Train numbering in Poland is quite a puzzle for passengers. For example, why does a train run on the D1 line but have the number 66555?
Three-, four- and five-digit passenger train numbers are used respectively for international, national and regional connections. In domestic traffic, the first two digits of a train number are assigned to the individual areas in which PKP PLK Railway Line Plants operate. The first digit is assigned to the place where the train starts, and the second digit to the place where it arrives.
Thus, trains in Warsaw have numbers beginning with 1, while those in Gdańsk have numbers beginning with 5. Therefore, a train travelling from Warsaw to Gdańsk will have a number beginning with 15, while a train from Gdańsk to Warsaw will have the number 51. Trains in Lower Silesia are assigned the number 6. It is worth adding that the digits 0 and 9 are used without being assigned to a region—they merely repeat the preceding number. Thus, in Lower Silesia we may encounter trains whose numbers begin with 66, as well as 60, 69 and 96.
The regional network has changed
In our province, due to the large number of railway lines and the wide range of carriers, line numbers have also been introduced for passengers’ convenience. Thus, when travelling on a line whose number begins with 1 (D1, D10, D11, D12, D14), we are guaranteed to reach Legnica.
Lines with numbers beginning with 9 (D9, D90–96), on the other hand, take us to places in Kłodzko County. In addition:
- lines whose numbers begin with 2 reach Głogów,
- lines beginning with 3 operate on the Wrocław–Rawicz–(Góra)–Leszno route,
- line 23 connects Głogów with Leszno,
- lines beginning with 7 run from Wrocław towards Jelcz-Laskowice (via Siechnice or Dobrzykowice),
- lines beginning with 8 run from Wrocław Główny towards the north (Trzebnica, Oleśnica, Syców, Krotoszyn and Ostrów Wielkopolski).
Change in numbering
The network in effect from 10 December 2023 will include all regional connections operated by the carriers: both Koleje Dolnośląskie and Polregio. As a result, line numbering will be standardized throughout the province, regardless of which carrier’s services we use.
“This is a very good practice by the organizer of the railway system, the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, which has not only organized the connection network but also ensures that fares are consistent among the carriers operating in our province. We always try to follow proven models, such as those in the Czech Republic and Switzerland, where public transport functions at the highest level,” says Wojciech Zdanowski, deputy president of Koleje Dolnośląskie.
Świeradów-Zdrój and Karpacz have also appeared in the new network. Passenger trains will return to both mountain resorts after years. Services to Świeradów-Zdrój will be launched on 10 December 2023, while those to Karpacz will begin in 2024.
“For five years, we have consistently been restoring railway connections to places where they were discontinued years ago. Railways have returned to Sobótka, Bielawa and Lubin, but we have not forgotten that the people of Lower Silesia also want to reach the most popular tourist destinations in the Karkonosze Mountains,” says Tymoteusz Myrda, member of the board of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship responsible for railways.
During their fifteen years of operation, Koleje Dolnośląskie trains have served more than 100 million passengers. Since 2023, the company’s trains have covered more than 1 million km per month.