Pomeranianvoivode officially approved theKartuzy bypass revitalization process.[32] The first train moved onto the tracks of theKartuzy bypass on 17 November 2023,[33] and on 11 March 2024, regular passenger service began on the bypass.[34]
Following a second auction, a contract was signed with the companyTorpol [pl] on 30 April 2021 concerning the electrification of the PKM's lines,[35] and electrification work began on 15 June 2021.[36] On the night of 20–21 April 2022,overhead lines were installed by workers above the PKM network,[37] with the first test runs ofelectric multiple unit (EMU) trains on the line occurring overnight between 8 and 9 November 2022.[38] On 23 May 2023, electrification work concluded,[39] and the first EMUs were released for scheduled passenger service on the line on 12 June.[40]
Initial plans for the construction of a new branch of the PKM's network –PKM Południe – were formalized in a 2020feasibility study regarding such a project.[41] In June 2021, a formal construction contract and future auction was announced,[42] and an auction for the contract being awarded did occur in 2024; the companies awarded the contract on 28 June that year were Infra – Centrum Doradztwa, Mosty Gdańsk, and Biuro Projektów Komunikacyjnych w Poznaniu.[43] The final decision to go forward with the project made on 11 March 2025, with an expected cost of 2.3 billionzł and a length of 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi).[44]
The Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway company itself owns 9 stations betweenGdańsk Wrzeszcz andGdańsk Osowa stations, along with the railway line connecting them. The railway is connected to neighbouring lines, leading toGdańsk Główny,Kartuzy,Kościerzyna, andGdynia Główna; these lines are owned by thePolish State Railways.[45]Polregio is the sole operator of passenger trains on the line.[46] Four rail lines operate on the PKM line: Kościerzyna – Gdańsk Osowa – Gdynia Główna, Kościerzyna – Gdańsk Wrzeszcz – Gdynia Główna, Gdańsk Główny – Kartuzy, and Gdańsk Wrzeszcz –Gdańsk Port Lotniczy – Gdynia Główna.[47]
Up to 2023, the PKM was served bydiesel multiple unit trains provided byPesa such as thePesa Atribo.[48] After an extensive electrification effort in 2022 and 2023, in the latter year, electric multiple unitEN57 trains operated by Polregio began passenger service on the line.[49][50][51]
^Naskręt, Maciej (30 March 2013)."Szlakiem wiaduktów Kolei Kokoszkowskiej" [On the trail of the viaducts of the Kokoszki railway].trojmiasto.pl (in Polish). Retrieved5 October 2025.
^abStankiewicz, Ryszard (2015). "Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna" [Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway].Świat Kolei (in Polish).10. Łódź: Emi-press:26–33.ISSN1234-5962.
^"Ulotka informacyjna" [Informational leaflet].pkm-sa.pl (in Polish). Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway. Archived fromthe original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved5 October 2025.
^"Budowa PKM: stare wiadukty wyburzone" [Construction of the PKM: old viaducts demolished].trojmiasto.pl (in Polish). 18 August 2013. Retrieved5 October 2025.
^Dybalski, Jakub (21 April 2014)."Testy na PKM z dużą prędkością" [High-speed tests on the PKM].transport-publiczny.pl (in Polish). Retrieved5 October 2025.
^"PKM SA w nowej siedzibie" [PKM SA in new headquarters].pkm-sa.pl (in Polish). 3 July 2015. Retrieved5 October 2025.
^Kosycarz, Maciej (1 October 2015)."KFP / SZYNOBUSEM PKM Z KARTUZ DO GDAŃSKA" [KFP / By a PKM railway car from Kartuzy to Gdańsk].kfp.pl (in Polish). Kosycarz Foto Press. Retrieved11 October 2025.
^Szymajda, Michał (11 March 2024)."Pociągi pojechały po Bajpasie Kartuskim" [Trains have moved along the Kartuzy Bypass].rynek-kolejowy.pl (in Polish). Retrieved11 October 2025.
^"Umowa z wykonawcą elektryfikacji linii PKM podpisana" [A contract has been signed with the executor of the electrification of the PKM line].pkm-sa.pl (in Polish). Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway. 30 April 2021. Retrieved11 October 2025.
^Brancewicz, Michał (21 April 2022)."W nocy "kładli prąd" na trasie PKM" [They "laid the electricity" on the PKM's route overnight].trojmiasto.pl (in Polish). Retrieved11 October 2025.
^"Projektant PKM Południe wybrany" [The designer of PKM Południe has been chosen].pkm-sa.pl (in Polish). Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway. 28 June 2024. Retrieved11 October 2025.
^"Dla pasażera" [For passengers].pkm-sa.pl (in Polish). Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway. Retrieved11 October 2025.
^"Rozkłady jazdy" [Schedules].pkm-sa.pl (in Polish). Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway. Retrieved11 October 2025.
^"Schematy połączeń kolejowych" [Schemes of railway connections].pkm-sa.pl (in Polish). Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway. Retrieved11 October 2025.
^Naskręt, Maciej (12 June 2015)."Pierwszy szynobus dla PKM już w Trójmieście" [The first railway car for the PKM is already in the Tricity].trojmiasto.pl (in Polish). Retrieved11 October 2025.
Railway operators of Poland
