Railroad officials have finally restored the train station in Hel to its former glory. However, it's hard to resist the impression that while the facade, which has been deteriorating for years, has been nicely restored, the interior arrangement - at this important tourist station - has been treated negligently. The train station in Puck also lived to see its opening.
Due to their coastal location, the stations in Hel and Puck serve crowds of tourists in the summer. Both buildings lie on the 213 Reda-Hel railroad line, and their glory days were long behind them. The Hel railway station was built in the 1920s, and is characterized by an elevation of half-timbered construction (the so-called half-timbering). Railroad officials boast that during the nearly 1.5-year renovation, which cost PLN 10.03 million, the building regained its historic appearance.
An open shelter was reconstructed on the south side. The building's unique half-timbered facade also underwent renovation. The wooden elements were painted dark brown, and the surfaces in between were painted white. The roof, meanwhile, was covered with natural brick-colored tiles, according to the railway company.
The railroaders also enumerate that architectural barriers have been eliminated and improvements have been made for people with disabilities, and new windows and doors have appeared. A new feature in the station's surroundings is a bicycle shed, on the roof of which photovoltaic panels have been installed to generate "green energy." And also - outside - a corner for the youngest.
A new travel service area also awaits passengers. Near the waiting room, which has been arranged in modern shades of white (walls, ceiling) and gray (floor) and equipped with showcases for timetables, electronic boards of train arrivals and departures, benches and a clock, passengers will find toilets and rooms for the ticket office and for a parent with a child, notes Bartlomiej Sarna of the PKP company.
Hel train station - nice facade, bland interior
But while the facade, which has been deteriorating for years, has regained its historic splendor and the building finally looks good from the outside, the same cannot be said of the interior. Yes, it has been renovated, but the interior arrangement and landscaping of the grounds - at this important tourist station - have been treated very much in a low-key manner. The "modernity" mentioned by PKP has stripped the seaside station of its character. Such an interior could have been built practically anywhere. Besides, the lack of greenery around the station stings the eye. The railroaders decided not to introduce it - and this despite the fact that the renovation also included the area in front of the building, including a new pavement. The area around it is therefore difficult to consider today as an attractive public space.
This is how the renovated interior of the train station in Hel looks like
© PKP
Similar impressions can also be felt in Puck. Although here , as PKP stresses , in the interior of the rebuilt 1928 building there are "details referring to the historical character of the building." The renovation took more than two years and consumed PLN 11.6 million.
Puck railway station. What has changed?
The higher part of the building was restored to its brick appearance, while the lower first floor, which formerly housed the railroad dispatch center, was rebuilt from scratch, plastered and painted white. It also gained an aluminum and glass facade. The building also gained night illumination , according to PKP.
The lobby and the seasonal waiting room were redecorated. The station building provides for service premises: a nearly 200-square-meter unit on the first floor and offices.
Puck railway station after reconstruction
© PKP
The waiting room and lobby were decorated in a modern way, and kept in fashionable shades of white and gray. An interesting feature is the floor with white and black tiles with geometric borders (a decorative element of the floor), which have been recreated on the pattern of historical ones, as well as the exposure of gray-painted brick in the upper part of the walls , according to the railroaders.
Importantly, a number of improvements have been made at both stations for people with disabilities.
The interior of the train station in Puck after reconstruction
© PKP
In Puck, the immediate surroundings of the station underwent a metamorphosis. New paving has been laid, elements of small architecture have appeared, and a bicycle shelter is planned. Between it and the station's facade, in a small square, space has been left for setting up food trucks in the summer season. Unfortunately, as in Hel - it is in vain to look for greenery.
