On Krakow's Starowiślna Street , streetcar tracks are melting and deforming, and can even puncture the streetcar's floor. However, the cyclical problems with the artery connectingKazimierz with the Old Town are about to come to an end. When will Starowiślna go for renovation, what changes will take place on it and why is traffic reorganization there a necessity?
There are streets in Krakow about which we hear all too often in the context of traffic problems. If one were to organize a list, the top spot would probably be occupied by Długa street, where incorrectly parked cars block streetcar traffic almost every week, or Wielicka street, where most traffic accidents occurred last year. A place of honor should be given to Starowislna Street, whose infrastructural woes have become almost legendary among the residents of Krakow.
Starowislna street in Cracow
Photo: Adrian Grycuk © CC BY SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
One hears about problems with streetcar transportation on Starowiślna Street regardless of the season. When it's hot, the streetcar rails, caught in the wide, almost entirely green roadway, melt and bulge. In April 2025, during the first, still spring heat, the track bulged so much that a car was stuck on top of it...stuck. Local news portals also write about similar problems when it gets colder. That's when the streetcar tracks begin to crack and become deformed.
The tracks have even punctured the streetcar
One of the most glaring, and at the same time dangerous, examples of the destructive effects of cold on the tracks along Starowislna Street occurred during the first attack of winter this year. On Saturday, November 22, a deformed rail broke away from the street and punctured the floor of a streetcar passing over it. Although - fortunately - no one was hurt in the dangerous incident, it did not mean the end of trouble on Starowiślna Street. On the night of November 26-27, one of the rails simply... disappeared. It's hard to say who was behind its removal from the track, traffic has fortunately already been restored. However, the real winter is yet to come, so the frosts will probably once again experience the tracks on Starowislna Street. And what is the city doing about it?
Modernization of Starowiślna Street
press mat. of the city council
Reconstruction of Starowiślna Street in Krakow
Over the years, activities have been ad hoc, consisting of repairs and ongoing maintenance of the heavily degraded trackbed. Recently, it has even announced the purchase of a track grinding machine, which the Cracow City Roads Board has so far rented from outside companies. It's hard to resist the impression that such measures stabilize the situation only temporarily, as stops on Starowislna Street have actually become routine. And as the latest incident showed, they turn out to be not only inconvenient, but also dangerous. So Starowiślna needs an overhaul, and at the same time - a major reconstruction that will improve the lives of residents on many levels, not just the one related to public transportation. For several years, the city authorities have had a plan to rebuild the important street connecting Kazimierz with the Old Town. What problems should be faced when redesigning Starowislna Street?
New traffic organization on Starowiślna Street in Krakow
press mat. of the city council of Krakow
One direction on Starowiślna
The main problem of Starowiślna, like other 19th-century streets in Krakow, is its narrow width, unsuitable for the current size of the city, resulting, among other things, from the small size of the city at the time and the limitations of the Fortress of Krakow. At present, we can't fit all the functions that should be on a contemporary street there, so we have to compromise, but also set priorities. Priority should be given to streetcars, which we need to ensure smooth passage (which excludes car traffic on the tracks) and pedestrian traffic. After all, Starowislna is a downtown commercial street, and it is pedestrians who benefit from the services it offers. It is also one of the main pedestrian routes from the Old Town to Kazimierz. On top of that, the issue of bicycle traffic must be taken into account, as well as greenery and parking spaces, for example for supply vehicles.
- says Pawel Halat of the Coalition of Krakow Movements "Together for the City."
The change that will arouse the most controversy among Krakow residents will be the change in the organization of traffic on Starowislna Street. As early as 2020, the City consulted on the concept, according to which cars on Starowiślna Street will move only in the direction of Powstańców Śląskich Bridge, thus continuing the direction of changes that the city took during the modernization of the initial section of Starowiślna Street, located between Krakow's 1st Ring Road and Jozef Dietl Street. Traffic in the opposite direction would go through Halicka Street, which will gain a traffic circle at the intersection with Podgórska Street.
Cross-section of Starowislna street after changes
press mat. of the city council
Why won't two lanes of car traffic fit on Starowiślna Street?
Given the width of Starowiślna Street, which is less than 18 and a half meters, we are unable to accommodate two lanes for car traffic and other necessary functions. Introducing one-way traffic here is a necessity, not a worldview decision. It is difficult to argue with mathematics, otherwise we would have to demolish one of the frontages. It should be remembered that it was precisely to relieve pressure on Starowiślna Street that the Kotlarski Bridge was built, which took over some of the traffic from the Powstańców Śląskich Bridge.
- Pawel Halat explains.
Before the war, trees grew along Starowiślna Street - Starowiślna Street in 1928
© NAC
Starowiślna in the shadow of trees
At least as importantly, Starowiślna is to finally match the standards of downtown streets in the 21st century. The main change will be the introduction of greenery. The streetcar tracks on Starowiślna melt every summer for good reason, as the street connecting the Old Town with Kazimierz and Podgórze is actually one big urban heat island. The stretch between Jozef Dietl and Miodowa Streets doesn't have a single tree, not even mentioning bushes or lawns. Moving towards the Powstańców Śląskich Bridge, one can come across some local greenery, but there is no continuity of the space overgrown by vegetation.
Starowislna street in Cracow
Photo: Adrian Grycuk © CC BY SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
The project to rebuild Starowiślna Street aims to change this state of affairs. According to the presented cross-section, the new organization of Starowiślna Street is to put a premium on pedestrians, greenery, bicycle traffic and public transportation. It is in this order that Starowiślna is to be shaped, with a green belt separating pedestrians from the roadway. As announced by the Cracow City Roads Authority, this will include not only low greenery, but also many trees and shrubs, which over time will restore shade, so much needed on Starowiślna Street.
The representative, commercial character of Starowislna Street, its historical conditions and progressive climate change require the restoration of trees in the area. I was in the group of people who long ago advocated changing the transit character of Starowiślna Street and restoring the rows of trees. The return of greenery was one of the priorities for the street's residents who participated in the consultations. Currently, the project envisages the development of a continuous greenbelt along the roadway (but it is unclear whether trees will appear). As the Coalition of Krakow Movements Together for the City, we submitted comments to the Starowiślna project, one element of which was a suggestion to shape the greenery - in the form of a designated strip with trees and a sidewalk no narrower than 2.5 meters, or windows with trees, with the sidewalk locally narrowed to no less than 2 meters. Pedestrian traffic on Starowislna is forcibly very high, it is the main street that communicates the Old Town with Kazimierz and Podgórze. The sidewalk must be wide enough to allow free movement, and at the same time it must be remembered that tenement houses often have elaborate facades with risalits, and there are also poles or trash garbage cans that impede pedestrian traffic - the design should also take this into account.
- Pawel Halat suggests.
Like FENikS from the ashes
However, the changes will still have to wait. Although the design documentation was already agreed upon in late October 2025, the renovation of Starowislna Street in Krakow is not expected to begin until the middle of next year and last until the end of 2027. The cost of the entire project is estimated at around PLN 130 million, with as much as 82.6 the city obtained this August from European FENiKS funds.
