Trains and other things: Białogard, Szczecin, Świnoujście

Today I will leave Poland and go back home to Sweden. I will take trains from Kolobrzeg to the port of Swinoujscie, then a night ferry to Ystad.

In the morning my plan was to enjoy the beach and maybe swim in the sea. Unfortunately, the weather can change quickly here at the Baltic sea, it is not as the Meditteranean sea.

The birds are enjoying the beach

Kolobrzeg lighhouse

At least somebody is taking a swim

From Wikipedia: "The lighthouse is located at the entrance to the port of Kołobrzeg, it stands on the right bank of the river Parsęta. The history of the Kołobrzeg Lighthouse dates back to 1666. In World War II the lighthouse was blown up by German engineers as it was a good look-out point for the Polish artillery in March 1945. After the Second World War, the lighthouse was built at a slightly different location from the original, using the foundations of the fort buildings complex; located close by to the town. The lighthouse is 26 meters tall, with a range of its light glare of 29.6 kilometers. In 1981 the lighthouse was renovated and the 50 cm diameter lens was replaced by a rotating set of halogen bulbs. The wooden staircase was also replaced by a metal one.[3] The base of the lighthouse houses a mineral rock museum."

EP07 locomotives

Kołobrzeg station was officially opened on June 1, 1859, on the day the route to Białogard was opened. On May 18, 1899, Kołobrzeg becomes a junction station - the line to Koszalin is opened.

The first train today is TLK 82103 from Kołobrzeg to Białogard

TLK is a cheaper version of Intercity trains in Poland, they have no restaurant, or air condition onboard

The coaches are of type B10nouz, B10nou, A9nou

EP07 is a modernized version of EU07 locomotives.

Taking now railroad number 404 to Bialogard

Arriving to Bialogard

Bialogard is a junction station between railways 404 and 202

The train continues along the line 404

A train is arriving from Stargard, on the line 202

From Wikipedia: "Railway line No. 202 is connecting Gdańsk Główny - Stargard. In 1843 the Berlin-Szczecin Iron Railway Society ( Berlin-Stettiner Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft - BSE) completed the construction of the route to Szczecin - the first in Pomerania, 3 years later (in 1846) it was extended to Stargard. About 10 years later, the BSE daughter company - Tylnomorska Żelazna Railway (Hinterpommersche Eisenbahn ) received a license to build a line farther east. In June 1859, after opening the line to Koszalin, the station in Stargard became a node station."

EN57AL

Bialogard station

My next train is Polregion 80249 to Stargard

Newag Impuls 31WE, ED78 from Pomorze Zahodnie/Polregio

Stargard

From Wikipedia: "Newag Impuls - is a family of standard-gauge electric multiple units manufactured by Newag company from Nowy Sącz in several versions, differing in the number of coaches and their purpose. These are standard-gauge trainsets with a lowered floor, intended for passenger services. 2-car (type 37WE), 3-car (36WE), 4-car (31WE), 5-car (45WE) and 6-car(35WE) manufactures were manufactured. By the end of 2018, 167 pulses were ordered."

From Stargard I'm taking IC 48101 to Szczecin

EP07

Intercity trains have a restaurant coach where it is possible to purchase drinks and snacks

The soup I took yesterday was so good, that I'm ordering it again today

Restaurant coach of the type WRnouz

Not many passengers visiting the restaurant, maybe everybody is tired of the summer and the heat...

Oder river

I'm shortly arriving in Szczecin

From Wikipedia: "Szczecin (German: Stettin) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport and Poland's seventh-largest city. As of December 2018, the population was 402,465.
The city's recorded history began in the 8th century as a Slavic Pomeranian stronghold, built at the site of the Ducal castle. In the 12th century, when Szczecin had become one of Pomerania's main urban centers, it lost its independence to Piast Poland, the Duchy of Saxony, the Holy Roman Empire and Denmark, and became completely German-speaking by the 14th century. At the same time, the House of Griffins established themselves as local rulers and the population was Christianized. After the Treaty of Stettin in 1630, the town came under the control of the Swedish Empire and became in 1648 the Capital of Swedish Pomerania until 1720, when it was acquired by the Kingdom of Prussia and then the German Empire. Following World War II Stettin became part of Poland in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement, resulting in the almost complete expulsion of the pre-war population."

