Anyway, if you're coming to Łódź from Warsaw by train (the journey by road being execrable), your train will get no further than Łódź Widzew. To centre of town is another six and half kilometres (four miles). This is akin to closing Warsaw's Central station and having all trains from the west terminate at W-wa Zachodnia, or closing Birmingham New Street and having all trains from London terminate at Stechford. Coming home on Sunday, I paid more for my taxi to the station from my hotel than I paid for my ticket from Łódź Widzew back to Warsaw (my hotel being walking distance from Łódź Fabryczna).
Above: the arrival of the 11:15 train from Warsaw (running time - just under two hours; twice the time of the London Euston to Rugby service in the mid-'70s; same distance). A station in the middle of a field. Serving a destination that likes to be considered as Poland's second city.
Above: There's no underground passage between platforms and only one footbridge. And just as Łódź Widzew becomes the city's main station - the footbridge gets closed. To cross the tracks means having to walk to either end of the 300m-long platform.The worst thing about all this is that this state of affairs will carry on for years and years. It's not doing the city of Łódź any favours.
A more informative article from the railway point of view over at Behind The Water Tower (Dyzpozytor himself hailing from Łódź and being personally affected by the Fabryczna closure). Maps and links to timetables.
This time two years ago:
A touch of frost in the garden
Life in Poland is frequently absurd. The east bank of Warsaw is currently plagued by traffic diversions, with the high street - one of the town's key arteries – closed for two years(!) while the city authorities build the new metro line.
ReplyDeleteI don't suppose they would have closed the central station in Lodz if the place was hosting a Euro 2012 game. But since they're not, I suppose they figured that no-one would notice.