History of rail transport in Poland
The history of rail transport in Poland dates back to the first half of the 19th century when railways were built under Prussian, Russian, and Austrian rule. Of course, "divided Poland" in the 19th century was the territory of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and not that one of today's Republic of Poland. After Polish independence was declared on 11 November 1918, the independent Polish state administered its own railways until control was surrendered to German and Soviet occupiers during World War II.
During and after World War II major changes were made again, with the Polish borders shifted westward in 1945, putting many German railways under Polish control and leaving several Polish ones in the East.
1835–1914
Prussian heritage lines
Upper Silesian Railway Company
In 1842, the
In 1856 the Upper Silesian Railway Company built a line from Breslau (Wrocław) to
).Oberschlesische Schmalspurbahn (OSSB)
In 1851 inside its standard gauge main line, the Upper Silesian Railway Company started to build a narrow gauge network, connecting local mining trams. This Oberschlesische Schmalspurbahn (OSSB) survived the nationalization of the standard gauge lines, and in two steps 1920 and 1945 became present day Górnośląskie Koleje Wąskotorowe (GKW). By time it was extended to its top length of 233.5 km in 1965. A small rest is still busy, offering a tourist passenger service.
Lower Silesian-Mark Railway
In 1843, the
was completed.William Railway
1846 to 1848 the
Silesian Mountain Railway
The
Stargard–Poznań Railway
Poznań was connected with Berlin via Stettin (
Prussian Eastern Railway
At the same, the Prussian Eastern Railway was planned from Berlin to Königsberg (present day Kaliningrad), passing through stations like Küstrin (Kostrzyn nad Odrą), Schneidemühl (Piła), Bromberg (Bydgoszcz) with a branch to Danzig (Gdańsk). The station of Kreuz (Krzyż) at the crossing point of Stettin–Poznań and Berlin–Königsberg had primarily been laid out for the latter to line be the trunk. Most parts of this main line were opened in 1852, but the construction of the bridges across Oder river at Küstrin (Kostrzyn) and Vistula and Nogat rivers between Dirschau (Tczew) and Marienburg (Malbork) was not completed before 1857.
In 1867, two other lines were opened: from Stettin/Szczecin to Danzig/Gdańsk via Stargard Szczeciński, Belgard (Białogard), Köslin (Koszalin) and Lauenburg in Pommern (Lębork); Frankfurt to Poznań via Reppen (Rzepin) and Bentschen (Zbąszyń).
Prussian state railways
In 1875 the Gründerzeit economic boom led to an economic crisis caused by the panic of 1873 and speculation in railway shares in Germany and Austria. The Chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, supported the elimination of speculation on railway joint-stock companies. He also supported the state's compulsory purchase of railways from private owners, as well as the introduction of an exclusive goods rate for the transport of agricultural products from Pomerania and East Prussia to Berlin.
Prussia nationalized its railways in 1880 in an effort both to lower rates on freight service and to equalize those rates among shippers. However, instead of lowering rates as far as possible, the government ran the railways as a profit-making undertaking, and the railway profits became a major source of state revenue. The nationalization of the railways slowed the economic development of Prussia because the state favoured the relatively backward agricultural areas in its railway building. Moreover, the railway surpluses substituted for the development of an adequate tax system.[1]
In 1893, the
In the same year the Malborsko–Mławska Railway (the last large private railway under Prussian rule) was nationalized.
1906 saw the continued production of famous standard superheated steam locomotive classes by Garbe in the Linke-Hofmann locomotive factory in Breslau for the Prussian state railways. 584 of S6/
Öls–Adelnau–Ostrów line
In 1910, the Öls–Adelnau–Ostrów line /
Warsaw–Vienna line
In 1839, the Warsaw-Vienna Railway Company was founded as a joint stock company. In the same year it applied for a license to build the
In 1894, the Warsaw–Vienna Railway ordered 13 fast
It was decided to nationalize the Warsaw and Vienna and Warsaw and Bydgoszcz Railways and the broad gauge track Kaliska Railway managed by this society. One year later, a decision was made to readjust the Warsaw and Vienna Railway to broad gauge track, but it was not realized.
