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ILF has been working to find the most efficient, reliable, and financially viable option for building new rail transportation in Krakow since September 2018. For that purpose, the company conducted extensive analyses taking into account, among others, planning and financial conditions, characteristics and evaluation of existing transportation subsystems, traffic analyses for the routes, technical, environmental and economic analyses, geological studies, as well as a financial plan. An important aspect which had impact on the presented solutions was the course of the routes in the area of the Old Town and the monuments located there, which required detailed consultations with the municipal and provincial preservation services. ILF Poland’s task was also to obtain opinions from numerous entities regarding the proposed solutions.

Three types of public transportation were analyzed – metro line, premetro “shuttle” and premetro fast tramway. Seven variants of routes in the east-west direction in the northern part of the city were taken into account, including four sub-options for each of them, which were subjected to traffic analyses and the possibility of using the above-mentioned means of transport was checked. The analysis covered seven time horizons up to 2058. This was followed by an optimization of the tramway and bus systems. In total, more than 300 combinations of calculations were performed, resulting in three alternatives for further technical analyses. ILF Poland, having considered the results, recommended the choice of premetro fast tramway as the most advantageous solution in financial, social, and functional terms.

According to the assumptions, the suggested premetro variant is a approx. 22 km long route with 32 stops, connecting Wzgórze Krzesławickie with the area of Jasnogórska street in Prądnik Biały. The length of the tunnel section of this route is to be 6.6 km, and the overground section (flyover) – 1.4 km. The remaining part of the route is to run on the ground. In the study, ILF Poland proposed dividing the section into three stages, for which the planned commissioning date has been set for 2033 – 2037. The estimated number of passengers travelling during rush hours by the new means of transportation may amount to about 14 thousand people, and the cost of implementing the entire task is about 6 billion zlotys gross.

On June 7th, 2021 ILF Poland presented the most important assumptions of the study at a press conference in Krakow.