The new Transfer Centres in Zabrze have been opened!

As part of the EU-funded project, two Transfer Centres were created in Zabrze: in the city centre on Goethego Street and in the Rokitnica district on Krakowska and Ofiar Katynia Streets. The project is important for residents. The new facilities will improve communication and facilitate the transfer of passengers to public transport. They will also enjoy a modern green roof with a terrace.

In the city centre on Goethego Street, a building with a total floor area of approximately 10,400 m2 with bus platforms, a two-storey car park and a waiting area was constructed. In turn, in the Rokitnica district on Krakowska and Ofiar Katynia Streets, a modern facility with an area of approximately 280 m2 has been constructed, which houses a waiting room and service outlets. Covered platforms and an outdoor car park were also constructed. Both centres offer, among other things, the possibility to charge electric vehicles, use the Kiss & Ride zone and ticket machines.

“Two years have just passed since we took over the construction site. We started erecting the building structure in July 2022. In November 2023, the works in the building were already complete, with only finishing and cleaning works ongoing. You could say we completed the whole project in a year and a half,” concludes Kamil Kasprzak, Project Director of the Transfer Centre on Goethego Street from the NDI Group.

Green roof, a new showpiece for the city centre

The scope of work was not limited to the erection of the new Transfer Centre building. “As part of the project, we had to reconstruct a half-kilometre section of Goethego Street, which is located in the city centre. We therefore worked with a lot of pedestrian and car traffic, but also public transport. For us, as the general contractor, it was a complicated and demanding construction, but thanks to commitment and good planning we managed everything,” adds Kamil Kasprzak.

Due to the fast pace and large scope of the finishing works, at its peak there were 150 people working on the site. The construction of the new centre used 1,200 tonnes of reinforcing steel and 7,000 m3 of structural concrete.

The centre’s showpiece will be a green roof that can be used by the residents of Zabrze and tourists. “Above the building of the new centre is the so-called green roof, with a terrace and walking area. We planted 17 trees and almost 4,000 plants there,” explains Katarzyna Biegun, Construction Works Manager from the NDI Group. “The amount of specialised substrate for plants that we transported to the roof for growing plants is very impressive – apart from the gravel, it is 800 m3 of material. The plants will be irrigated by a special system that will draw rainwater from a retention tank located under the surface of the building.”

Modern facility in Rokitnica

The second Transfer Centre in Zabrze was built in the Rokitnica district. In the first stage, even before the construction work started, a temporary traffic organisation was implemented, which diverted public transport to temporary platforms located around the bus station. The team then

moved on to reconstruction work on the gas, electricity, and water supply networks. At the same time, ground replacement work was being carried out, which also provided a working platform for the pile driver.

“The new Transfer Centre in Rokitnica occupies an area where there were limited possibilities not only for the storage of materials, but also for their delivery. This required a great deal of attention to ensure safe working conditions for everyone and that construction work was carried out efficiently. In the final stage of the project, around 80 people were working on the site,” says Damian Gil, Site Manager of the Rokitnica Transfer Centre from the NDI Group.

Work on the construction of the structure of the facility began at the end of February 2023. The general contractor faced many challenges, including the construction of reinforced concrete walls.

“We fitted strain gauges to the formwork elements so that we could read the pressure values and adjust the speed at which we were pouring the concrete mix so as not to exceed the permitted value and cause the failure of the formwork elements,” explains Damian Gil.

New quality of communication

To construct the entire building, 1,350 m3 of concrete, 160 tonnes of reinforcing steel, 260 tonnes of steel structure and 940 m2 of glass were used. The site has changed considerably after completion of the project. There is now a modern passenger service building in Zabrze-Rokitnica, with a floor area of approximately 280 m2. The platforms, which previously housed stop shelters, were replaced by a new and architecturally interesting steel and reinforced concrete structure. Environmentally friendly solutions that have been implemented include the construction of a green roof on one of the shelter’s ceilings.

The work was completed in accordance with the schedule. The project investor is the City of Zabrze. The project was financed with EU funds.