From Wikipedia: "Szczecin Główny (German: Stettin Hauptbahnhof), is the principal railway station of the city of Szczecin, in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. The station opened on 15 August 1843 and is located on the Berlin-Szczecin railway, Wroclaw-Szczecin railway, Poznan-Szczecin railway, Bützow-Szczecin railway, and Szczecin-Trzebież Szczeciński railway. The train services are operated by PKP, Przewozy Regionalne, and Deutsche Bahn."

From Wikipedia: "The Szczecin tram system is a 12-line, standard gauge tramway system in Szczecin, Poland that has been in operation since 1879 (when the town was Stettin, Prussia). The tramway operates on 64 km of the route. There are two depots and twelve balloon loops (including five street ones)."
Here is Tatra T6A2D tram

From the station taking the tram is the easiest way to get to the central parts

Allied air raids in 1944 and heavy fighting between the German and Soviet armies destroyed 65% of Stettin's buildings and almost all of the city center, the seaport, and local industries. (Wikipedia)

Most part of the central Szczecin has architecture from the post-war and communist era

New shopping malls are built here

Plac Andersa

From Wikipedia: "Szczecin's architectural style is due to trends popular in the last half of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century: Academic art and Art Nouveau. In many areas built after 1945, especially in the city center, which had been destroyed due to the Allied bombing, social realism is prevalent.
The city has an abundance of green areas: parks and avenues – wide streets with trees planted in the island separating opposing traffic (where often tram tracks are laid); and roundabouts. Szczecin's city plan resembles that of Paris, mostly because Szczecin was rebuilt in the 1880s according to a design by Georges-Eugène Haussmann, who had redesigned Paris under Napoléon III. This pattern of street design is still used in Szczecin, as many recently built (or modified) city areas include roundabouts and avenues."

Księcia Bogusława X street

Roman Catholic church St. Wojciech

Roman Catholic church Sacred Heart of Jesus

Plac Brama Portowa. Port Gate ( German: Berliner Tor) - one of the city gates of Szczecin, built in the Baroque style in 1725–1727 according to the design of the Dutch fortification designer Gerhard Cornelius van Wallrawe.

PESA 120NaS tram

Zamek Książąt Pomorskich w Szczecinie

Old Town hall

The Old Town was rebuilt in the late 1990s, with new buildings, some of which were reconstructions of buildings destroyed in World War II.

Szczecin Cathedral

Konstal 105Na

My last train was going to be Intercity to Swinoujscie

It turned out to be delayed with almost 40min

ED160, Stadler Flirt

IC 18156 "Latarnik" - also with destination Swinoujscie is waiting on the other side of the platform. Due to the delay of my IC 3810 "Matejko" the passengers (including me) were trying to board this train but were denied by the staff. Later I understood why.

At the end the delayed IC 3810 is arriving

Szczecin has connection with Berlin and this DB Regio train

Later I understood why we were refused to take the other train. Even though they departed at the same time, and during a longer period was driving in parallel to each other, our trains won the race and arrived earlier to the final destination.

The parallel driving of trains is not something you see every day...

The other IC train

The Szczecin–Świnoujście railway is a Polish 100-kilometre long railway line, that connects Szczecin with the port in Świnoujście. The railway is part of European TEN-T route E59 from Scandinavia to Vienna, Budapest and Prague. For this reason the classification of the PLK line is also in the "first-class" category.

Bridge over Dziwna river

This a really long route all the way from the border with Ukraine until the Baltic sea and the border with Germany.

Ferry crossing in Swinoujscie

EP07-338

The walk from the station to the ferry terminal is very short

In 1950 the railway line was extended a short distance to Świnoujście Port, to the ferry terminal. Only a few trains travel to the port station, the majority finishing at Świnoujście station.

Świnoujście has the largest and most modern ferry terminal in Poland, with regular connections to Denmark and Sweden. Unity Line (founded in 1994) is a Polish company that operates RoRo and train ferry services between Świnoujście in Poland and the Swedish ports of Ystad and Trelleborg.