Lucky thirteen! – traffic was resumed on the Poznań Fast Tram route
It would seem that 13 is an unlucky number, but not for the residents of Poznań. On 13 May, traffic was resumed on the entire section of the PFT, i.e., the Poznań Fast Tram. The works contractor – consortium of NDI Group companies – in less than 10 months replaced about 8 km of track structure and reconstructed the edges on 10 platforms.
The works were divided into two main parts. The first part was completed in December 2022 with the commissioning of the section from the direction of the centre to the Słowiańska stop, along with the platforms, which allowed trams to resume operation. The second one involves the restoration of traffic on the entire section of the project, on both tracks, all the way to the tram loop on the Sobieskiego estate.
The track replacement was necessary primarily due to wear and tear, but in doing so, care was also taken to increase the comfort of both passengers and local residents.
“Thanks to the use of resilient supports, i.e., special pads, noise and vibrations have been reduced and, in the long term, the durability of the track has been increased,” says Marta Springer, project manager at NDI Energy. “As a convenience for future operation, sections of slab surface have been prepared to allow for the use of overlay turnout, which, in the event of possible shutdowns of a section of the route, will make it possible to run trams in partial operation,” adds Marta Springer.
Most importantly for the residents of Poznań, traffic was resumed before the contractual deadline.
“We understand the needs of the residents of Poznań; our team is mostly Poznań residents, our company’s headquarters is located in the Poznań district, and we all use the city’s infrastructure, hence from the beginning of the investment, our goal was to resume traffic as soon as possible,” says Cezary Chruściński, CEO of NDI Energy.
The essential works have been completed; the Contractor will continue to carry out cleaning and finishing works; these however, will not affect the operation of the track. To thank people for their forbearance, a pleasant surprise awaited the first passengers using the commissioned stops, as NDI Energy employees offered the residents of Poznań traditional yeast cake with icing, freshly baked in a local pastry shop.
