8 minute read
Poznań benefits from electric transportation
New electric bus Sfrom Solaris, the global-known company from Poznań. Photo: City of Poznań.
Advertisement
Poznań counts on electromobility and collective transport that will make the City quiet, clean and resident and tourist friendly. In the next two years, the capital of the Wielkopolska Region will undergo a true e-mobility revolution.
At the end of 2019 the first electric buses appeared in the streets of Poznań, running for instance along the City’s longest bus route. Last year, modern trams Moderus Gamma were made available to Poznań residents, too. These and other comprehensive activities in the field of public transport must be implemented with the plan. Therefore, works on the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for Poznań started simultaneously. It will be a comprehensive document, meant to be completed till November 2020, addressing all issues related to transport and movement within the City and indicating directions for their further development. The Plan’s main objective is to improve the accessibility of urban areas and ensure a high-quality sustainable transport within the City. Representatives of various social groups will participate in its preparation, which will facilitate experience exchange and knowledge sharing. – We want Poznań urban transport, which at present counts among the best in Poland, to become in a few years, taking into account the new EU perspective, the very best one. We know there is a lot of work ahead of us, but we have a concrete plan and goal. We aim at the best urban transport in Poland – Mariusz Wiśniewski, the Deputy Mayor of Poznań, assures.
ELECTRIC BUSES ALREADY RUNNING IN THE STREETS
The first steps towards urban transport transformation have already been taken. MPK Poznań (Poznań Urban Transport Company) has assigned modern electric buses bought at the turn of the year 2019/2020 to bus lines crossing the city centre. A few weeks ago, bids for the next tender for the delivery of 37 electric buses were opened. Only one company participated – Solaris Bus & Coach, the globalknown company from Poznań agglomeration. At present, the submitted documentation is being verified. The contract is for 31 standard, 12-meter-long electric buses and 6 articulated ones, that is 18-meter long. If everything goes according to the plan, the new Solaris vehicles will appear in the streets of Poznań in the autumn next year. Poznań has gradually invested in a new fleet for several years already. Since 2014, over half billion zlotys have been allocated for this purpose which has allowed the City to obtain 88 buses (including the 21 electric ones already contracted) and 90 trams (half of them are the stateof-the-art Moderus Gamma vehicles). Hence Poznań public transport vehicles
are considered to be among the most modern in Poland. Their departures can be monitored in real time via applications that collect data from the City which are then made available to Poznań residents.
These investments in a new fleet prove that the City of Poznań takes care of public transport and constantly focuses on its development. This is also in line with measures to reduce CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere.
CITY BUS CHARGING STATIONS
The Jan III Sobieski bus station, where electric buses are charged, will have an additional two-position pantograph charger mounted as part of the next activity currently implemented. Similarly, the Poznań Garbary station will gain one more pantograph charger for two buses.
At the Kacza bus depot, 18 two-position stationary plug-in chargers and one two position pantograph charger are supposed to be installed. In addition, three mobile vehicle chargers have been ordered for this depot. There is also a new location that will hold chargers, namely the Górczyn bus station – two pantograph chargers for two vehicles each will be mounted there. make the city centre much more resident and tourist friendly.
MPK Poznań will receive financing for the entire action entitled “Electrification of selected bus lines in Poznań” as part of the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment 2014–2020, Priority Axis VI “Development of low emission urban public transport”, Measure 6.1 “Development of urban collective public transport”.
TRAM LINE EXTENSIONS
Transport in Poznań city centre will change to a great extent as a result of a new tram line along Ratajczaka St. This line and the change of the traffic system in the area of Wolności Sq. and 27 Grudnia, Gwarna and Mielżyńskiego Streets will A comfortable transfer to public transport will be ensured by the P&R parking system currently extended. At present, Poznań has two such car parks, another one is under construction at the intersection of Warszawska and Św. Michała Streets and two more will be completed till the end of 2020: at the Poznań Strzeszyn railway station and near Starołęka Roundabout. Plans include also car park construction at interchange nodes – in Górczyn, at the Grunwaldzka node and at the Poznań Podolany railway station. Analyses will be carried out to assess whether it is possible to build parking spaces near other railway stations, for instance Poznań East.
