Chynów station - change is happening

With a week away in London, it's been a fortnight since my last visit to Chynów, and much has changed. Work is proceeding at a good pace, although there's still much to do. My heart goes out to those who come into Warsaw each day from further afield, from beyond Strzyżyna - rail services between Radom and Strzyżyna will be replaced by buses after 10 March for track modernisation work. For commuters from Radom and the four intermediate stations -  Kruszyna, Wola Bierwiecka, Bartodzieje, Lesiów - it will be many months - two years? two and half years? of travel hell, journey times (already long) extended by up to 40 minutes each way. Three hours each way in total. Six hours of one's day.

Having endured that, once the modernisation is complete, the total journey time for the 100km between Radom and Warsaw will be cut to 1hr 15mins. Now, bearing in mind that it's 130km to between Łódź and Warsaw, and the post-modernisation journey time is 1hr 20mins, it's doable.

In the meantime, in Chynów, the 'up' side of the single island platform has been closed off and is being demolished. Just as at W-wa Jeziorki and W-wa Dawidy, two new platforms will be built on either side of tracks that run straight between them (rather than arching around an island platform).

Below: the 11:47 service to Radom about to leave Chynów. This half-platform also serves 'up' trains towards Warsaw; the 'up' and 'down' services pass one another at Czachówek Południowy station.

Below: a new approach road from the east, serving the village of Jakubowizna. This ramp currently enables construction traffic to enter the site; before this appeared, passengers would have to step gingerly over a set of randomly-places slabs to get down to the tracks, then make their way between the rails to the platform, visible over to the left.

Below: a ballast train in one of the remaining goods sidings south of the station building at Chynów. According to Kurier Kolejowy, today there are 70,000 tonnes of ballast stored here, along with 50,000 reinforced concrete sleepers and 65 kilometres of new steel rails (mostly lying between existing track), waiting to be put to use.

Below: view of Chynów station from the north. To the left, disused freight sidings have been lifted. The main station building, with ticket office and waiting room, will remain (it could do with a lick of paint).

Below: PKP PLK, Poland's rail infrastructure operator, has set out in a series of PR materials, how the stations from Sułkowice to Radom will look after modernisation. This view of Chynów is new to me - no staggered platforms here, rather two in parallel. Note too the building across the road from the station building - it was demolished last year! There will be a subway linking the platforms - I hope it emerges on the east side of the tracks, otherwise I (and most of Jakubowizna) will be crossing live rails to avoid a 1km detour!

Below: the Minuta 8 Sklep Spożywszy store, Google Street View image, July 2013. Knocked down in 2018. Yet still faithfully portrayed in PKP PLK's rendering above. Will the shop be replaced? Could certainly do with a food shop nearer to the działka than Chynów or Widok...

Left: a new-style gablota or information display cabinet; inside are the current and new timetables. I trust that when the main work has been completed, there will also be electronic signage too showing in real time any delays as well as scheduled departure times.

Old buildings surplus to requirements will be demolished. Already gone (a few years ago - I didn't get the chance to photograph it) was a goods shed standing where the ballast is currently being stored.

Below: a small store for flammable materials, partially dug into the ground, with a No Smoking sign on the door. The undergrowth around it has been cut down; I expect within a week or so it will be gone.

Below: another disused station outbuilding that's due to for demolition, dating back to 1934 when Chynów station was opened.

Below: Chynów station from the approach road. Saturation and vibrance both untouched; the setting sun has rendered the walls this colour.

I hope that when the work's completed, journey time between W-wa Jeziorki and Chynów will be reduced by several minutes, and that the new platform will be a bit closer to my działka!

This time two years ago:
Mindfulness - more than a passing fad?

This time three years ago:
Pascal's Wager dissected with Occam's Razor

This time four years ago:
Speaking to God, listening to God

This time five years ago:
D3200 shoots X100

This time six years ago:
Weekend with the Fuji X100

This time ten years ago:
Sublime sunset, Jeziorki

This time 11 years ago:
Dramatic sunset, Jeziorki