In 1989, after 'Round Table Talks', changes started in Poland. In June 1989 the first free elections took place and the communist system began to be replaced by democracy. Responsibilities were handed over to local governments. According to Law on Local Government of May 8th 1990 the municipalities were responsible for local public transport. Large State-owned local transport companies had to be handed over to the community. On September 30th 1991 WPK Katowice was divided into 12 municipal bus companies - in Katowice, Bytom, Gliwice, Tychy (including trolleybuses), Sosnowiec, Swierklaniec, Jaworzno, Jastrzebie-Zdroj, Olkusz, Zawiercie, Czechowidze-Dziedzice and Raciborz. The tramways remained undivided and a State-owned Przedsiebiorstwo Komunikacji Tramwajowej (PKT, Tramway Transport Company) was formed, which was supposed to be municipalised later. As it soon proved, this was a mistake, leading to competition between trams and buses and deterioration of the financial condition of the tram company. The subsidies from the State budget were smaller every year, until they ceased in the middle of 1990s. It is also not so hard to guess that the municipalities favoured the buses, so PKT (which was the owner of the infrastructure) had to minimise investment on new lines. Instead the company focused on quality of infrastructure, introducing in the middle of 1990s a new radio-communication system, car computers and audio-visual passenger information system in cars.	Wojkowice A tunnel under a railway line in Szopienice
List of tram routes operated by PKT Katowice in 1992: 3 Mikulczyce - Zabrze - Makoszowy    (service every 20 minutes) 4 Wojtowa Wies - Gliwice - Zabrze - Zaborze    (service every 10-20 minutes) 5 Zabrze - Biskupice - Bobrek - Bytom    (service every 13-18 minutes) 6 Bytom - Pogoda - Lagiewniki - Chorzow - Dab - Katowice - Brynow    (service every 15-30 minutes) 7 Bytom - Lagiewniki - Piasniki - Swietochlowice - Chorzow Batory - Zaleze - Katowice - Zawodzie    (service every 15 minutes) 8 Bytom - Pogoda - Brzeziny Sl. - Dabrowka Wielka    (service every 25 minutes) 9 Bytom - Szombierki - Godula - Chebzie - Wirek - Swietochlowice - Chorzow    (service every 18 minutes) 11 Katowice - Dab - Chorzw - Piasniki - Lipiny - Chebzie    (service every 14 minutes) 12 Chorzow - Chorzow Stary - Alfred - Siemianowice Sl.    (service every 20 minutes) 13 Katowice - Welnowiec - Alfred - Siemianowice Sl.    (service every 20 minutes) 14 Alfred - Welnowiec - Katowice - Zawodzie - Szopienice - Myslowice    (service every 20 minutes) 15 Katowice - Zawodzie - Szopienice - Sosnowiec - Zagorze    (service every 20 minutes) 16 Katowice (Sloneczna) - Kosciuszki Park - Brynow    (service every 10 minutes) 17 Chorzow - Swietochlowice - Piasniki - Lagiewniki - Lipiny - Chebzie - Zaborze    (service every 28 minutes) 18 Chebzie - Ruda Poludniowa - Ruda - Bobrek - Bytom    (service every 28 minutes) 19 Bytom - Stroszek    (service every 9-18 minutes) 20 Katowice - Zawodzie - Szopienice    (service every 30 minutes; peak hours only) 21 Milowice - Sosnowiec - Pogon - Bedzin - Kopalnia Paryz - Dabrowa Gornicza - Huta Katowice    (service every 16 minutes) 22 Czeladz - Bedzin - Kopalnia Paryz - Dabrowa Gornicza - Huta Katowice    (service every 16 minutes) 23 Stadion Slaski - Dab - Katowice - Zawodzie - Szopienice    (service every 20 minutes; peak hours and evenings only) 24 Sosnowiec - Okrzei    (service every 20 minutes) 25 Kopalnia Paryz - Bedzin - Grodziec - Wojkowice - Zychcice    (service every 30 minutes) 26 Milowice - Sosnowiec - Dandowka - Niwka - Modrzejow - Myslowice    (service every 16 minutes) 27 Bedzin (depot) - Pogon - Sosnowiec - Dandowka - Klimontow - Kazimierz    (service every 16 minutes) 28 Bedzin (depot) - Kopalnia Paryz - Dabrowa Gornicza - Huta Katowice    (service every 20 minutes; peak hours only) 29 Biskupice - Zabrze - Zaborze    (service every 40 minutes; peak hours only) 30 Bytom - Bobrek - Biskupice    (service every 13-18 minutes) 38 Bytom Piekarska    (service every 20 minutes; peak hours only) 40 Chorzow - Chorzow Batory - Zaleze - Katowice - Zawodzie    (service every 10 minutes) 41 Bytom (Wroclawska) - Pogoda - Lagiewniki - Chorzow - Dab - Katowice (Miarki Square)    (service every 15 minutes)	Junction in Bobrek (where lines 5 and 18 split) 105N car, route 30, next to railway station in Zabrze A railway bridge before the depot Batory Route 27 in Klimontow Route 100 - the first night service opened to public
