The opening ceremony of the station was attended by representatives of local authorities, led by Lublin Mayor Krzysztof Żuk, Marshal of Lubelskie Voivodship Jarosław Stawiarski.

The opened station is a long-awaited modern and largest transportation center for the city of Lublin and the Lubelskie Voivodship. It is a transportation hub that will connect the city's internal transportation with regional and long-distance transport.

- We came here to you by train today, so I can safely say that I am one of the first passengers who had the opportunity to see how convenient the new station is. This is not a station for 2024, this is a station for 2050. I am very happy that European funds can serve such investments, said Deputy Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Jan Szyszko at the opening ceremony of the station.

The Metropolitan Station is not just a transfer point. It is a symbol of progress, modernity and concern for the environment. I would like to thank everyone involved in this project and encourage you to take advantage of the new opportunities brought by the Lublin Railway Station, said Marshal of Lubelskie Voivodship Jarosław Stawiarski.

Benefits for residents and the region

As a result of the project, it is expected that there will be a significant increase in the number of public transportation (up to approximately 4 million people per year), vehicles using "Park&Ride" parking spaces (up to over 30,000 per year) and cyclists using "Bike&Ride" parking spaces (up to over 6 thousand per year). In addition, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to decrease by 170.35 tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

These are concrete benefits for residents: reduced travel time, comfort and safety. Better communication means increased employment and economic growth in the region.

Energy self-sufficient station

The Metropolitan Railway Station in Lublin is an example of modern construction. It stands out for its innovative and eco-friendly solutions. Its design uses ground-source heat pumps for heating, and its innovative "building within a building" concept with a glass wall with a low heat transfer coefficient significantly reduces energy consumption.

Additionally, the station has a green roof with photovoltaic panels, a rainwater recovery system, and anti-smog paving stones were used to develop the surrounding area.

Communication center for Lublin and the entire region

The investment is not only the construction of the station (lobbies, waiting rooms, administration rooms, cash registers, small catering, information points), but also a comprehensive modernization of the region's transportation infrastructure.

A new road layout, bus platforms, parking spaces, parking lots (underground parking for Park&Ride cars), bicycle parking spaces, bicycle paths, lighting, monitoring and hotspot installations were created. The entire space is adapted to the needs of people with disabilities.

All these investments create the Integrated Communication Center (ZCK) for the Lublin Functional Area (LOF).

Railway station in Lublin – cooperation of local governments within the framework of Integrated Territorial Investments

The Metropolitan Station in Lublin was built as part of the Integrated Territorial Investments. The essence of this instrument is to entrust associations of local governments, concentrated around a provincial city, in this case Lublin, with influencing the selection and implementation of projects serving the inhabitants of the entire functional area of the city.

ZIT projects are prepared by local governments, cooperating in associations. They are funded by regional programs, but also by national programs.

The City of Lublin carried out the construction of the station (June 2017-December 2023) thanks to funds from the Regional Operational Programme of Lubelskie Voivodship for 2014-2020. The total value of the project is more than PLN 339 million, while funding from the European Union amounted to more than PLN 195 million.

According to our estimates, in the EU financial perspective for 2014-2020, which is coming to an end, Lubelskie Voivodship received a total of over PLN 21 billion from Cohesion Policy funds from the EU budget - from national programs and the regional program.

That's more than PLN 10,000 for each resident of the voivodship, which puts the region in second place in terms of EU support per capita. In the regional operational program of Lubelskie Voivodship, the entire allocation has already been contracted, which should be considered a great success.

For the years 2021-2027, PLN 10 billion has been allocated for the regional program of the Lubelskie Voivodship - the first recruitment processes have already been launched. Lubelskie Voivodship also benefits from European funds from the European Funds for Eastern Poland (FEPW) program, as well as from national programs.