A car ride from Warsaw to Kraków may take two hours more than a train journey. The same is true for numerous locations around Poland, especially ones in the northern and central part of the country. It is worth noting that estimated travel times fail to take road traffic obstructions in Kraków into account, which is yet another reason to stick to rail services.
Previous experience related to huge events like the World Youth Day or European Football Championship clearly shows the importance of mass transportation means. The streets of host cities would be unable to accommodate the cars of all participants. Also, it is usually required to make certain parts of the city closed for traffic. This is why a much wiser choice for visitors is to use trains and the public transport system in a given city.
The above is also true for the World Youth Day in Kraków. Railway operators have prepared a special timetable, and are going to run 350 additional trains. They have also raised the capacity of crucial lines, renovated numerous stations, prepared special ticket offers, and made sure passengers would be assisted by English-speaking staff.
Modernization works carried out at railway routes within the past few years mean that despite road infrastructure improvements, in most cases it is still quicker to travel by train than by car. Moreover, car drivers can expect lots of traffic obstructions in Kraków. Given all of that, rail seems to be the most reasonable choice for WYD.
Source: PKP- Polish rails during WYD
Fotografia © Anna Karahan