Kraków Główny, in English Kraków Main, is the largest and the most centrally located railway station in Kraków, Poland. The railway station was situated in a historical building, constructed between 1844 and 1847 by Rosenbaum, which lies parallel to the tracks. The design was chosen to allow for future line expansion. The station was initially a terminus of the KrakówUpper Silesia Railway. Trains entered the trainshed via a brick archway at the northern end of the station which was almost doubled in size in 1871. In 2014, a new building was opened.
History and early connections
The station opened on 13 October 1847, with the first train leaving for Mysłowice. The railway line was extended eastwards in 1856, when the first section to Dębica was built by the Galician Railway of Archduke Charles Louis connecting Kraków with Lwów in Galicia. The increasing traffic resulted in the station's modernization and enlargement in several stages between 1869 and 1894. The next substantial expansion took place in the 1930s in the reborn Polish Republic. At that time the northern brick wall and trainshed were demolished, the latter replaced by individual platform roofs.
Underground expansion and revitalisation
A new urban shopping mall, Galeria Krakowska, opened in September 2006 with adjacent parking for 1,400 cars. The construction of the Galeria Krakowska and remodelling of the area in front of the main station building means that taxis are no longer able to drive up to the station or collect passengers directly from the main entrance; however, the free overhead parking and passenger pick-up right above the tracks is now closer to the platforms, accessible via a convenient elevator. The station has undergone a multimillion złoty refurbishment to improve passengers' experience. A new transport interchange has been developed. This includes a bus station to the east, and an express tram line under the station which opened in December 2008. A new underground ticket hall opened in February 2014, with waiting rooms, travel centres and other amenities. This is located to the north of the earlier platform underpass, and connected to the platforms by escalators. It also provides two new direct exits/entrances to the station complex, one from the lower level of Galeria Krakowska and another from the Regional Bus Station located to the east of the railway station. The current platform underpass will also be refurbished. As part of this large investment all platforms and tracks have been replaced.
