Ok, I’m not a qualified translator but it’s the best that I could do. Being an English teacher for a while, I have, however, become proficient at describing what a word means in simpler terms. This skill will assist me in sharing some exciting news.
Poland has a high-speed rail system!!
To think that a few decades ago, Poland was part of what the World Bank considered the “second world,” is so bazaar to me. If the state of public transportation had anything to do with these rankings, I wonder how VIA Rail or the TTC would help (hurt) Canada. All I have travelled upon in Poland has been hugely superior to any service that I have encountered in North America. Goes to show how investments made years ago affect the state of things today.
About that high-speed rail…
It’s called the Pendolino and at the moment has 4 lines: Warszawa-Gdynia, Warszawa-Krakow, Warszawa-Wroclaw, and Warszawa-Katowice. Poland has 20 trains so far which can operate to speeds up to 200 km/h on the tracks that are installed right now. The renovation of tracks to allow for greater speeds has commenced and is further gaining momentum.
And instead of this being just a regurgitation of the Wikipedia page, I actually can add a lens of experience to this since B and I took a Pendolino train to Gdynia from Warszawa when we were going to visit my aunt and cousin over Easter.
When it pulled up at the station, it was truly new and shiny looking, with one of those typical high speed “noses” at the front. We boarded our wagon and found our seats. The Pendolino has assigned seating which really makes it seem more like you are boarding a plane than a train. In any case, the seating arrangement varied, with each side of the aisle either having 2 seats facing forward or a “booth” layout. The latter arrangement was the kind that we had, with B facing me but both of us sitting next to strangers. I would like to add that the typically stressful process of boarding was made more relaxing with Chopin playing softly in the background. The little aisle TV screens showed beautiful views from Polish destinations, I guess to motivate people to sit down and get going!
The on board service was…partially developed. You had the option of ordering gourmet meals from the restaurant wagon directly to your seat, complimentary juice, tea, and coffee, could switch on a reading light, had your personal power outlet, etc. yet there was no WIFI. Big disappointment there. In terms of efficiency, the trip that would have normally taken 4.5-6 hours, took us 2 hours and 59 minutes. That’s right, less than 3 hours!!! And those 3 hours onboard were very comfortable, with little jerking, no rattling, just smooth quiet progress. Some might wonder how much such luxury costs? We bought our tickets in advance and paid 49 PLN /person one way. That’s around 17 CDN. I can hardly get to Toronto from Kitchener (100 km) on a BUS for that much.
The plan was to take the Pendolino back to Warsaw and we even bought 1st class tickets to see what the extra 20 PLN would get us, but unfortunately, we had a mix up at the Gdansk Station thanks to rioting football fans and ended up on a different train, still headed for Warsaw but that took longer. Therefore instead of seeing the difference between first and second class on the Pendolino, we ended up comparing the new Pendolino trains to the older and slower stock. Yes, older and slower, a little smelly (that could’ve just been the fact that our compartment-mate took off his shoes), but I think it was more romantic. It reminded me of what Anastasia or Anna Karenina would have traveled in, with red curtains in your 8 person compartment, luggage stored overhead and a nagging fear of being mugged.
I hope that this post helps illustrates a few things. Firstly, that Poland is truly developing and moving forward at an astonishing speed. Secondly, that Canada is really lagging behind the rest of the world in the rail department. There are plans for a high speed rail line in Ontario, however. My brother Hubert actually wrote his final report for his Civil Engineering Diploma on this topic. I can’t wait to read it this summer J Thirdly, I wanted to share that sometimes the wrong train is not really wrong, it’s just not the one you bought the ticket for. Sometimes the ride is a bit longer, a little louder and rickety, but in the end you still arrive at home with new experiences and stories that you wouldn’t have otherwise had.
Sending you beautiful sun, the smell of lilacs and the taste of cucumber sandwiches in the park.
Bisouxxx,
B[ZU]
Poland has a high-speed rail system!!
To think that a few decades ago, Poland was part of what the World Bank considered the “second world,” is so bazaar to me. If the state of public transportation had anything to do with these rankings, I wonder how VIA Rail or the TTC would help (hurt) Canada. All I have travelled upon in Poland has been hugely superior to any service that I have encountered in North America. Goes to show how investments made years ago affect the state of things today.
About that high-speed rail…
It’s called the Pendolino and at the moment has 4 lines: Warszawa-Gdynia, Warszawa-Krakow, Warszawa-Wroclaw, and Warszawa-Katowice. Poland has 20 trains so far which can operate to speeds up to 200 km/h on the tracks that are installed right now. The renovation of tracks to allow for greater speeds has commenced and is further gaining momentum.
And instead of this being just a regurgitation of the Wikipedia page, I actually can add a lens of experience to this since B and I took a Pendolino train to Gdynia from Warszawa when we were going to visit my aunt and cousin over Easter.
When it pulled up at the station, it was truly new and shiny looking, with one of those typical high speed “noses” at the front. We boarded our wagon and found our seats. The Pendolino has assigned seating which really makes it seem more like you are boarding a plane than a train. In any case, the seating arrangement varied, with each side of the aisle either having 2 seats facing forward or a “booth” layout. The latter arrangement was the kind that we had, with B facing me but both of us sitting next to strangers. I would like to add that the typically stressful process of boarding was made more relaxing with Chopin playing softly in the background. The little aisle TV screens showed beautiful views from Polish destinations, I guess to motivate people to sit down and get going!
The on board service was…partially developed. You had the option of ordering gourmet meals from the restaurant wagon directly to your seat, complimentary juice, tea, and coffee, could switch on a reading light, had your personal power outlet, etc. yet there was no WIFI. Big disappointment there. In terms of efficiency, the trip that would have normally taken 4.5-6 hours, took us 2 hours and 59 minutes. That’s right, less than 3 hours!!! And those 3 hours onboard were very comfortable, with little jerking, no rattling, just smooth quiet progress. Some might wonder how much such luxury costs? We bought our tickets in advance and paid 49 PLN /person one way. That’s around 17 CDN. I can hardly get to Toronto from Kitchener (100 km) on a BUS for that much.
The plan was to take the Pendolino back to Warsaw and we even bought 1st class tickets to see what the extra 20 PLN would get us, but unfortunately, we had a mix up at the Gdansk Station thanks to rioting football fans and ended up on a different train, still headed for Warsaw but that took longer. Therefore instead of seeing the difference between first and second class on the Pendolino, we ended up comparing the new Pendolino trains to the older and slower stock. Yes, older and slower, a little smelly (that could’ve just been the fact that our compartment-mate took off his shoes), but I think it was more romantic. It reminded me of what Anastasia or Anna Karenina would have traveled in, with red curtains in your 8 person compartment, luggage stored overhead and a nagging fear of being mugged.
I hope that this post helps illustrates a few things. Firstly, that Poland is truly developing and moving forward at an astonishing speed. Secondly, that Canada is really lagging behind the rest of the world in the rail department. There are plans for a high speed rail line in Ontario, however. My brother Hubert actually wrote his final report for his Civil Engineering Diploma on this topic. I can’t wait to read it this summer J Thirdly, I wanted to share that sometimes the wrong train is not really wrong, it’s just not the one you bought the ticket for. Sometimes the ride is a bit longer, a little louder and rickety, but in the end you still arrive at home with new experiences and stories that you wouldn’t have otherwise had.
Sending you beautiful sun, the smell of lilacs and the taste of cucumber sandwiches in the park.
Bisouxxx,
B[ZU]