In the beginning of 1990s a new scheme of numeration was introduced in night services. They were marked 'PN-2xy', where PN stood for 'night train', 'x' for a number of depot (where 0 was Bedzin, 1 - Katowice Zawodzie, 2 - Chorzow Batory, 3 - Bytom Stroszek and 4 - Gliwice), and 'y' for a number of service (examples: PN-201, PN-242, PN-223). The only exception was PN-100 which was a night service between Chebzie and Katowice through Wirek, Swietochlowice and Chorzow Batory. Introduced most probably already in the 1960s, it was the first night service with schedule announced to public. In the beginning number 100 was used for it, then it was changed to PN-100.	PN-223 night service near the depot Zawodzie
As many years before in Zabrze, a viaduct was a cause of division of a tram line in Gliwice in 1993. This time it was not a catastrophe, but a planned repair of a viaduct on Zabrska Street, over a railway line. Between August 10th 1993 and December 22nd 1996 the service was suspended (replaced by buses) between Gliwice depot and the work site. On the separated section the tram service was functioning normally thanks to special bi-directional rolling stock ordered from Konstal. The new cars were based on Type 105Na (and had its electrical set), but they were provided with doors on both sides of the body, and after coupling back-to-back, they could serve as bi-directional sets (a single car had only one driver's cabin, in spite of doors on both sides). The new cars were marked 111N. Only six of them (three bi-directional sets) were produced, though ordering of ten was planned. For three years they operated from a temporary depot built in the middle of Wojtowa Wies loop. After the viaduct was repaired, and the service on the Line 4 started to function normally, 111N cars proved themselves very useful during other repairs and plenty different situations when there was no possibility of using a turning loop. When not used in pairs, 111N cars operate the same as usual single Type 105N cars. All six of them belong to the depot in Gliwice.	A set of 111N cars changing direction in the centre of Zabrze
No New Lines    Since 1982 not a single new line was opened, only repairs and modernisations were conducted though during 1990s. The most important modernisation was the planned upgrade of line Bytom - Chorzow - Katowice (so called 'Line 6/41') to the standards of LRT. The plan of modernisation was complex and it consisted of purchase of new, low-floor rolling stock, building new tracks, priority traffic-lights, new power system, new signal system, etc., with an option of extending the line to Miechowice on one end and Ligota on the other. It started in the year 1998 and was conducted by a consortium consisting among others of Konstal (bought by Alstom in the middle of 1990s), Ad-Tranz and PRInz from Katowice (main contractor on track modernisation). Due to the lack of funds, the investment was executed only partially - new cars were bought, about one third of tracks were replaced and three new substations were founded. No priority traffic-lights were built. In consequence, even though modern rolling stock was used, the journey time between Bytom and Katowice did not change.	Head-on collisions are unavoidable on single track lines