In 1902, the Warsaw–Vienna Company built a wide gauge railway from Warsaw to Kalisz via Łowicz and Łódź (the Warsaw–Kalisz Railway), on a route different from the company's standard gauge line. At that time, Kalisz lay near the western border of Russian Empire. In 1906, it was joined to Nowe Skalmierzyce on the Prussian side of the border, providing a direct communication between Łódź and Lower Silesia.
Austrian heritage lines
Kraków and Upper Silesian Railway
In 1847, the Kraków and Upper Silesian Railway (Kolej Krakowsko-Górnośląska), connecting
Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway
Though in 1836 a licence had been issued to the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway to connect Vienna, Ostrava, Kraków and Bochnia, that railway was only built from Vienna to Bohumín on the Austrian and Prussian border, and the only rail communication form Vienna to Kraków used Prussian rails in upper Silesia until 1856.
Karol Ludvig Galician Railway
After some reorganizations, the Karol Ludvig Galician Railway (after intermediate
Russian heritage lines
The standard gauge Warsaw and Vienna Line had been the first long-distance railway under Russian rule at all.
Saint Petersburg–Warsaw Railway
Warsaw's first link to the 5 ft (1,524 mm) system was the
Warsaw and Bydgoszcz Railway
Also in 1862, the last standard gauge main railway line in Russian Poland was opened between Łowicz (at a branch of the Warsaw and Vienna Line) to Aleksandrów Kujawski near the Prussian border. It was the Russian part of the Warsaw and Bydgoszcz Railway, the first direct connection between Warsaw and the Prussian ruled parts of old Poland.
Warsaw-Terespol Railway
In 1866, the direct railway form Moscow to Warsaw via Brest was finished.
Iwanogrodzko–Dąbrowska Railway
Later, another wide gauge railway track was added: the Iwanogrodzko–Dąbrowska Railway from Dęblin via Radom–Bzin (now Skarżysko-Kamienna)–Kielce–Tunnel to Dąbrowa (now Dąbrowa Górnicza Strzemieszyce) and from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski to Łódź via Bzin–Tomaszów Mazowiecki–Koluszki. This caused a temporary decrease of cargo transport (mainly coal) on the Warszawa–Vienna Railway. The Russian General Staff confirmed the exclusive production of wide gauge equipment in the territory of Russia.
Wrocław–Warsaw Railway
The Russian authorities refused extension of the Wrocław–Warsaw Railway (Oleśnica–Podzamcze) to Łódź and Warsaw on their territory.
The Engineering Railway School in Warsaw was opened under the line's protection in 1873.
Ring Railway (Kolej Obwodowa)
In 1875, Warsaw's first railway bridge across Vistula river was opened (Gdański Bridge – former Ring Railway Bridge), connecting the wide gauge lines east of the river to the standard gauge lines starting from Vienna Station in the west. Ring Railway (Kolej Obwodowa), in 1876, connected the Warsaw-Vienna and Warsaw-Terespol Railways
Other
In 1888, all railroads in Russia were nationalized.
The
However, after the revolutionary events, the traffic was restored and many new technical improvements were implemented, especially for military sake.
World War I
Soon after occupying Polish areas, the German railway army readjusted the railway from Russian (broad gauge) to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
In 1915, the German and Austrian armies completed adapting a significant portion of all broad gauge track to standard gauge. As the railway bridge over the Vistula River had been damaged, the Germans used ferries to move locomotives across the river in Warsaw. The same year saw construction of military railways on the Wielbork–Ostrołęka and Rozwadów–Sandomierz routes, as well as additional lines on the Kalisz Railway. Modern German railway rolling stock replaced the broad gauge stock which had been removed to Russia.
1918–1939
On 3 January 1918, the Regency Council transferred the management of the state railway in the former Congress Poland to the Ministry of Business and Industry. In fact, the management belonged to Militäreisenbahn-Generaldirektion Warschau (MGD). In October of the same year, the Regency Council brought into being the Ministry of Communication.
