Planned Koleje Dolnośląskie connections to Cottbus, the Polish Chociebuż, could be an opportunity not only for Legnica, Żagań and Żary, but also for part of Bolesławiec County. One of our readers pointed out that the ongoing modernization of railway line no. 283 on the Zebrzydowa–Żagań section could in the future create an opportunity to launch passenger services also through the Bolesławiec, Osiecznica and Świętoszów area.
This concerns railway line no. 283, which historically connected Jelenia Góra, Lwówek Śląski, Zebrzydowa and Żagań. Today, the Zebrzydowa–Żagań section is important for our region. The route is being renovated primarily with the needs of the military in mind, but its reconstruction could also be significant for civilian rail transport.
According to industry information, the investment covers approximately 45 kilometers of track. The modernization is intended to restore the usability of a section that for years was largely unused or physically degraded. Documents and publications concerning the investment also state that once the work is completed, the infrastructure may also be available for civilian services.
The reader proposes that the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Koleje Dolnośląskie, PKP PLK, local governments and the Lubusz side should be approached now with the question of whether some future Legnica–Cottbus services could be routed through Bolesławiec, Zebrzydowa and Świętoszów.
In practice, this would mean considering a route running through Legnica, Bolesławiec, Zebrzydowa and Świętoszów, and then onward toward Żagań and Cottbus. This is not about replacing the basic connection option, but about checking whether some services could also serve Bolesławiec County and the localities situated along modernized line 283.
The proposal’s author points out that once the investment is completed, a long, modernized section of track with good technical parameters will be available. In his opinion, the coming months are a good time for the issue to reach the attention of local-government officials and rail transport organizers.
Passenger stops are the key issue, however. The information provided to us indicates that Zebrzydowa and Świętoszów are the main locations considered as part of the ongoing work. Meanwhile, residents of localities such as Tomisław, Osiecznica, Przejęsław, Łozy and Trzebów could benefit from rail only if suitable platforms were built along the line or their construction were planned as part of a later stage.
The problem is that the current investment is being carried out primarily with the state’s defense needs in mind. The Ministry of National Defence is not the organizer of regional passenger transport. Such services are the responsibility of voivodeship governments, while operators in Lower Silesia include Koleje Dolnośląskie.
Therefore, any launch of passenger trains through Zebrzydowa and Świętoszów would require an agreement among several parties: the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the Lubusz Voivodeship, the carrier, the infrastructure manager and local governments. It would also be important to determine whether additional stops could be planned along the route, what the costs of building platforms would be, and whether the expected passenger volume would justify such a solution.
For Bolesławiec County, the issue may be important for several reasons. First, a connection through Świętoszów would improve transport access to localities situated between Bolesławiec and Żagań. Second, it could create a new route toward the Lubusz Voivodeship. Third, if it were well coordinated with trains to Cottbus, residents of the region could gain easier access toward Germany.
For now, however, there is no decision that such connections will be launched. This is a proposal that requires review by the institutions responsible for railways, regional transport and infrastructure. We will therefore send questions to the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Koleje Dolnośląskie, PKP PLK, the Ministry of National Defence, local governments and the authorities of the Lubusz Voivodeship.
Among other things, we will ask whether a passenger-use option for line 283 is being considered, whether some connections to Cottbus could be routed through Bolesławiec and Świętoszów, and whether additional platforms are planned in the localities situated along this route.