Warsaw Metro: ArcelorMittal rebars help a city grow

Detailed information

The Warsaw Metro (Metro Warszawskie) is a rapid transit underground system serving the Polish capital. Currently, it consists of two lines: The original M1 line runs north-south through the heart of the city, while the newer M2 line runs east-west crossing the M1 in the city centre. A third line, the M3, is being planned for the future.

ArcelorMittal has been contributing to the construction of the M2 line since its inception in 2010. This project included 10 new metro stations, all of which were operational by the end of 2019.

The construction of the M2 line of the Warsaw Metro was co-financed by the European Union Cohesion Fund under the Infrastructure and Environment Programme.

Guaranteeing safety compliance and providing reliability

For the construction of the line and its 10 new stations, ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products, via ArcelorMittal Warszawa steelworks, supplied more than 20 000 tonnes of rebars (reinforcing bars) from 10 to 32 mm in diameter in grade B500SP EPSTAL, which guarantees compliance with all safety requirements in construction projects.

“This is another important project realised in Warsaw using our steel. Our rebars are already present in the Legia Warszawa football stadium and in the Museum of the History of Polish Jews - now they have been used in the construction of the second metro line stations. Our steel rods have served Warsaw citizens during sporting and cultural events, and now they have become part of modern transportation solutions - much needed in a city with as many traffic jams as Warsaw,” notes Marek Kempa, CEO of ArcelorMittal Warszawa.

The construction of the central section of the M2 line began in 2010. It is 6.1 kms long and includes 600 metres of tunnel under the Vistula River and a 500-metre tunnel connecting the M2 line to the M1 line. It consists of seven stations, located at a depth of 13 to 23 metres, all of which were operational by March 2015.

The contractor for the project, Stal-Service, has been collaborating with ArcelorMittal Warszawa since 2008. The strong relationship between the two companies in addition to the good customer service and reliability offered by ArcelorMittal Warszawa were reasons why ArcelorMittal Warszawa was chosen for this project.

Construction of the next portion of the line was completed in May 2019, with three more stations transporting Varsovians from September 2019. This section is 3.2 kms long – the largest of which is Trocka station. It is 450 metres long and has a volume close to 230 000 m3.

The largest underground Op art gallery

The initial seven M2 metro stations have a colourful design: white, yellow, red, purple, green, dark blue, and light blue – with each station having its own unique colour.

Architect Andrzej Chołdzyński was the author of the design concept for the initial M2 stations. He invited world-renowned painter, Polish poster school co-founder, and Op art (optical art) artist Wojciech Fangor to cooperate in the stations’ design.

This cooperation gave birth to M-shaped roofs over the entrances to the underground stations and large, colourful inscriptions in the stations of the station names written in characteristic typeface letters by Wojciech Fangor on the entire length of the walls (120 m).

In this way, these seven Warsaw Metro stations combined became the largest underground Op art gallery.

ArcelorMittal rebars

Reinforcing bars strengthen concrete and keep it in tension to improve its resistance and mechanical performances. The steel bars' patterns ensure a perfect connection with the concrete.

ArcelorMittal offers a wide range of standard and special rebars to be used in reinforced concrete structures in all possible fields of application.