New rolling stock was produced by Alstom-Konstal in 2000-01. The cars were named Citadis 100 Katowice by the producer, and 116Nd by PKT Katowice. 17 cars were delivered and the first of them started regular service on May 3rd 2001. The cars are 24 m long, with four doors, three sections and six axles on three bogies (middle one is passive). The low floor area is about 70% of the car, it is 300 mm high, while the rest is only 290 mm higher. The capacity of the car is 215 people and the max speed 80 kmph. The electrical system is placed on the roof of the car - it is controlled by IGBT semiconductor elements and the four asynchronous motors are powered by alternating current from an inverter. Due to poor track condition, 116Nd cars can operate only on Line 6/41: Brynow - Katowice - Chorzow - Bytom (Wroclawska) and its branches: to Sloneczna loop (Line 16) and to Zawodzie depot (where all 17 cars belong). Citadis 100 cars bought in 2000-01 are the newest rolling stock in Upper Silesia. The company never bought any used cars from Western Europe like many other Polish companies did.	Citadis 100 car on the narrow streets of Bytom
List of major track modernisations after 1991: 1993-95 - Wolnosci Str., Chorzow (the street was turned into a pedestrian zone with a tramway service - the first one in Poland) 1996 - Gliwicka Str., Katowice Zaleze (the track was moved behind the line of the buildings) 1996-97 - Malachowskiego Str., Sosnowiec (the short track on Koscielna Street was abandoned during the modernisation and soon dismantled) 1997-98 - Hajducka Str., Chorzow 1998-99 - Kosciuszki Str., Katowice 1998-99 - Wolnosci Str. Zabrze (a pedestrian zone; the first stage of the investment - western part) 1998-02 - 3 Maja Str., Sosnowiec (near the railway station) Since 1998 - modernisation of line 6/41, including: Wroclawska Str., Bytom (1998) Chorzowska Str., Katowice-Dab (1998) Chorzowska Str., Bytom-Arki Bozka (1999, 2003) Kosciuszki Str., Katowice (2000-01) the centre of Chorzow (Moniuszki Str., Rynek and Katowicka Str.,) (2000-02) Kochanowskiego Str., Katowice (2004) Also, among others: modernisation of depot Zawodzie (1999) replacement of many switches and crossings (1999-00) 1999 - second track on the viaduct over the A4 motorway (Kosciuszki Str.) in Katowice 2002 - Chorzowska Str., Katowice (between Dab and Steslickiego Str. a part of the 'DTS' investment)* 2002 - Wolnosci Str. and Square, Zabrze (a pedestrian zone; the final stage of the investment - eastern part; on July 25th the loop near the railway station was abandoned, after a few weeks dismantled) 2002-03 Swierczyny Str., Myslowice 2004 - Chorzowska Str. and Rondo, Katowice (between Steslickiego Str. and Rondo, a part of the 'DTS' investment; on May 4th a new track connection, Dab - Welnowiec, was opened on Rondo) 2004 - Katowicka Str., Swietochlowice (a pedestrian zone) 2004 - Katowicka Str., Chorzow (near the Silesian Stadium, investment financed by Carrefour) *) 'DTS' is a name of an interurban motorway (Gliwice - Katowice) being built since the middle of 1990s.    Current total tracks length is 207 km.	Pedestrian zone on Wolnosci Street in Chorzow Plasser&Theuer tamping machine at work Pedestrianised Wolnosci Street in Zabrze Modernised track along Chorzowska Street, Katowice ('DTS')
The New Century    After the fall of WPK Katowice, the bus system was split into 12 different companies, each introducing its own tariff system. Also the tram company issued its own tickets. In 1993 a municipal union was established in the central part of the conurbation (Chorzow, Katowice, Sosnowiec) to integrate the bus services. It was named Komunikacyjny Zwiazek Komunalny Gornoslaskiego Okregu Przemyslowego (KZK GOP, Municipal Transport Union of Upper Silesian Industrial Region). In the middle of 1990s the union already gathered about 20 municipalities and communities of the central part of the region and in addition it signed a tariff agreement with another union in the northern part of the agglomeration (gathering Tarnowskie Gory, Piekary Slaskie and rural communities north of Bytom and Bedzin). The tramway