In 2007, the Lower Silesian Regional Assembly adopted a resolution approving the establishment of the Koleje Dolnośląskie company. The idea arose among officials of the Marshal’s Office when the quality of the railway services provided for the region left much to be desired. The year between the adoption of the resolution and the first train service was a period of immense work by enthusiasts who made it possible for the white-and-yellow trains to appear on the tracks of Lower Silesia.

– The godparents of Koleje Dolnośląskie are Agnieszka Zakęś and Wojciech Zdanowski – said at the company’s 15th-anniversary gala Damian Stawikowski, president of KD.

1,000 employees, one mission

Agnieszka Zakęś is still the Director of the Infrastructure Department at the Marshal’s Office. In 2008, Wojciech Zdanowski was the Director of this institution’s Transport Department.

– I often had to send him out of the office late in the evening because he was a newlywed at the time – recalls director Agnieszka Zakęś. Wojciech Zdanowski, the current vice-president of Koleje Dolnośląskie, has never confirmed whether this “sending out” was effective.

In 2008, Koleje Dolnośląskie employed several dozen people. Today, the company has more than 1,000 employees.

One of the several dozen employees who worked at KD in 2008 is Mariusz Liptak. He is a train driver who, together with his wife Małgorzata, operated Koleje Dolnośląskie’s inaugural journey from Kłodzko to Legnica. Mr Mariusz’s family has a strong railway tradition, as his son and daughter-in-law work for the company. – His grandson is already terribly keen on trains too – says the proud grandfather.

15th-anniversary gala

– I offer my warmest wishes on the occasion of Koleje Dolnośląskie’s 15th birthday to all its employees – said Tymoteusz Myrda, a member of the regional government, during the Koleje Dolnośląskie 15th-anniversary gala.

The ceremony took place at the Helena Modrzejewska Theatre in Legnica. During the event, the Marshal’s Office officially presented Koleje Dolnośląskie with the company’s standard, while speeches by local-government representatives included wishes, thanks and recollections. The gala was enhanced by a performance from the string quartet UpBeatQuartet.

– In 2024, we plan to increase operational work by 2.2 million kilometres – said Wojciech Zdanowski, vice-president of Koleje Dolnośląskie, during the ceremony.

This task is only seemingly straightforward. Increasing operational work by 2.2 million kilometres means that the company will perform more work than the total distance travelled by regional trains in the Podlaskie Voivodeship.

14.2 million km is more than the combined distance travelled by regional trains in the Lublin, Lubusz, Podlaskie and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships.

New destinations, more and more passengers

There is a strong possibility that in Koleje Dolnośląskie’s 16th year of operation, 20 million passengers will use its services. Since December 2023, the white-and-yellow trains have run to Świeradów-Zdrój and Nowa Sól, and in 2024 they will reach Zielona Góra and Karpacz.

– We took over 300 km of railway lines from PKP and are consistently restoring them to passenger service. This is a project on an unprecedented scale in the country, and thanks in part to these efforts, nearly 200,000 Lower Silesian residents have regained access to passenger connections – says Cezary Przybylski, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.

The white-and-yellow trains run on the voivodeship’s lines to Świeradów-Zdrój, Chocianów, Bielawa and Trzebnica. In recent years, residents of Lubin and Sobótka have also regained connections.

Over the past five years, the company has purchased more than 30 new trains. A modern service hall has also been built in Legnica. The total value of Koleje Dolnośląskie’s investments in recent years amounts to PLN 1 billion.

– Thanks to the efforts of Marshal Tymoteusz Myrda, we will soon reach Zielona Góra. Previously, we only dreamed of Świnoujście, and we made that dream come true in the summer of 2023. We must not be afraid to dream further, and we are thinking about additional destinations – said Damian Stawikowski, president of Koleje Dolnośląskie, during the KD 15th-anniversary gala.

In surveys conducted by the Transport Economics Association, the railway service in Lower Silesia was rated the best in Poland. The travellers themselves made this choice.

Detailed information about Koleje Dolnośląskie’s 15th anniversary is available at 15latkd.pl.