A special service from Głogów to Żagań and back attracted many officials on board. Representatives of Polskie Linie Kolejowe, the marshals of the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships, as well as local government officials, took part.
– Lower Silesia is revitalizing nearly 300 km of railway lines, and passenger services have been restored in recent years for a quarter of a million Lower Silesian residents. Here, however, the line runs between two voivodeships and is important from the perspective of the whole of Poland, which is why investments by Polskie Linie Kolejowe on this section are important – said Paweł Gancarz, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
That PLK recognizes the need for renovation on this line was stated by Marcin Mochocki, vice-president of PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe: – Recently, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego announced a call for applications for a security and defence fund, which includes the so-called railway envelope, and I can declare today that Polskie Linie Kolejowe will submit an application to modernize line no. 14 between Głogów and Żagań. This is the main information, but other details are also emerging. – I hope that decisions in this regard will be made in 2026, so that we can begin the first works in 2027. However, if the application for these funds is unsuccessful, we will still reserve funds at the beginning of 2028 to enable speeds of 80–100 km/h here. We estimate the cost at approximately PLN 300 million – he added.
Railway works are underway throughout Lower Silesia, both on Polskie Linie Kolejowe lines and those of the Lower Silesian Roads and Railways Service, thanks to which more and more people are choosing trains as their everyday means of transport.
– The Głogów–Niegosławice–Szprotawa–Żagań connection will be another link between the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships, connecting Lusatia with our voivodeship. From December, Legnica–Cottbus trains will run via Żagań, making travel along the route between Wrocław and Berlin easier, while the launch of the line from Głogów will make the northwestern part of Lower Silesia much better connected with the rest of the voivodeship – says Michał Rado, Deputy Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship responsible, among other things, for railways.
Głogów, Żukowice, Nielubia and Gaworzyce are stations within the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. However, if we continue into the Lubusz Voivodeship, we will reach Niegosławice, from which it is only a few kilometres by train to Przemków – a town in Lower Silesia.
– In this way, we will complete the “ring” of the Zagłębie Miedziowe Metropolitan Railway. From Legnica to Głogów, we will be able to travel via two railway lines: through Lubin and Rudna, as well as through Chojnów, Chocianów and Przemków – says Tymoteusz Myrda, Councillor of the Voivodeship Assembly.
Lubusz with new lines
Operating at the junction of two voivodeships, it is impossible not to mention how the declaration to revitalize the line will positively affect railway connections in the Lubusz Voivodeship. Currently, a section to Lubsko is being carried out under Polskie Linie Kolejowe programmes, and thanks to the revitalization of the Głogów–Żagań line, railway services will return, among other places, to Szprotawa, a town of 10,000.
– Railway connections in the south of the Lubusz Voivodeship are an example of good cooperation with Lower Silesia, because from December Koleje Dolnośląskie trains will appear on this line on the Legnica–Chociebuż route. We are improving the service and awaiting the inclusion of more towns, including Szprotawa and Lubsko, in our voivodeship’s railway network – said Sebastian Ciemnoczołowski, Marshal of the Lubusz Voivodeship.
The local community has been fighting for the restoration of railway services to Szprotawa for years. A Koleje Dolnośląskie train is one of two trains to have visited the town this year: several months ago, a historic train operated by the Railway Enthusiasts’ Club travelled along the railway line, which is closed on a daily basis.
– Clear declarations were made today, and we are very pleased. We are waiting for words to be turned into action, because the people of Szprotawa deserve convenient, fast and modern rail transport – says Mirosław Gąsik, Mayor of Szprotawa.
Railway lines run through Lusatia from Żary and Żagań to the capital of the Lubusz Voivodeship, Zielona Góra, and to Lower Silesian towns: Węgliniec and Legnica. Opening the Żary–Żagań–Szprotawa–Głogów route would create another line connecting the Lubusz and Lower Silesian voivodeships.
The journey was operated by a Koleje Dolnośląskie train, belonging to a regional carrier that operates in four voivodeships and three countries. Its white-and-yellow trains take us to Germany and the Czech Republic, and beyond Lower Silesia they reach the Lubusz, Opole and Greater Poland voivodeships.
As Rzeczpospolita once calculated, Koleje Dolnośląskie operates the fastest regional trains in Poland. The carrier operates its services using one hundred trains, covers 15 million km annually, and according to plan, between 28 and 30 million passengers will use its services in 2026.