The visualisation of the integrated passenger transport terminal in Vrakuňa. (source: Courtesy of IMHD)
Bratislava is crisscrossed with railways, but as they are separated from other means of transport and lack stops they cannot be used in municipal public transport at a greater scope. The construction of integrated passenger transport terminals (TIOPs) should change this.
After almost 10 years of preparations, construction of the first one will start on October 23. This will be Vrakuňa TIOP located close to the current trolleybus and bus turnaround point at Dolné Hony. It should be completed in mid 2024. After completion, it will allow convenient transfer between trains and public transport in the area.
The costs of the first TIOP construction are projected at €3.9 million without VAT.
“The purpose is to ensure the safe and comfortable use of rail transport for passengers in the new location,” Ria Feik Achbergerová, spokesperson of ŽSR, the rail infrastructure operator in Slovakia, said as cited by the TASR newswire.
The construction of this terminal should be a little easier than others, as here is a single-track railway line. The platform of the new station will be located on the existing railway.
As part of the project, the terrain needs to be firmed up first. This will require closing of the track for 45 days, until December 6. The actual construction of the terminal will then begin, which will last until the second quarter of 2024.
Trains will be operating during these works.
Buses instead of trains during construction
All the trains on the Bratislava Nové Mesto - Podunajské Biskupice line will be replaced by buses between October 23 and December 9.
The buses will run between stations daily in hourly intervals and in 30-minutes intervals during rush hours.
The buses will be linked to the arrivals and departures of trains in the direction of Dunajská Streda and Komárno at Podunajské Biskupice station, said the spokesperson of the railway carrier ZSSK, Tomáš Kováč.
TIOP Bory - Lamačská Brána next
The construction of the barrier-free TIOP Bory - Lamačská Brána is planned to start next year, on which ŽSR wants to build the double-track railway line between Lamač and Devínska Nová Ves. It will be an integrated stop for railways, public transport, cyclists and pedestrians.
The basic task of the TIOPs is to enable passengers within the integrated transport system to transfer smoothly and quickly from rail transport to public transport and vice versa, as well as enable the usage of trains for transport within the city.
In addition to Vrakuňa and Bory – Lamačská Brána, the TIOP railway stops have also been proposed for Ružinov, Devínská Nová Ves, Patrónka-Železná Studienka, Mladá Garda and Trnávka. The feasibility study of the Bratislava railway junction, completed in 2019, was to show which of the proposed TIOPs are worth building from an economic point of view. According to ŽSR, such TIOPs are Ružinov and Vrakuňa. The study recommended the Bory stop only if there was a good connection to public transport, i.e. extension of the tram line from Dúbravka.
