On 31 August, the summer railway timetable will cease to apply. In Lower Silesia, it has so far brought the biggest railway premiere in Poland: the reactivation of the railway line to Karpacz. Nearly 30,000 passengers use it every month.

– Another summer railway season in Lower Silesia is behind us, this time a special one, because after a quarter of a century of absence, trains to Karpacz returned to the region’s railway map – says Paweł Gancarz, marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.

– The first months have already shown that these connections were very much needed, as they proved to be a success in terms of passenger numbers. That is why we are not slowing down and are consistently taking further action to ensure transport accessibility for the residents of the entire Lower Silesia – adds marshal Paweł Gancarz.

Now a minor adjustment is coming into effect, related, among other things, to renovation works on numerous lines. Where will closures affect passengers?

Buses instead of trains – which routes will be affected?

PKP PLK will primarily continue renovating the Podsudecka line – one of the most important railway lines in Lower Silesia, connecting Legnica with Jawor, Strzegom, Jaworzyna Śląska, Świdnica, Dzierżoniów and Ząbkowice Śląskie. In the current timetable, the closure affected the Legnica–Jawor section; now the works will move farther along the line.

– Travel time on the line from Legnica to Jaworzyna Śląska and onward to Świdnica will be shorter, making it more attractive for passengers. We have also ordered new diesel vehicles, partly with this line in mind. Hundreds of thousands of Lower Silesians live along it, and together with PKP PLK’s investments, these vehicles will allow us to improve the service on the line running through Jawor, Świdnica, Dzierżoniów and Ząbkowice Śląskie over time – says Damian Stawikowski, president of Koleje Dolnośląskie.

Therefore, during different periods and in various configurations, buses will replace some or all trains on sections including Jawor–Rogoźnica, Legnica–Rogoźnica and Jaworzyna–Jawor.

– Bus stops are located as close to the stations as possible. Our conductors are always available to help. On the Podsudecka line, we ask passengers to check their connection regularly before travelling to see whether it will be operated by train or bus – says Bartłomiej Rodak, press spokesperson for Koleje Dolnośląskie.

Temporary closures and bus travel will also affect passengers on the Lubań Śląski–Goerlitz line (11–15 September), the Zgorzelec–Goerlitz line (10–24 September), and three of the 30 pairs of connections between Kąty Wrocławskie and Wrocław (on the Kąty Wrocławskie–Smolec section). This is due to the reconstruction of turnouts at Kąty Wrocławskie station, which has reduced capacity on this section.

The good news is that renovation works carried out by the Czechs on the Szklarska Poręba–Liberec section are coming to an end. From the end of September, buses will operate on shorter sections than before. The renovation will soon be completed, after which travel time for trains between Szklarska Poręba and Liberec is expected to decrease.

Farewell to the summer connections

Under the new timetable, 12 pairs of connections to Karpacz will operate every day. The number of pairs will increase by an additional train from Wrocław to Trzebnica. Some departures of popular trains will be adjusted to improve connections at interchange stations. For example, the timetable of the Wilhelm Rotkiewicz train will change by a few minutes; it is a popular return connection from work in Wrocław toward Świdnica and Bielawa.

With the end of the summer holidays, the KD Premium Nadmorski train from Wrocław via Międzyzdroje to Świnoujście will stop operating. The last train from the Baltic coast toward the capital of Lower Silesia will depart on Sunday, 31 August.

The autumn timetable introduces minor adjustments to daily train services, but the most significant changes will appear from December.

– The transport policy pursued by the voivodeship authorities is appropriate, as demonstrated by the thousands of satisfied passengers every day. Trains have already become the most important means of transport in the region, and further routes lie ahead. In December this year, new KD connections will be added to the Koleje Dolnośląskie timetable, including Wrocław–Oława–Brzeg and Wrocław–Oleśnica–Bierutów–Namysłów – emphasizes Michał Rado, deputy marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship responsible, among other things, for rail transport.

The detailed timetable incorporating the September adjustment is available at www.kolejedolnoslaskie.pl under the TIMETABLES AND TICKETS tab.