On 31 October 1918, Polish railwaymen took over the Railway Directorate in Kraków and railways in
Independent Poland railways
Gaining independence on 11 November 1918 allowed Poland to reclaim the former Russian and Austrian sectors from military railways. The Railway Department in the Ministry of Communication was created and the Polish railways were officially named Polskie Koleje Państwowe.
In December 1918, the
In 1919,
After the victory over the
Polish railways administration finally took over the railways in Upper Silesia in 1922. That same year, a decision was made to divide railways in Poland into nine administrative districts.
An economic crisis in 1930s forced the state to cut back its budget for railway investment. Profit decreased by 50% compared to 1929. The next year, over 23,000 PKP employees had been dismissed and protests and strikes causes authorities to try to find a solution. The end of the crisis and an increase of cargo transport and income came in 1937.
Motive Power
The government of
The Poles fought to get compensation for railway rolling stock from the defeated
In 1921, the first orders for steam locomotives for PKP from German factories (
In 1923, construction of the First Locomotive Factory in Chrzanów, Poland started. The same year, local production began in the Warszawa Steam Locomotive Joint Stock Company. The first Polish
From 1936, the Factory in Chrzanów worked at its own cost (without PKP orders) on fast steam locomotive PKP class Pm36 in two versions. Engineer K. Zembrzuski was the contractor of this locomotive. In 1937, the prototype Pm36-1 with aerodynamic lagging won the gold medal on the world exhibition in Paris. The speed test of Pm36 on the back way from Paris reached over 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph) on German rails.
New railway lines
In 1920, a decision was made to construct of new railway line urgently: Łódź–Kutno–Płock–Sierpc–Nasielsk, Kutno–Strzałkowo, and gaps in lines, bypassing the connections broken by the new border with Germany and Gdańsk.
A year later, construction began on the Kutno–Konin–Strzałkowo railway, to shorten connections between Warsaw and Poznań. In 1922, construction of the Kutno–Płock and Swarzewo–Hel lines started.
In 1924, the Nasielsk–
In 1927, the first Polish electric railway was built: the private
In 1936 the first electric line based on 3,000 V DC from Warszawa to Otwock and Pruszków opened.
World War II
On 1 September 1939, railwaymen of
The Polish railways in Silesia,
Until the last moment before the
In 1942, global production of simple military
The Warsaw Uprising caused widespread damage of Warsaw rolling stock, network and electric traction; both bridges over the Vistula River and the tunnel on the Warsaw Cross-City Line were destroyed. The unfinished Warszawa Główna railway station was partially destroyed several times 1939-1941 and finally blown up by the Germans.
Communist period
At the beginning of 1945, the Ministry of Transport was created, as well as the Regional Directorate of National Railways. Many pre-war locomotives were sent to the Soviet Union. Poland received many German locomotives as a compensation for war losses. In June, the rail connection with Warsaw was opened, using a temporary railway station made of warehouses. On 15 September 1945, PKP took over management of all railway lines on new Polish territory from the Soviet Union. Most of these lines were either destroyed or inaccessible. The railways in the country were divided into 10 districts.
In 1946, the Fablok and Cegielski factories started the production of
Polish railways regained pre-war locomotives from Hungary,
The modernised version of
The 1950s in Polish railways were a time of serious development and improvements. In 1950, construction of TKt48 locomotives started and two years later a prototype of the Ol49 steam locomotive was built. 1953 brought several new types of electric rolling stock into PKP. Ten units of EP03 electric locomotives and 40 units of EW54 EMUs were ordered from Sweden. EW54 EMUs were sent to operate on lines connecting Warsaw with Mińsk Mazowiecki, Żyrardów and Sochaczew. Meanwhile, EP04 and EU20 locomotives were ordered from the DDR, along with EN56 and ED70 EMUs.
Polish production in that period included
Przemyśl-Zagórz trains travelled through the Soviet Union without stops.