company was still State-owned and issuing its own tickets. In the second half of 1990s the donation from the central budget ceased completely and the condition of the tram company became terrible. In February 2000, under the threat of bankruptcy, PKT Katowice decided to resign of the separate tariff system and to sell its services to KZK GOP. An agreement was signed, the union took over the organisation of the tram transport, and the tram company became a carrier, similarly to the municipal bus companies (and private ones that emerged in 1990s). But the tram company still had the responsibility for the whole infrastructure (the municipalities refused to take it over) and its maintenance made the tram service's cost higher than the bus service's.    Under the management of KZK GOP the tram service did not improve. The higher cost of tram service, and the fact that the municipalities (of which KZK GOP consisted) were at the same time owners of bus carriers, motivated the union to decrease the tram service - even though on some lines the frequencies were a bit higher, on almost all of them the capacity of trams was lowered (e.g. single 105N instead of a set of two).	Bus stations in Zabrze (top) and Katowice (bottom) An overcrowded single 105N type car in the centre of Katowice
The night service system was reformed by KZK GOP in the beginning of the new century. Instead of 'night trains' the night services were included into regular routes.    The situation of PKT Katowice was still very bad. It was decided that in order to hand over the infrastructure to municipalities, the company has to be privatised. On January 1st 2003 it was converted into a joint-stock company named Tramwaje Slaskie SA (TS, Silesian Tramways), so the municipalities could take over its shares. Today, all the company's shares remain in State hands, and the company is still in a very bad condition.	102N type cars going out of service
Today the tram system in Upper Silesia and Dabrowa Coal Basin suffers from chronic lack of funds. The tracks and rolling stock require capital repairs but only the most urgent ones are conducted. Luckily no service has been suspended yet, but the future privatisation makes the services in towns like Gliwice, Myslowice, Wojkowice or Brzeziny Slaskie highly questionable. The system is also very archaic, with no LRT-standard lines, hand-operated signal systems, plenty of single tracks with few passing loops, lines leading to abandoned places and outdated rolling stock. It loses the competition with buses, and can not be treated as the major transport system of the agglomeration. On the other hand all that plus the brightest star of the system - the last regular line in Poland served with N type cars (Route 38) - lures tram fans from all over the world to Upper Silesian tramways.    In 1999, thanks to the courtesy of Chorzow Batory depot management, an urban transport fan club (called KMTM) was estabilished. The club and its members focus mostly on: organisation of events and exhibitions related with the Silesian trams, buses and trolleybuses, research over the urban transport history, protection of the urban transport heritage in Upper Silesia and undertaking different efforts with one main goal - improvement of the urban transport services in the region. Club's web page (in Polish only) is available here.	Route 38, N type car Museum N and 4ND cars in Katowice
