Warsaw commuters gain second metro line

Warsaw commuters gain second metro line

Mar 11, 2015  | Transport 

Warsaw commuters gain second metro line
(Photo by: Muri (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons)

Warsaw has extended its metro links with the recent opening of the Dworzec Wileński Station, which is also home to the new line’s largest retail complex.

BuroHappold Engineering provided structural engineering and building services solutions for the project which will significantly contribute to improving the quality of travel and leisure time for both residents and visitors to the city.

The construction of the metro line to meet Warsaw’s increased mobility needs involved the major redevelopment of the city centre’s transport infrastructure and comprises seven new stations along 6.1km of track, 600m of which runs under the Vistula River. The project was co-financed by the EU’s Cohesion Fund, as part of their Infrastructure and Environment programme.

BuroHappold’s renowned collaborative approach was well suited to this large, complex project involving many different contractors: our team was principally involved with designing installations for the main stations. As many of the systems such as fire safety engineering involved the entire line, the team worked closely with all concerned to develop a coherent strategy.

The real challenge lay in adapting our solutions to work with systems that had already been designed: using computer simulations to understand their performance, the team then devised the most appropriate solutions to enhance them. When developing the fire safety solutions, for example, these models informed our decision to place very large ventilators underground where they proved the most effective means of extracting smoke in the event of a fire.

The site’s close proximity to historic buildings meant working within strict conservation guidelines and ensuring subterranean work did not cause any damage to these structures. To overcome this' subsidence sensors were placed on the neighbouring buildings to monitor movement during construction, mitigating any potential risks.

“The whole team can feel truly satisfied with our great achievements on the Warsaw Metro Station project: a complex and in many ways challenging multidisciplinary job carried out under strict time constraints. I’m especially proud because Dworzec Wileński station was granted its occupation permit as the second station out of seven even though it was the last one to start on site,“ said Zbigniew Czajewski, BuroHappold project director.

Via Wikimedia Commons
Image,video ©: Muri (Own work)