FROM MARCH THE MONTHLY TICKETS IN THE TRANSPORT GZM ALSO FOR THE RAILWAY

The Agreement with the Silesian Voivodeship, Koleje Śląskie, and the POLREGIO was concluded on the 22^nd of December 2023. 

From the 1^st of March, the price of a 30-day ticket valid in the area of 1 city will amount to PLN 119. The price change (by PLN 10) results from the costs of the public organisation, in particular the energy and payroll prices. However, as a result of the agreement signed with the regional government of the Silesian Voivodeship, in the ticket price the passengers will also gain a possibility to move by rail.

– For us this is a milestone on the path towards full integration of various means of transport – says Mr Kazimierz Karolczak, the President of the Management Board of the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis (GZM). – The travelling through big urban clusters should just consist in choosing by the passenger the fastest or at the moment the most convenient connection, and not in thinking whether his/her ticket is valid in the given means of transport. And a train in many situations is definitely much faster, not only than a bus or tram, but also a car – he adds.

– The residents have been waiting for such information for quite a long time, and I am happy that we have managed to find a proper form for this cooperation – emphasises Mr Jakub Chełstowski, the Marshall of the Silesian Voivodeship. – The public transport in the Silesian Voivodeship should be modern, ecological, and competitive in terms of prices, so that it could be a real alternative to using a car. A common ticket, integrating the offers of the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ZTM), Koleje Śląskie, and the Polregio in the area of the conurbation, means not only savings for the purse, but also a greater possibility of choosing a means of transport for passengers, who do not have to compare the offers of each carrier, to reach their destination comfortably and safely.

– We consider the next year as a pilot project – adds Mr Grzegorz Kwitek, member of the GZM Management Board, responsible for transport. – At the same time, we will continue discussions about the next steps, the next types of tickets. We are also pleased with the increase in the cooperation with the POLREGIO company. From the 1^st of March, all railway lines in the area of the GZM, served by this carrier, will be included in the integration. This will substantially increase the offer and possibilities of travelling for passengers.

Cheaper through Katowice

The Metroticket 1 City 30 is good news for the residents of Katowice, who for a similar ticket (Katowice Zone) were paying so far PLN 159. Now, also within this ticket, it will be possible to move by all means of transport in the area of such cities as Gliwice, Tychy, Mysłowice, or Dąbrowa Górnicza, where there are several railway stations and stops, and which was previously not possible at such a favourable price option. 

A ticket for two neighbouring cities will cost PLN 149 (the same price as now, and passengers additionally gain the railway).

Area Ticket and a greater flexibility

An Area Metroticket 30, which replaces the hitherto ‘colour’ Metrotickets, will be a novelty in the tariff.

On the Transport GZM side, this ticket will entitle to travel within the entire network, by all buses, trams, and trolleybuses. On the railway side, it will be possible to travel with it in the area of three to six consecutively neighbouring municipalities.

From the point of view of persons already travelling by trains, the new Area Ticket will allow passengers greater flexibility than the hitherto Metrotickets. So far, individual tickets were valid on a precisely defined part of the network, e.g., between Dąbrowa Górnicza and Katowice. Now, it will be possible to buy a cheaper ticket for any section, e.g., between Zabrze and Sosnowiec, Chorzów and Dąbrowa Górnicza, according to the passenger’s needs, without the necessity of buying the ticket for the whole railway network. 

The Area Ticket will also be very favourable in terms of price. So far, the ‘colour’ Metrotickets costed PLN 220. Now, the Area Ticket’s price will be PLN 189, PLN 31 less.

Ticket for everything for PLN 249

The Metroticket Network 30, valid on the entire network of the Transport GZM urban transport and on all railway lines of Koleje Śląskie and the POLREGIO in the area of the GZM, will cost PLN 249. This is cheaper by PLN 50, as compared with the hitherto Metroticket, valid in the entire network. 

Changes from the 1^st of March

The hitherto common ticket 24h + Railway will remain at the same price, PLN 24, but its name will change to Metroticket 24h.

Changes in the Transport GZM tariff will take effect on the 1^st of March 2024. A price change of the other long-term tickets is also planned by that time. During the recent two and a half year they remained on the same level, despite a more than 30% inflation in that period. 

Also, a fragment of the railway line S9, on the Tarnowskie Góry - Pyrzowice airport section, and further on to Siewierz, passing through Miasteczko Śląskie, which is not a part of the GZM, will be included in the integration. 

New connections due to the POLREGIO

As a result of agreement with the POLREGIO, Metrotickets will allow to use a bigger number of connections. So far, they were valid only in trains served by this company between Katowice and Sławków. Now, it will be also possible to use such trains between Gliwice and Pyskowice and the municipality of Rudziniec, and between Katowice and Mysłowice, in trains moving towards Krakow.

Among the cheapest in the country

Despite changes in the tariff price list, the season tickets in the Transport GZM remain among the cheapest in the country, and despite a very large area of the network.

In the Krakow conurbation, a ticket entitling to travel by all means of transport costs PLN 159 (through Krakow only) or PLN 199 (for the entire network).

The Łódź conurbation is more expensive, where a 30-day ticket for Łódź itself, and for buses and trams only, costs PLN 168, and for the entire network - PLN 202. The tickets, which allow to travel fast also by railways are more expensive; a ticket for Łódź and two nearest cities costs PLN 229, and with suburban buses - PLN 280.

Definitely more expensive is also the Poznań conurbation, where a resident of a municipality situated outside Poznań, for a possibility of moving on the entire network by train and urban transport, will pay PLN 260 up to even PLN 398. Without trains these prices range from PLN 149 to 304.

Warsaw is cheaper than the GZM, where a basic personal 30-day ticket for Warsaw costs PLN 110, and for the suburban zone - PLN 180.