He added: “This is competition that passengers will benefit from. When assessing the changes, one can of course focus on the fact that the time of 1 hour 58 minutes is only 1 minute shorter than the journey time of trains on this route before 1939. But even in this situation, it should be known that trains then travelled by a different route, not via Wałbrzych, which now adds almost half an hour. Nor can we fail to see that just three years ago, the journey time on this route was as much as 3 hours 40 minutes. Like everyone else, I have even greater expectations, but it is also worth objectively assessing the pace and benefits resulting from the changes.
The “Szrenica” train, which will operate on the Jelenia Góra–Wrocław–Jelenia Góra route (for the time being, from Friday to Sunday), will take 2 hours 2 minutes from Wrocław to Jelenia Góra. From Jelenia Góra to Wrocław, the journey will take 1 hour 58 minutes. The final stop of the “Szrenica” is Szklarska Poręba Górna.
The timetable shows that passengers departing from Wrocław at 7:44 will arrive in Jelenia Góra at 9:47 and in Szklarska Poręba at 10:38. In the opposite direction, the train will leave Jelenia Góra at 18:45 and arrive in Wrocław at 20:43. This means that the “Szrenica” will be a very convenient train for skiers as early as the coming winter season.
“This is not the only change in the broadly understood sphere of transport,” said Jerzy Łużniak, deputy mayor of the city. “This should also include the gradual replacement of rolling stock with newer vehicles, as well as renovation work both on the tracks and network and at railway stations, including in Jelenia Góra. If the railway wants—and it certainly does—to win passengers back from road carriers, it must ensure speed, travel comfort and ticket prices. Even today, the journey times achieved by trains are competitive with PKS, and in the foreseeable future they are beginning to become competitive with private cars as well.
Jelenia Góra Municipal Office/ii