High speed
Present-day Poland
On 14 December 2014 PKP Intercity Pendolino trains under the name 'Express Intercity Premium' began operating on the CMK line (224 km line from Kraków and Katowice to Warsaw) with trains reaching 200 km/h (124 mph) as a regularly scheduled operation. There is a plan by PKP PLK to increase speed to 250 km/h on whole line soon.[4]
The "Y" High-speed rail in Poland construction has been cancelled. The old building of the Łódź Fabryczna railway station has been removed and an underground station is being constructed. New railway is being constructed in Tricity.
Rail history of Warsaw
The first railway opened in Warsaw in 1845 (the
- Warsaw-broad gaugerailway,
- Warsaw-Moscow, in 1867 – through Terespol, thus called "Warsaw-Terespol Railway" – broad gauge,
- Ring Railway (Kolej Obwodowa), in 1876, connected the Warsaw-Vienna and Warsaw-Terespol Railways,
- Vistula Riverside Railway (Kolej Nadwiślańska), in 1877 - Mława-Warsaw-Lublin-Kovel – broad gauge,
- Warsaw-Kalisz, in 1902 – Warsaw-Sochaczew-Łódź-Kalisz - broad gauge railway.
On these railways the following stations were built: Vienna St. (Dworzec Warszawsko-Wiedeński, 1845), Saint Petersburg St. (Dworzec Petersburski, 1863), Terespol St. (Dworzec Terespolski), Vistula St. (Dworzec Nadwiślański, 1878), Kalisz St. (Dworzec Kaliski, 1902). The Vienna St. and Terespolski St. survived World War I, the other stations were pulled down by Russians in 1915, but only the Kaliski St. was not rebuilt after the war. During the war and after it, the broad gauge railways were converted to standard gauge. But right up until 1933, the only line connecting both Vistula banks was the Ring Railway, with the bridge near today's Gdański Bridge. In 1933, the connection between the Main Station (former Vienna St.) and the Terespol St. was built: as it ran through the densely built-up city center, it was built in a tunnel. This tunnel along with a bridge is called Średnicowy (Cross-City Tunnel) and has approximately 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi). Year 1934 saw the opening of the railway to Radom and further to Kraków.
There are two railway bridges in Warsaw:
- along the Gdański bridge – former Ring Railway Bridge (1875), serves mainly freight trains and some of passenger trains,
- Średnicowy (1933) – serves mainly passenger trains.
See also
- This article is part of the History of rail transport by countryseries.
- Polish State Railways
- PKP Group
- Railway stations in Poland
- Polish locomotives designation
- Polish National Railroads Summer 1939
- Polish rail border crossings
References
- ^ Rainer Fremdling, "Freight Rates and State Budget: The Role of the National Prussian Railways 1880–1913," Journal of European Economic History, Spring 1980, Vol. 9#1 pp 21-40
- ^ The longest series of more than 7,000 items was DRB Class 52, a so called War Locomotive of World War II
- ISSN 1734-2015.
- ^ "Minister infrastruktury: W 2023 r. Pojedziemy polską koleją z prędkością do 250 km/H". 15 January 2021.
External links
- PKP (Polish National Railways) official site URL accessed on February 5, 2006
- Railway history at historiakolei.fm.interia.pl URL accessed on February 6, 2006
- Warsaw rail history at www.warszawa1939.pl URL accessed on February 9, 2006
- Steam locomotives history URL accessed on February 5, 2006
- Krótka historia kolei w Warszawie (in Polish, accessed on Nov. 20 2010)
- Kaiser-Ferdinands-Nordbahn, in: Victor von Röll, Enzyklopädie des Eisenbahnwesens (in German, accessed on Nov. 20 2010)
- Historic and modelling magazine website URL accessed on February 9, 2006
- Jelenia Góra rail history URL accessed on February 9, 2006
- YouTube videos of steam trains in Poland
- Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1936), "Poland's main lines", Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 631–642, description of the railways of Poland in the 1930s