Warsaw Metro

The Warsaw Metro (Metro Warszawskie) is one of Europe's youngest underground systems. Not suprisingly it consists of only one line, which is still under construction. Plans to build an underground in the Polish capital date back to 1925 when the first plans of such a system were drawn up. World War II, however, brought an end to the ambitious undertaking, putting it to a halt for nearly fourty years (a brief and half-hearted attempt in the 1950s can be disregarded here).

Finally, in 1984 the program was given a green light by the Communist government and the first tunnels were built. Lack of funds, poor planning, and tedious bureaucracy meant that the works went on very slowly. The Metro was launched in 1995 with a total of 11 stations. Since then, however, the project has speeded up substantially; the line now has 14 stations along a distance of approximately 15 kilometres, and is to be completed with a total of 19 stations by 2005. A second line, crossing the city from East to West is to be completed by 2010.

The stations of the first line are (South to North):

• Kabaty
• Natolin
• Imielin
• Stoklosy
• Ursynow
• Sluzew
• Wilanowska
• Wierzbno
• Raclawicka
• Pole Mokotowskie
• Politechnika
• Centrum
• Swietokrzyska
• Ratusz

Under construction:

• Dworzec Gdanski
• Plac Wilsona

External link:

• Warsaw Metro website (http://www.metro.waw.pl/)

see also list of underground railway systems