Rather than walk to the station alongside the ponds, I continue along Trombity to find out. The road is totally closed, with fencing from one side to the other. Pipes are being dug up in the road, again. Pedestrians can squeeze through, risking muddy feet. But drivers (this shot is taken from the north end) are forced to turn around and do a 3km diversion via ul. Sarabandy.
However... how is it looking on Saturday morning? I go. No sign of the digger and its crew, and the road is now only partially closed. Cars can squeeze through the gap, below. Shot taken from the south. But the road signs are still in place, no different from the previous day, when it would have been impossible to squeeze through. Upshot - drivers don't take the signs seriously when they do appear. Better communication between builders and drivers is needed (such as 'road closed Mon-Fri 6am-6pm' or the like).
So - drivers, if you use Trombity as your regular short-cut to and from work - forget it. The road will be closed for some time to come.
There's works going on along ul. Kórnicka and Dumki too. All along the northern and western sides of the ponds, new trees are being planted. Here's a crew of landscape gardeners working (on a Saturday) to install a line of birches. On Kórnicka, a volleyball court is being built, replacing the long-defunct football pitch, and more trees are going up there too. Good to see the local authorities continuing to invest in beautifying the area.
Now for rail fans - two pics of locomotives running light through Jeziorki. Below: a DB-liveried ET21 (3E/1) 'Sputnik' hustles up the electrified line towards Okęcie showing a surprising turn of speed, possible after the recent track modernisation. Not having had to slow down for an island platform or for ungated level crossings, the engine was blasting along.
Below: a PKP Cargo ST44 Gagarin proceeds across the temporary level crossing by ul. Gogolinska at a far more leisurely pace, also en route for the Okęcie sidings along the non-electrified line.
Below: bonus pic from last Tuesday - a pair of Skoda-build 57E (181) locos owned by Lotos pull a rake of oil cisterns southbound through W-wa Choszczówka station.
The electric engines are from the 1960s and still working usefully, the Skodas being from 1961 and the Sputnik from 1968. The diesel-engined Gagar is somewhat newer, built in 1980.
This time last year:
Sunny morning, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
This time two years ago:
Brentham Garden Suburb
This time three years ago:
Ahead of the opening of the second line of the Warsaw Metro
This time four years ago:
Keep an eye on Ukraine...
This time five years ago:
Płock by day, Płock by night
This time six years ago:
Warning ahead of railway timetable change
This time ten years ago:
Some thoughts on recycling
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2 comments:
That's excellent going for the electric locos. The Skoda units have outlasted London Underground's venerable A-Stock. But perhaps they have had an easier life, without frequent stops? And, with solid engineering and adequate performance, why shouldn't they keep on delivering good service? Another advantage of electrified railways - rather than the fudged solution of a bi-mode train.
@WHP - electric motors, with far fewer moving parts than internal combustion engines, are intrinsically built to have a longer life. If we're looking at the longevity of trains, our local EN57 suburban EMUs are doing outstandingly well. Some of the oldest units still in daily use are over 40 years old.
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