Poznań Fast Tram (, PST, informally: PeSTka, pestka – drupe, stone fruit) is a stretch of grade-separated tram/light rail line of the tram system in Poznań, Poland. The tracks are set in a cutting or on an overpass, switches allowing to drive on adjacent tracks. The stops, resembling railroad stations, have a different color scheme each. This tram line was created as an alternative to a more expensive metro. The PST, opened in 1997, links the densely populated northern districts of Winogrady and Piątkowo with the city center. System Length: Number of stops: 9 Maximum speed: Capacity: 5000 persons per hour Trams run every 2.5 minutes during the rush hours, otherwise every 5 minutes Background Poznań is a city with about half a million inhabitants, with slightly over a million in the entire metropolitan area. Most of the city's office buildings are located in the center, while most light industry is located uptown or in the suburbs around the city. Hence most trips by public transport are to and from the center. History The first Poznań public transport company started its business activity in 1880, with a few horse-pulled trams. At that time, the town had about 70,000 inhabitants, and was not growing due to building restrictions imposed by the Prussian military administration creating Festung Posen ("Poznań Stronghold"), see Poznań in the Kingdom of Prussia (1793–1918). Soon after the company was established, the construction limitations were lifted, and the town grew very fast to about 200,000 inhabitants in 1920s. By that time there were some early ideas of creating a segregated line that would link the center with one of the northern districts. Neither technology nor the budget allowed for a construction of such a tram line, and metro, would have been too ambitious and unnecessary, so the plans were shelved. In the 1960s and 1970s, Poland's communist government built blocks of flats in the north and east of the city. This created a high population density and thus a high demand for transportation. However, these districts were poorly served by public transport: it took up to 45 minutes by bus to travel to the city center. A corridor was left for the construction of a tram line. Original plans envisioned a 27 kilometer line completely separate from the existing tram network, conceptually similar to the WKD light rail line in Warsaw. The line was to run from the main