Trains and other things: Gdynia, Sopot, Gdańsk

Day 2 of my Interrail trip will be in Poland.

Stena Line ferry is arriving in the morning to Gdynia

Entering the seaport of Gdynia, one of the largest in Poland

A military vessel

A short ride from the ferry terminal by bus, and I'm at the train station.

The original station built in the 20's was destroyed during WW2, the current station was built during the 50's

Gdynia together with Sopot and Gdansk forms a metropolitan area called Tricity (Trójmiasto), and has a population of over 1 million

Fontanna at Kościuszki square

Between Gdynia and Gdansk two railway lines runs in parallell, nr 202 from Gdansk to Stargard built in 1879 and used for long distance trains, and nr 250 Gdansk-Rumia built in 1950's and used for suburban trains.

Suburban line is operated by SKM Szybka Kolej Miejska w Trójmieście Sp. z o.o

One of the newer Intercity trains ED160 Stadler Flirt3

SKM operated with 3 different EMU's. This one is a modernised EN57AKM, 1116

This EMU was built in 1976 and it was modernised in 2016 by ZNTK Mińsk Mazowiecki

Inside EN57AKM

Another EN57AKM, 768

I'm at SKM Gdynia Redłowo station. The long distance railway nr 202 is here in parallell, and a long distance train is passing by. Here with an EP07-1052 locomotive, from 1984

Pesa 218M DMU, SA133-022, on the route Gdańsk - Władysławowo - Hel, operated by Arriva.

EN57-1757 from 1989

EN57-1115

EN57-1392 from 1980 on the route Malbork-Gdynia operated by Przewozy Regionalne Sp. z oo (Polregio).

EP09-004 locomotive from 1990 hauling TLK train from Gdynia to Krakow

TLK stands for Twoje Linie Kolejowe, which is a brand operated by PKP offering an Intercity service without dining coach and lower class of coaches (no air condition). The price is lower than standard Intercity services. However, most TLK trains have 1st class coaches, here is one A9nou coach.

The newest trains for SKM services are of the type Newag Impuls 31WE, they entered the service in 2016

The train is used in different parts of Poland for both commuter and regional services.

Inside Impuls SKM train.

EP07-1046

I have arrived to Sopot, my next destination

EP07-442 with TLK 15150 "Delfin" train from Warszawa to Łeba

B10nouz coach

PKP Cargo train with ET22-663 locomotive from 1981

ED250-003 high speed train, aka Alstom Pendolino

The service is EIP 1511 from Warszawa to Gdynia.

EN57-1122

EIP (Express Intercity Premium) services are operating between Gdynia, Warszawa, Krakow, Wroclaw and some other towns around Poland. There are plans to expand this type of train services to Berlin, Prague, and Vienna.

EN71-039 is the third type of train operated on the SKM line (the other two are EN57 and Impuls). Just line EN57, the EN71 type is manufactured by Pafawag, but since it's a newer model it was manufactured in 1975 (compared to EN57 which was manufactured in 1969).

EU07-180 locomotive from Lotos Kolej

The locomotive is manufactured in 1972. Lotos Kolej is responsible for transporting Lotos Group products and delivering petrol for Rafineria Gdańska.

Outside Sopot station, which was modernised in 2015.

Sopot is a seaside resort, a Polish "riviera", and it was famous for Sopot International Song Festival, the largest after Eurovision song contest.

The longest wooden pier in Europe, 515m

Bay of Gdansk

Birds are having lunch

I'm heading back to Gdynia, to collect my bag from the locker at the station

ET22-831. From Wikipedia: "With 1183 units, it is most numerous standard gauge electric locomotive built in Europe. Further 23 units were built for Morocco as E-1000 class."

Somebody have funny work clothes

EN71

SA136-013 is a Pesa Atribo train. Atribo is a development of the earlier Pesa 218M (that I saw earlier as Arriva train). Arriva train was a Pesa class 218M, while Atribo is a class 219M.

This type of train is used since 2015 on a new rail line, Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna (PKM, the 'Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway') which is located at Wrzeszcz near Gdańsk and Gdynia via Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport, using a pre-war line which lies further inland than the SKM line. There are presently no plans to electrify the new line, which uses Diesel multiple unit trains built by Pesa SA. (From Wikipedia).

I have arrived to Gdansk Wrzeszcz station. Here is a EP07-450 locomotive

Same SA133-022 I saw earlier near Gdynia

I'm continuing further to Gdansk

Gdansk Politechnika station

The harbour of Gdansk

Gdansk is the largest town of the Tricity metropolitan area

SA138-001 is a Newag class 221M DMU manufactured in 2010. Here on the Gdansk-Kartuzy line.

Gdańsk Shipyard (Stocznia Gdańskа, formerly Lenin Shipyard) is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity (Solidarność) was founded there in September 1980. (From Wikipedia)

Gdansk Stocznia station

Škoda 31E (Class 181 for ČD, Class ET23 in Poland) is a Czechoslovak locomotive manufactured in 1961.

This 31E numbered 181 031 is operated by Polish freight rail company STK (Specjalny Transport Kolejowy) based in Wroclaw.

Gdansk main station

The station opened in 1900, back then named Danzig Hauptbahnhof and it has same design as the station in Colmar which at that time also belonged to German Empire. However, today Danzig is Gdansk and it is in Poland, while Colmar is in France. Take a look at my trip to Colmar last year.

The station is built in Neo-Renaissance style.

EN57AKM at Gdansk

Third time I see SA133-022

A billboard for Arriva service in this part of Poland. Arriva is owned by Deutsche Bahn.

Time to check in at the hotel and visit the city

The hotel is built in Hansa style

Before my visit to the town, I'll check out some tram lines, and the new Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna line. The line is using ETCS Level 2 signalling system. It seems to be a very popular line, the train was full of passengers. It seems that it would be a good idea to electrify the line and use longer trains.

The station I'm visiting is Gdańsk Brętowo PKM and it opened in 2015 (actually re-opened, since there was an unused station here since 1914).

One of the plattforms is accessed by a tram line

This type of tram is Düwag N8C-NF, originally used in Dortmund and Kassel and produced in 1979-1982. They were later modernised in 2009 and 2015 by Modertrans Poznań and today they are named Moderus Beta MF 01.

Inside the tram

I have arrived to the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970. It commemorates the 42 or more people killed during the Coastal cities events in December 1970.

Solidarity is a Polish labour union that was founded on 17 September 1980 at the Lenin Shipyard under the leadership of Lech Wałęsa. It was the first trade union in a Warsaw Pact country that was not controlled by a communist party. In December 1990, Wałęsa was elected President of Poland.

Gdańsk is the capital of Gdańsk Pomerania and the largest city of Kashubia. With its origins as a Polish stronghold erected in the 980s by Mieszko I of Poland, the city's history is complex, with periods of Polish rule, periods of Prussian or German rule, and periods of autonomy or self-rule as a "free city". Between the world wars, the Free City of Danzig was in a customs union with Poland and was located between German East Prussia and the so-called Polish Corridor. (From Wikipedia)