The last train reached Karpacz in 2000. Now, after 25 years, trains will return to the mountain resort in the Karkonosze Mountains. This will be another railway connection in Lower Silesia restored by the regional government – thanks to it, trains will return to towns where 13,000 Lower Silesians live.
“This is a symbolic opening of a new chapter in the development of rail transport in our region. We are rebuilding further lines, restoring rail services to places where they were once part of everyday life, fighting transport exclusion and proving that Lower Silesia is Poland’s infrastructure heartland,” emphasizes Paweł Gancarz, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
Connections to Karpacz will be the next railway destination in the Karkonosze Mountains served by Koleje Dolnośląskie trains. Direct connections link Wrocław with Szklarska-Poręba, and at Jelenia Góra station passengers will be able to change to trains to Świeradów-Zdrój and Karpacz. This opens up further opportunities for exploring the region. From the capital of Lower Silesia, the fastest connection will take just over 2 hours and 20 minutes.
“For years, new railway connections have been restored in Lower Silesia – including two to the Karkonosze Mountains and the Izera Mountains, namely to Karpacz and Świeradów-Zdrój. As a result, thousands of residents of the region can use modern Koleje Dolnośląskie trains for their everyday travel. Restoring rail services will also give passengers the opportunity to reach attractive mountain resorts,” notes Michał Rado, Deputy Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, responsible, among other things, for railways.
The revitalization of the line is the result of many years of efforts by the Samorząd Województwa Dolnośląskiego, Dolnośląska Służba Dróg i Kolei and Koleje Dolnośląskie. It is a breakthrough moment for the region, its residents and tourists, who will be able to discover the charms of Lower Silesia even more easily.
Details of the connections to Karpacz are known
Initially, there was talk of eight daily train pairs on the Jelenia Góra – Karpacz – Jelenia Góra route. However, Koleje Dolnośląskie has managed to schedule… as many as 14 pairs on weekends.
“Retro trains will also be added, operating with a historic locomotive and carriages and run on weekends by the Klub Sympatyków Kolei. We will be able to travel on them on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and during the summer holidays, using, for example, the Dolnośląski Bilet Weekendowy,” says Damian Stawikowski, president of Koleje Dolnośląskie.
The fastest connections – KD Sprinter trains from Karpacz will reach Jelenia Góra in… 18 minutes. Koleje Dolnośląskie will operate 12 train pairs during the week and 14 on weekends. Four of the weekend services will be operated by historic trains of the Klub Sympatyków Kolei in cooperation with KD, meaning that the first retro connection will be created on this route. Currently, a similar service operated on weekends by Koleje Wielkopolskie between Wolsztyn and Poznań attracts crowds of tourists from around the world.
Premiere of the service thanks to DSDiK
The plan to open the Jelenia Góra – Karpacz line, whose revitalization was carried out by Dolnośląska Służba Dróg i Kolei, is also gradually becoming clearer.
“I can already invite everyone to the day before the new timetable comes into effect – June 14, when we are planning special train services on this route. They will be operated by railway enthusiasts using the train that was the last to reach Karpacz 25 years ago,” says Mateusz Masłowski, director of Dolnośląska Służba Dróg i Kolei.
Dolnośląska Służba Dróg i Kolei is an institution that revitalizes railway lines in Lower Silesia that had remained out of service for decades. In the coming years, DSDiK will revitalize railway lines to, among other places, Kowary, Lwówek Śląski, Lądek-Zdrój and Stronie Śląskie. The Lower Silesian institution is the second-largest railway infrastructure manager in Poland.
The program restoring railway connections in Lower Silesia has resulted in nearly a quarter of a million Lower Silesians regaining access to rail services. Poland’s fastest regional trains operate throughout the voivodeship. More than 22 million passengers travel on KD trains every year.