Poznań Główny is taking another step towards a major transformation.
PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (Polish Railways), working together with the City of Poznań, has launched a tender for the architectural and spatial concept of a completely new main railway station and the surrounding area.
The tender is not yet for construction. Instead, it is intended to establish what the future station could look like, how passengers will move through it and how the railway site can be better connected with the city around it.
The contract with the selected design team is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2027. The completed concept is due no later than the second half of 2028.
A new station between Avenida and Dworcowy Bridge
The planned concept covers the area between Avenida shopping centre, Poznań Zachodni railway station and Most Dworcowy. That makes the project considerably broader than simply replacing the existing station building.
One of the key aims will be to allow passengers to move around Poznań Główny more easily. The plans should improve access to the platforms while bringing railway services, public transport and the surrounding streets into a more coherent and aesthetic urban space.
The redevelopment is also linked to proposed changes to Dworcowa Street, which is expected to play an important role between the new station and the city centre.
For a city that welcomes tens of thousands of rail passengers every day, this is a particularly significant piece of infrastructure. The city reports that Poznań Główny currently handles around 500 long-distance and regional trains each day, with approximately 80,000 passengers using the station daily.
The building would rise above the tracks
One of the defining features of the plans is that the new station building is expected to be constructed above the tracks and platforms.
This approach is connected to the wider reconstruction of Poznań Główny. The old station building is planned to make way for additional railway infrastructure, including new tracks and platforms. The new passenger building would then sit above this reorganised railway layout.
Once the planned reconstruction is completed, the station is expected to have nine platforms: eight two-sided and one single-sided platform serving the area around Dworzec Letni.
The intention is to create a station where the relationship between the shopping centre, platforms and surrounding transport network is easier to understand and use.
Jacek Jaśkowiak, Mayor of Poznań, said:
“Poznań is changing and needs infrastructure that reflects its current scale while also allowing for further development. Poznań Główny is one of the most important elements of this system. That is why we want the new station to be well designed not only from the perspective of the railway, but also of the entire city and its residents.”
Natalia Weremczuk, Deputy Mayor of Poznań, added:
“The new Poznań Główny should be designed as part of the city, rather than as an object functioning alongside it. That is why, from the beginning, we have wanted close cooperation with PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe in shaping not only the station itself, but its entire surroundings. It is an important investment, but also a significant urban planning challenge. We want a place that is functional for passengers, welcoming to residents and well integrated into the structure of Poznań.”
Part of a much larger railway transformation
The new station is being planned alongside the wider reconstruction of the Poznań railway junction.
Design work for the Poznań railway hub has been under way since December 2024. The wider project is looking at additional tracks, new railway stops around the metropolitan area, grade-separated road and rail crossings and the future development of high-speed rail and the Integrated Railway Network.
The documentation is expected to be completed by 2029. Construction of the wider railway works will depend on securing the necessary funding.
This means the future Poznań Główny cannot really be considered in isolation. The station is one part of a much larger attempt to increase the capacity of the railway network serving Poznań and the surrounding towns.
PKP PLK board member and director for strategy and development Maciej Kaczorek said:
“Functionality, aesthetics and rationality are the common denominators that reflect the values of Poznań residents and fully represent our assumptions for the construction of the new Poznań Główny. A modern facility for many years will become a showcase for the city, increasing the competitiveness of Wielkopolska on the map of Poland and Europe, while from the railway perspective it will provide significantly greater capacity, which, with the modernisation of the entire Poznań Railway Junction and the creation of the Integrated Railway Network, is crucial for the further development of rail transport.”
A station used by residents, commuters and international travellers
Poznań Główny has an important role in the city's everyday life. It serves local and regional passengers travelling across Wielkopolska, long-distance travellers heading to cities including Warsaw and Wrocław, and international passengers travelling towards Berlin.
Its position beside Avenida, close to the city centre and within walking distance of the Poznań International Fair grounds, also makes the station one of the first places many visitors encounter when arriving in the city.
That makes the relationship between the railway station and its surroundings particularly important. A better connection between the platforms, public transport, walking routes and the surrounding streets would affect not only rail passengers but also people who live, work and study in central Poznań.
The City and PKP PLK are therefore developing the concept together, with the aim of coordinating railway investment with planned changes to the city's public space. Given the historic character of central Poznań, discussions are also being held with the heritage conservation authorities.
The current announcement marks the beginning of another stage rather than the start of building work
The first task is to select a team capable of preparing several possible design solutions and identifying the most suitable approach. The contract is expected to be signed in the first quarter of 2027, with the architectural and spatial concept due in the second half of 2028 at the latest.
The timeline for the eventual construction of the new station will depend on the subsequent design, approvals, financing and the wider reconstruction programme.
For now, the most visible change is therefore still some way off. But after years of discussion around the future of Poznań Główny, the project has moved into a more concrete planning phase.
The next major question will be what the new station and its surrounding public space should actually look like, and how successful the final design will be in bringing together the needs of railway passengers, Poznań residents and the growing number of people arriving in the city by train.
See more: Poznań Civic Budget 2027: 158 projects will go to a public vote
Source: Poznań City Council
