PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEM IN GLIWICE TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE

The city of Gliwice has built one of the largest public transport facilities in the region at a cost of more than PLN 200 million. The transport interchange combines bus and rail transport. A few moments after leaving the train, we can reach the bus thanks to a tunnel connecting all the platforms to the bus station. DYSTEN produced a comprehensive passenger information system that presents train and bus departures: ZTM metropolitan connections, local lines, international transport.

Comprehensive Passenger Information System

Passenger information at the Transport Interchange in Gliwice has been designed in such a way that travellers can access it easily and quickly at any point. Each of the 26 bus departure points is equipped with double-sided LED amber passenger information system boards with TTS system. It is activated by an illuminated key in the pole – pressing it “reads” the information from the screen. This is one of the facilities for visually impaired or blind people. The boards display current departure information and any delays, showing the current time, line number, direction and departure time.

In the main building, each floor has a set of 3-in-1 real-time passenger information boards using LED amber / TFT LCD technology, which display the departures of metropolitan lines, local connections, departures of international lines and departures of passenger trains from the Gliwice railway station.

An additional set of 3-in-1 Passenger Information Boards is installed in the train station tunnel.

On the platforms of the transport interchange, 2 interactive boards were installed that can display any content, including advertising and information, set on a concrete plinth with the Gliwice logo. At the exit from the tunnel of the railway station there are railway info-kiosks, displaying information on train departures, equipped with an analogue clock.

DYSTEN has also implemented a Local System to process and display passenger information, including a server and operator station. The system is fully automatic, with the possibility for manual data correction by the dispatcher.

No trams, fewer cars, dense network of connections

The city authorities abolished tram transport in 2009. Buses remained the only option for municipal transport. The construction of the Transport Interchange was a natural consequence of previous decisions and part of a strategy to convince drivers to use public transport more often.

Thanks to its integration with the railway station, the Transport Interchange, bringing together numerous bus lines in one place, is in the full sense of the word Gliwice’s gateway to the world. This new transport heart of the city fulfils an important task – we want the residents to use public transport more often and the car traffic, especially in the centre of Gliwice, to be increasingly smaller, said Mayor of Gliwice Adam Neumann during the opening.

The Metropolitan Transport Authority (ZTM) has modified its route network to correlate with local courses and provided bus connections to Katowice Airport.

The voivode of Silesia, Jarosław Wieczorek said: As a resident of Gliwice, I am very pleased that thanks to this investment project the city can develop and become a gateway not only to the cities of the Upper Silesian agglomeration, but also to the world, as the bus lines proposed by the metropolis to Katowice airport give the residents very broad, even global, possibilities.

In the coming years, the location of the Gliwice transport interchange will be supported by the route of the Metropolitan Railway. This will help build a new quality of public transport connections in this part of Upper Silesia.

Gliwice has been systematically modernising the city’s traffic-related infrastructure for years – introducing Variable Message Signs (VMS) and a car park display system. DYSTEN participated in both projects.

Big scale, ecology, innovation

The transport interchange was built on neglected land bought from the Polish State Railways (PKP). Within the large body of the transport interchange there are 26 bus stands, a building for passengers with a ZTM Passenger Service Point, a waiting room and bathrooms. On the first floor there is another waiting room, equipped with free WIFI, chargers with USB sockets and wireless chargers. Four commercial spaces (for shops or catering) and an enclosed rest area for long distance drivers have also been created on this floor.

The existing underground tunnel connecting the railway station with Tarnogórska Street was rebuilt, and a connector between the railway station and the transport interchange was constructed. Classic stairs, a moving walkway and a glass lift lead travellers to the centre’s three zones:

– a bicycle area with a lockable box for 10 bikes, a shelter for 24 bikes and a self-repair facility for bicycles,
– a bus area with numerous bus stands,
– passenger services, located in the modern, glazed and air-conditioned main building.

Pic. Mosquidron / UM Gliwice

The nearby water tower, which is more than 100 years old, has been refurbished, and distinctive covered platform areas for buses have been created. The roof of the transport interchange is equipped with photovoltaic systems, which are a source of “green energy”, and the facades are made of photocatalytic cement-based panels, which have antibacterial and self-cleaning properties. Thanks to a coating of nanometric titanium dioxide, it also reduces harmful nitrogen oxides in the air, the source of which is car exhaust. Sunlight and rain trigger a process that oxidises organic substances on the facade surface.

There is a lot of greenery in the transport interchange area – more than 130 trees of various species, 9,000 shrubs and more than 400 climbing plants, which will remain green all year round, have been planted.

Close to the entrance from Tarnogórska Street, a Kiss&Ride car park has been located, which allows you to stop to drop off a passenger for the bus or train.

Pic. R. Naumann / UM Gliwice

Facilities for the disabled

The complex is adapted to the needs of people with mobility impairments and the visually impaired and blind. For the benefit of blind and partially sighted people, the interchange centre has been fitted with tactile maps and tactile boards. Throughout the area there are tactile pavements and benches with handrails.

Big project, big EU funding

This massive project, financed from the EU budget to the tune of over PLN 129 million, certainly meets the expectations of the residents of Poland’s most populous region, who use public transport on a daily basis. Thanks to the improvement of the multimodal model of public transport, Gliwice fulfils the assumptions of the European Green Deal, assesses Angela Martinez Sarasola, Director of the Poland Unit in the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission. Moreover, we have not overlooked the organisation of the Transport Interchange, which will significantly improve the quality of travel for residents not only of Gliwice, but also of the whole of Silesia. This is a tangible example of how European cohesion policy is dedicated to all citizens of the European Union.

The investment project is a major step towards making road transport more sustainable. The Transport Interchange has been co-financed by the ERDF under the RPO WSL 2014-2020.

Pic. Mosquidron / UM Gliwice

DYSTEN has extensive experience in implementing complex dynamic passenger information system projects, finely tuned to the needs of the investor and the location. We encourage you to contact an expert who will help you build your system in an optimal way.