At the moment, the City’s largest public transport investment project is the construction of the tram route to Naramowice. Subsequent investments are planned as well: construction of Tram to Naramowice Stage II and tram routes to Kopernika housing estate, housing estates in the southern part of the Dębiec District, Poznań East, the so-called West Gate and Marcelin. Modern services sector employees look forward to the last one in particular, as their offices are located in the Business Garden Poznań office complex in the Marcelin area.
A new tram route with a terminus is also constructed along Unii Lubelskiej St. where plans provide for large housing estates. Apart from new projects, the City takes care of the existing transport infrastructure. Each year about PLN 26–30 million is allocated to renovations.
These activities are expected to result in an increased attractiveness of public transport and its dominance over cars. It depends on other aspects as well, such as punctuality of public transport and its availability to residents of the metropolis.
Poznań is preparing to meet the requirements of the Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels adopted by the Polish parliament. According to its provisions, as of 1 January 2022 electric cars must account for 10 percent of all vehicles used by the City Hall. As of 2025, this share should reach 30 percent. Therefore, in February 2020 the City Hall and municipal units tested three car models provided by Volkswagen Samochody Dostawcze (Volkswagen vans), the brand located in Poznań. The three models selected for the tests were: Volkswagen e-Crafter, Volkswagen Caddy CNG and – at a later date – Volkswagen ABT e-Transporter. They will be used by the Mayor of Poznań and employees of Poznań City Hall, municipal police, City Road Authority (ZDM) and Urban Transport Authority (ZTM). The tests count among measurable effects of the Letter of Intent signed in October 2019 by representatives of the City of Poznań, the company Volkswagen Poznań and the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Logistics and Warehousing (ILiM). The document emphasizes the necessity and willingness to exchange experiences between the public sector and the world of science and business. – We are happy that only three months after signing the letter of intent together we put it into practice – Jens Ocksen, the President of the Management Board of Volkswagen Poznań Sp. z o.o., says. – And we are twice as happy that the City of Poznań will test cars manufactured in the Wielkopolska Region.
POZNAŃ CITY HALL TESTS ELECTRIC CARS
Soon there will be more electric buses in the streets of Poznan. Photo: City of Poznań.
The new trams are comfortable and have an extraordinary design. Photo: City of Poznań.
Volkswagen Poznań has already established a similar cooperation with Żabka company (Polish convenience shops), which is also based in Poznań. Deliv eries to Żabka network stores located in Poznań have been performed using new electric cars.
CHARGERS FOR RESIDENTS
The Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels stipulates that the minimum number of charging points installed at public charging stations located in Poznań till 31 December 2020 should be 210.
Therefore, and also taking into account for instance the provisions of the Deve - lopment Strategy for the City of Poznań 2020+ addressing the support of electromobility development, an interdisciplinary Team for the development of the network of charging points installed at public charging stations was appointed. The Team worked out the manner in which land for public charging stations along public roads will be leased under terms and conditions defined by the City.
In 2019, the City Road Authority (ZDM) announced proceedings for the lease of land for 62 charging points. The contract with the selected charging station investor ensures that the charging service must be made available until 31 December 2020.
So taking into account 62 points under construction by the City Road Authority as well as 39 points that already exist or are planned to be built until 31 December 2020 by other entities, we are left with the question of construction and location of public charging stations for the remaining 109 charging points, which will be answered in the near future.
From 16 March to 6 April 202 there were an internet consultation regarding this project, carried out by the Office of Project Coordination and Urban Regeneration with the support of the City Road Authority. Poznań residents sent their propositions and remarks via e-mail and via an electronic questionnaire on the website zdm.poznan.pl.
More information:
Investor Relations Department City of Poznań
Za Bramką 1 Street, 61-842 Poznan Phone: +48 61 878 54 28 e-mail: inwestor@um.poznan.pl www.poznan.pl/invest
500 000+ hours back to business. INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE!
The best business results are achieved when people, AI and robots join forces, enhancing complementary capabilities. Robots and AI work best when doing transactional, dataintense and highly repetitive tasks; allowing people to focus on the more innovative, creative, and strategic tasks.