List of tram routes operated by Tramwaje Slaskie in June 2005: 1 Wojtowa Wies - Gliwice - Zabrze - Zaborze - Ruda Poludniowa - Chebzie    (service every 20 minutes; night service also) 3 Mikulczyce - Zabrze - Makoszowy    (service every 20 minutes; night service also) 4 Wojtowa Wies - Gliwice - Zabrze - Zaborze    (service every 20 minutes; till late afternoons only) 5 Zaborze - Zabrze - Biskupice - Bobrek - Bytom    (service every 8-12 minutes; night service also) 6 Bytom - Pogoda - Lagiewniki - Chorzow - Dab - Katowice - Brynow    (service every 14 minutes; night service also) 7 Bytom - Lagiewniki - Piasniki - Swietochlowice - Chorzow Batory - Zaleze - Katowice - Zawodzie    (service every 14 minutes; night service also) 8 Bytom (Wroclawska) - Pogoda - Brzeziny Sl. - Dabrowka Wielka    (service every 28 minutes) 9 Bytom - Szombierki - Godula - Chebzie - Wirek - Swietochlowice - Chorzow    (service every 20 minutes) 10 Siemianowice Sl. - Welnowiec - Katowice - Zaleze - Chorzow Bat. - Swietochlowice - Wirek - Chebzie Pętla    (night service only) 11 Katowice - Dab - Chorzw - Piasniki - Lipiny - Chebzie    (service every 14 minutes; night service also) 12 Chorzow - Chorzow Stary - Alfred - Siemianowice Sl.    (service every 14 minutes; night service also) 13 Chorzow - Chorzow Batory - Zaleze - Katowice - Welnowiec - Alfred - Siemianowice Sl.    (service every 14 minutes) 14 Alfred - Welnowiec - Katowice - Zawodzie - Szopienice - Myslowice    (service every 14 minutes) 15 Katowice - Zawodzie - Szopienice - Sosnowiec - Zagorze    (service every 14 minutes; night service also) 16 Katowice (Sloneczna) - Kosciuszki Park - Brynow    (service every 6-8 minutes; night service also) 17 Chorzow - Swietochlowice - Piasniki - Lagiewniki - Lipiny - Chebzie    (service every 28 minutes) 18 Chebzie - Ruda Poludniowa - Ruda - Bobrek - Bytom    (service every 20 minutes) 19 Bytom - Stroszek    (service every 8 minutes; night service also) 21 Milowice - Sosnowiec - Pogon - Bedzin - Kopalnia Paryz - Dabrowa Gornicza - Golonog - Huta Katowice    (service every 20 minutes; night service also) 22 Czeladz - Bedzin - Kopalnia Paryz - Dabrowa Gornicza - Golonog - Huta Katowice    (service every 10 minutes; peak hours only; night service also) 23 Stadion Slaski - Dab - Katowice - Zawodzie - Szopienice    (service about every 60 minutes; till afternoons only) 24 Okrzei - Sosnowiec - Pogon - Bedzin - Kopalnia Paryz    (service every 20 minutes) 25 Kopalnia Paryz - Bedzin - Grodziec - Wojkowice - Zychcice    (service every 30 minutes) 26 Milowice - Sosnowiec - Dandowka - Niwka - Modrzejow - Myslowice    (service every 10 minutes) 27 Bedzin (depot) - Pogon - Sosnowiec - Dandowka - Klimontow - Kazimierz    (service every 20 minutes; night service also) 28 Bedzin (depot) - Kopalnia Paryz - Dabrowa Gornicza - Golonog    (service every 20 minutes; till afternoons only) 30 Bytom - Bobrek - Biskupice    (service every 20-40 minutes; till afternoons only; night service also) 32 Czeladz - Bedzin - Kopalnia Paryz - Dabrowa Gornicza - Golonog    (service every 10 minutes; off-peak hours; Route 32 is shortened version of Route 22, on opposite way (from Golonog to Czeladz) the service has number 22) 33 Chorzow (Metalowcow Street) - Dab - Katowice (Sloneczna)    (service every 14-28 minutes; till afternoons only) 34 Zawodzie (depot) - Szopienice - Sosnowiec - Dandowka - Niwka - Myslowice - Szopienice - Zawodzie (depot)    (night service only) 35 Biskupice - Zabrze - Zaborze    (service every 20-40 minutes; till afternoons only) 36 Chorzow - Chorzow Batory - Zaleze - Katowice - Zawodzie    (service every 28 minutes; till late afternoons only) 37 Chorzow - Chorzow Batory - Zaleze - Katowice - Zawodzie - Szopienice    (service every 28 minutes) 38 Bytom Piekarska    (service every 15-20 minutes; till late afternoons only) 41 Bytom (Wroclawska) - Pogoda - Lagiewniki - Chorzow - Dab - Katowice (Miarki Square)    (service every 14 minutes)    A scheme of current tram routes with all stops (Silesian Tramways official web-page) is available here (in pdf format).	111N cars in Biskupice (Route 5) A set of 105N cars and a great view of Katowice (Route 6) Sikorskiego Sq. terminus in Bytom An archaic, hand-operated, signal system is still in use on some single track sections Katowicka Street, Bytom (Route 8) Chebzie (Routes 11, 18) 3 Maja Street, Katowice (Route 11) Today the trams lose the competition with newer and faster buses.

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