Breakthrough Decisions for Krakow: New Runway at Balice and Green Light for Metro

Recent days have brought a series of crucial decisions for Krakow's transport infrastructure, which could define the city's development for the coming decades. The most important event is the issuance by the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) of an environmental decision for the construction of a new runway at Balice airport. This investment, considered critical for the safety and capacity of Poland's largest regional airport, has faced resistance from some residents and procedural problems for years. The new runway is to replace the currently used one, which requires a major overhaul. Although the decision opens the way for work to begin, airport representatives temper enthusiasm, pointing out that they still face the stage of obtaining a building permit and potential appeals from environmental organizations. Parallelly, an equally significant decision regarding rail transport was made in the city itself. RDOŚ approved the environmental conditions for the construction of the central stage of Krakow's pre-metro. However, this project, connecting east-west districts with a tunnel under the Old Town, is generating considerable political emotions. Mayor Aleksander Miszalski announced that the city can count on government support of 10 billion złoty for building a classic metro instead of a pre-metro. This declaration prompted an immediate reaction from deputy ministers of the government, who denied the existence of binding financial promises on such a scale. The confusion around funding coincides with growing political pressure on the incumbent mayor, against whom calls for a recall referendum are being formulated. Former Mayor Jacek Majchrowski also spoke out, calling the referendum initiative a political stunt and questioning the rationale for building a metro in its current form. The construction of the second runway at Balice has been planned since 2016, but the procedure was blocked by the Supreme Administrative Court in 2022 for formal reasons, forcing the airport to redevelop the environmental report.While Krakow grapples with major strategic projects, other Polish metropolises are focusing on fleet modernization. Wrocław presented a fleet of nearly 60 new Mercedes-Benz Conecto buses, which is part of a broad fleet revolution at the local Municipal Transport Company. Częstochowa, in turn, introduced 10 modern Solaris electric buses into service, including articulated models, which aligns with the trend of decarbonizing public transport. Despite differences in the scale and nature of these investments, they all indicate strong pressure from local governments to improve residents' mobility while considering stringent environmental protection requirements. The first plans to build a metro in Krakow date back to the 1970s, and in 2014 residents voted in favor of this investment in a local referendum, although the first shovel has yet to be turned.„To historyczna chwila, na którą mieszkańcy Krakowa czekali od dziesięcioleci. Decyzja środowiskowa przybliża nas do realizacji sprawnego transportu podziemnego.” (This is a historic moment that Krakow residents have been waiting for for decades. The environmental decision brings us closer to realizing efficient underground transport.) — Mayor of Krakow, initiator of accelerating metro works.The political situation in Krakow remains dynamic. Donald Tusk publicly supported Mayor Miszalski, suggesting that attempts to recall him are orchestrated by the parliamentary opposition. Simultaneously, speculation has appeared in the media about Bogdan Klich's return to local politics as a potential candidate in case of early elections, which the person concerned denies for now. The dispute over the metro has thus become not only an engineering issue but the main battleground for influence in the capital of Lesser Poland, where voices about the lack of real funds from the state budget could determine support for the current city mayor.