Wawel (train)

Wawel was a named international express train. Introduced in 1995 as an InterCity service, it was uplifted to EuroCity category by its operators PKP Intercity and DB Fernverkehr in 2006. The service was withdrawn at the end of 2014 and reintroduced in december 2020.

Wawel
PKP class SU46 with EuroCity "Wawel" ready to leave towards Berlin after change of locomotives at Węgliniec in Poland (May 2012)
Overview
Service type
StatusActive
Locale
First service1995 (1995)
Former operator(s)DB Fernverkehr, PKP Intercity
Route
Start
End
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)
  • IC 48/49
  • (1995–1998)
  • IC 42/43
  • (1998–2002)
  • IC 240/241
  • (2002–2006)
  • EC 240/241
  • (2006–2008)
  • EC 340/341
  • (2008–2010)
  • EC 248/249
  • (2010–2014)
  • EC 56/57
  • (since 2020)
On-board services
Class(es)1./2.
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

The train linked Kraków and Wrocław in Poland with Berlin and Hamburg in Germany. It was named after the Wawel, former residence of the Polish kings in Kraków.[1]

Route

Initially Wawel was running between Kraków, Poland and Berlin, Germany. Trains started at Kraków Główny railway station via Katowice and Wrocław and used the railway line towards Szczecin up to the Rzepin rail hub, from where they ran on the Warsaw–Kunowice railway to the Polish-German border and Frankfurt (Oder). Between Frankfurt (Oder) and Berlin, Wawel ran on the Lower Silesian-Marcher Railway line.

EuroCity Wawel at Żary, 2008

In 2001, weekday services were extended to Hamburg while weekend services continued to terminate in Berlin. At that time trains were running via Cottbus, passing the German-Polish border at Forst (Lausitz), then via Żary, Żagań, and Legnica to Wrocław and continued to Kraków. From 2010, trains ran from Żary via Węgliniec railway station. In December 2012, the eastern section of the route was cut back to Wrocław, and in May 2013, the terminus of the western weekday extension was temporarily moved east, to Lüneburg.[1]

The Wawel has never been able to achieve journey times of fast diesel multiple unit trains operated by the Deutsche Reichsbahn that has been running on the line in the 1930s. Therefore number of passengers significantly decreased upon construction of the parallel A4 and A18 motorways in Poland. Service was discontinued in December 2014. Operator of that service, PKP Intercity, has used the name Wawel on some of its domestic InterCity trains from Kraków to Bydgoszcz in 2016, Kraków to Szczecin in 2017 and 2018 and from Zielona Góra to Łódź in 2019.

In mid 2017 it was announced that service may resume in December 2019. In September 2019 it was pushed back to June 2020 – due to different reasons including the Covid-19 crisis the train service finally restarted in December 2020. Compared to the 'old' Wawel train, the route changed completely: The train begins in Berlin Hbf instead of Hamburg Hbf, between Berlin and Legnica it uses the faster and electrified route via Frankfurt (Oder) and the eastern terminus has been taken back to Kraków Główny instead of Wrocław Główny.

schedule year train route
2013-2014
 Hamburg Hbf – Hamburg-Harburg – Lüneburg – Uelzen – Salzwedel – Stendal Hbf – Berlin-Spandau – Berlin Hbf – Berlin Südkreuz – Lübbenau (Spreew) – Cottbus Hbf – Forst (Lausitz) – Żary – Węgliniec – Bolesławiec – Legnica – Wrocław Główny
2021
 Berlin Hbf – Berlin Ostbahnhof – Frankfurt (Oder) – Rzepin – Zielona Góra Główna – Głogów – Lubin – Legnica – Wrocław Główny – Opole Główne – Gliwice – Zabrze – Katowice – Kraków Główny

See also

References
  1. Gardner, Nicky (21 June 2013). "The Wawel tale". Europe by Rail website. hidden europe. Retrieved 1 September 2013. External link in |website= (help)
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