When railway lines totalling thousands of kilometres were being closed across Poland by government decision, the authorities of Lower Silesia had a different idea. Following arrangements with the government, they took over the railway line from Wrocław Psie Pole station to Trzebnica and renovated it with their own funds, finally restoring regular passenger services in 2009—after 18 years.
“In Lower Silesia, we started a trend for rail travel. It was this line—from Wrocław to Trzebnica—that launched the plan to expand the region’s railway network, which is still being implemented today. We take over unused lines, renovate them and then launch services operated by our carrier, Koleje Dolnośląskie,” says Michał Rado, Deputy Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, responsible for rail transport.
The answer to traffic jams? A train!
Trzebnica was the ideal destination: every day, thousands of cars entered Wrocław, while passengers on numerous buses and minibuses also waited with drivers in huge traffic jams along the old national road No. 5. Wrocław was—and remains—a place of education and work for thousands of residents of Trzebnica County.
“I remember when rail traffic resumed on the line. Suddenly, for thousands of residents of Trzebnica and Trzebnica County, travelling to Wrocław became much easier, faster and more comfortable,” says Małgorzata Matusiak, starosta of Trzebnica County. “Now, living in our beautiful county, we have access to the benefits offered by a metropolis such as Wrocław,” she adds.
The line became an instant transport success. Opened with great ceremony, accompanied by an orchestra and attended by officials, it was the third railway line to receive regular service from Koleje Dolnośląskie trains. Today, the yellow-and-white trains are a common sight on Lower Silesian tracks, but at that time the company was only beginning to develop.
“We observe enormous year-on-year passenger growth on this line. Together with the purchase of new hybrid vehicles, the increase in passenger numbers over the past few years has exceeded 60 per cent. Nearly one million passengers use this line every year. This shows the enormous potential of rail transport,” says Damian Stawikowski, president of Koleje Dolnośląskie.
The railway to Trzebnica is a precedent
No marshal’s office in Poland had done this before. First, the Lower Silesian marshals established their own railway carrier entirely from scratch. Later, they took over the railway line, renovated it and restored passenger services.
But the authorities of Lower Silesia kept up the momentum: after Trzebnica, they renovated, using their own funds, the line from Szklarska Poręba to the Czech border, as well as the lines to Bielawa, Świeradów-Zdrój and Chocianów. Lower Silesia does not intend to stop there. Trains will soon return to Karpacz, Stronie Śląskie and Łagiewniki on tracks owned by the voivodeship government.
Trains are returning not only to places where the voivodeship government is building the tracks—the restoration of services is also taking place thanks to the revitalisation of lines operated by PKP PLK. In the past five years alone, passenger services have returned for more than 200,000 Lower Silesia residents.
“My goal is to connect more county capitals in Lower Silesia to the railway network. And services to Oława will be operated by Poland’s best regional railway carrier, Koleje Dolnośląskie,” said Michał Rado, Deputy Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
Work related to the modernisation of the railway line to Złotoryja has begun, opening up the possibility of further renovation towards Lwówek Śląski.
Residents of Lower Silesia willingly and frequently use Koleje Dolnośląskie trains; the average length of a journey is 50 km, while each resident of the voivodeship, on average, uses the railway a dozen or so times a year.