Cyclists may encounter similar initiatives in other European countries, but in Poland Koleje Dolnośląskie is a pioneer of this solution. Lower Silesia is a beautiful region, and a cycling trip can be an excellent opportunity to discover its charms. The region offers many scenic routes that make it possible to explore not only beautiful landscapes, but also monuments and interesting historic sites.
New stations in the timetable
From 2023, several new features await passengers: above all, the carriage will be available at new stations. Until now, this opportunity was available exclusively at the following stations: Wrocław Główny, Sobótka Zachodnia and Świdnica Przedmieście. This season, cyclists will also be able to load their bicycles onto the carriage at the following stations: Wrocław Partynice, Sobótka, Świdnica Miasto and Jaworzyna Śląska.
“Last year’s pilot project allowed us to determine precisely how much time is needed to efficiently load and unload bicycles. As a result, we prepared a timetable that makes it possible to do this at a larger number of stations,” says Bartłomiej Rodak, press spokesperson for Koleje Dolnośląskie.
Sobótka welcome to!
Sobótka will be a particularly attractive destination. Many cyclists began their journeys there and were surprised that they could not use the bicycle carriage. This was because the town has two stations—it was at Sobótka Zachodnia, located away from the centre, that there was a railway passing loop, making it possible to create a timetable allowing sufficient time to load and unload bicycles.
Now the bicycle carriage will be available at both stations in the town below Mount Ślęża. The KD Rowerowy train will depart from Wrocław Główny at 8:52 a.m. on weekends. In the opposite direction, it will depart from Jaworzyna Śląska at 3:24 p.m. (from Sobótka Zachodnia at 4:29 p.m., and from Sobótka at 4:32 p.m.). Cyclists should arrive at the station approximately 10 minutes in advance.
“Ryszard Szurkowski” to Milicz
Cyclists will also have another attraction: a train named in honour of Ryszard Szurkowski, a repeatedly award-winning Polish cyclist, will run from Wrocław to Milicz. It will depart from Wrocław at 9:03 a.m. and return from Milicz at 4:53 p.m. This will be a special EN57AL train, with facilities adapted for transporting bicycles at both the front and rear of the train.
Milicz promotes itself as the Cycling Capital of Lower Silesia, and it must be admitted that the Barycz Valley and the areas around the Milicz ponds are among the most interesting regions of our voivodeship for cycling—particularly for beginners.
Tickets for trains for cyclists can be found on the www.kolejedolnoslaskie.pl.