Skierniewice railway station

Almost 13,000 passengers a day use Skierniewice station on railway line no. 1 between Warsaw and Katowice, so the redevelopment could not interrupt passenger services, and a temporary station was needed for the duration of the works.

PKP S.A. needed documentation that would meet EU funding requirements. The design documentation for the redevelopment of Skierniewice station was co-financed by the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Programme 2014–2020, which meant fixed deadlines and demanding formal requirements. On top of that, the building had to be fully adapted for people with reduced mobility in line with TSI-PRM, the European technical specification for rail accessibility for people with disabilities, and every change had to be made within a listed building. PKP S.A.'s brief also required the upper floor and attic, partly empty and partly used by administration, to be turned into commercial units to let, although no commercial unit had ever operated on the upper floor before.

The history of Skierniewice station has several layers. The present building was completed in 1875 and thoroughly rebuilt in 1919–1921, when the side pavilions were raised and the layout of the interiors and entrances changed, and in 1954 the ticket hall received the Mieszkowskis' artistically valuable sgraffiti depicting railway work.

PAKA.archi's task was to respect each of these layers while finding room in Skierniewice station for uses it had never had before. The redevelopment covered a new room layout, replacement of the plumbing and electrical services, repairs to the façade and roof, and adapting the building for people with disabilities, including the installation of 3 lifts.

In the new layout of Skierniewice station, the ground floor serves travellers, and about 900 m² of commercial units to let were fitted into the upper floor and the attic. PAKA.archi restored 2 historic entrances on the north and south sides and, on the east side, opened a passage to the footbridge leading to the Widok estate. PAKA.archi also designed a temporary station built from containers on the east side of the building, which took over passenger services during construction.

At Skierniewice station, PAKA.archi was responsible for the architecture and all the engineering documentation, prepared with its consultants: ALBRACO for the structure, ISMA for plumbing and drainage and MS Michał Simiński for electrical services. Every solution went through heritage approval, and PAKA.archi ran the redevelopment design in cooperation with the Łódź Voivodeship Heritage Conservation Officer, from the concept to design supervision on site.

The redeveloped Skierniewice station opened to travellers on 15 December 2025. With its north and south entrances reinstated, the building's historic layout is clear again, and the 1950s sgraffito in the ticket hall was restored.

Skierniewice station is now fully accessible to people with disabilities. Tactile guidance paths, Braille signage and tactile maps have been added in the passenger areas.

About 900 m² on the upper floor and in the attic of Skierniewice station were given over to commercial units, including a patisserie, a photography studio, a dance school and a florist, so the building now brings PKP S.A. rental income. PKP S.A. CEO Alan Beroud called the station a true showcase for the town.