On October 13, 2025, renovated tram tracks reopened on Warsaw’s Marszałkowska street, but the new green tracks between Świętokrzyska and Królejska are already causing emergency service delays and daily traffic jams.
Date of Re-Opening
Tram service resumed on October 13, 2025 after months of refurbishment on the Marszałkowska corridor.
New “Green Tracks” Installation
The renovated section between Świętokrzyska and Królejska now features a soft, green surface with embedded track separators, a change from the previous concrete track layout.
Alongside the new tracks, the boulevard has been reduced to two lanes in each direction and a high curb has been erected between the road and the rail.
Impact on Emergency Vehicle Access
Emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire engines previously used the concrete track to pass quickly during alarms; the new layout has increased their travel time to several minutes.
Drivers report that, in rush hour, ambulances literally “fight” for passage amid congested traffic.
Drivers’ Experiences
Drivers on Marszałkowska face a tight bottleneck, with parked cars, high curbs and unfinished tree‑planting space hindering quick maneuvers onto the tracks.
Attempts to create a “life corridor” have failed to provide sufficient space for emergency vehicles to maneuver safely.
Resident Concerns
Local residents fear that the current street layout may overly lengthen emergency response times and have expressed worries about safety and comfort.
Many view the conflict between greening the boulevard and maintaining efficient emergency vehicle access as having been solved at the expense of public safety.
Persistent Traffic Congestion
The bottleneck between Dmowskiego Roundabout and Królejska generates near‑continuous jams throughout the day, as reported by numerous drivers and passengers.
Videos sent to the editorial office show emergency vehicles attempting to squeeze through static car queues.