Warsaw Szczęśliwice

Warszawa Szczęśliwice is a depot station used by the Warsaw Rapid Urban Railway (SKM), with a history dating back to the 1930s, when the electrification of the Warsaw railway hub began. The Pruszków–Otwock section was launched on December 15, 1936, and the Szczęśliwice locomotive depot was opened in the second half of the 1930s. The station is located in the Wola district, near industrial areas and shopping centers. During World War II, the station was destroyed by bombing, and in 1942, as part of a sabotage operation by the Home Army, tragic events took place here, in which 89 prisoners of Pawiak were murdered. The station's buildings, dating from 1922–1933, combine elements of Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque architecture and are protected as historical monuments. They were entered into the register of monuments in 2007, and in 2014, there were plans to relocate the Railway Museum to the station site. The station features an extensive track layout and a full-train hall, with a steel structure measuring 392.3 meters in length and a volume of 63,834 m³. In 2014, PKP Intercity ended its use of the facility, and SKM Warszawa signed a lease agreement, enabling the adaptation and modernization of the infrastructure. The complete modernization of the station, including track electrification and the construction of new facilities, was completed in March 2017. Interestingly, the inspection hall, used for rolling stock maintenance, also became a site where PKP Intercity trains underwent servicing. The station also serves as a memorial site, featuring a cross and a plaque commemorating the 1942 executions. Thus, Warszawa Szczęśliwice is a place rich in history, where modernized infrastructure intertwines with the memory of the past.