Polish Coal Trunk-Line
Encyclopedia
The Coal Trunk-Line is one of the most important rail connections in Poland.
It crosses the central part of the country, from the coal mines and steelworks of Upper Silesia
in the South to the Baltic Sea
port of Gdynia
in the North. The line is used mostly by freight trains: passenger connections on it are few. Constructed in the late 1920s and early 1930s, it was the biggest investment of the Second Polish Republic
.
, heading north. After crossing almost 30 kilometers it reaches Tarnowskie Góry
- a very important freight station located on the northern outskirts of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin.
Then, the line goes towards Kalety and Herby Nowe
. In Herby , the Coal Trunk-Line proper begins. The connection Chorzów Batory - Kalety had been built before the 1920s, by the Germans, as these lands had belonged to Germany until 1921. Then, in 1926 a Kalety - Herby Nowe
- Wieluń
- Kępno
line was constructed, thanks to which Upper Silesia and Poznań
got a direct connection, without the necessity of using the then-German junction at Kreuzburg
(Kluczbork).
From Herby , crossing the strategic junctions of Chorzew Siemkowice
and Zduńska Wola Karsznice
, the Coal Trunk-Line reaches Inowrocław. From there it goes to Bydgoszcz, which had already been connected to Gdańsk
and Gdynia
(via Laskowice
and Tczew
), but the creation of Free City of Danzig
made it difficult to keep regular Polish freight movement in the interbellum. Thus, another part of the Coal Trunk-Line between Bydgoszcz and Gdynia was constructed in the early 1930s, via Wierzchucin and Kościerzyna
and the sparsely populated forests and hills of Kashubia
.
The Coal Trunk-Line ends in the Baltic Sea
port of Gdynia, after crossing all of Poland from south to north (appr. 550 kilometers).
were finally established. Upper Silesia was divided (see: Silesian Uprisings
) and the boundary left in German hands several crucial junctions, including Kluczbork
(Kreuzburg) and Fosowskie
(Vossowska). Without these centers, rail communication between Polish Silesia and the Baltic Sea was virtually impossible. As coal was one of main Polish exports, and transit through Germany was not allowed (due to the Polish - German customs war in the late 1920s and early 1930s), construction of the new line was necessary.
On February 17, 1928 the President of Poland Ignacy Mościcki
signed a bill which ordered construction of the 255-kilometer line Herby - Inowrocław. For unknown reasons, the important industrial center of Łódź, located just a few kilometers east of the route, was not included in it. Instead, the Coal Trunk-Line crossed the main East-West route (Warsaw
- Łódź - Ostrów Wielkopolski
- Poznań) in the vicinity of the town of Zduńska Wola
. As a result, a huge nexus was built in Zduńska Wola-Karsznice, which until today is one of the most important junctions of the whole country. Also, a new settlement was built there, with several condominiums for rail workers and their families. Apart from the line itself, numerous stations along the way were built. Most of them resemble traditional Polish manor houses, with a very interesting architecture.
The Herby - Karsznice connection was completed by 1930, soon afterwards the route reached Inowrocław. As the line between Inowrocław and Bydgoszcz already existed, the next step was construction of the last part - from Bydgoszcz to Gdynia, through the Polish Corridor
, without entering the territory of the Free City of Danzig
. The whole Coal Trunk-Line was completed by 1933, and in 1939 it was connected with Częstochowa
, due to the Chorzew Siemkowice
- Częstochowa route, which was finished on April 23, 1939. Also, on the same day the second track was completed on the sector between Zduńska Wola Karsznice and Chorzew Siemkowice. Among the guests, invited for celebration of the opening of the Częstochowa - Siemkowice connection, were the Polish minister of transportation, Juliusz Ulrich and the minister of public works of France, Anatole de Monzie
.
In the interbellum period, long distance passenger trains still used the Bydgoszcz - Danzig - Gdynia connection, crossing the territory of the Free City of Danzig.
After the war, the Coal Trunk-Line again gained importance. Transports of Silesian coal to Gdansk and Gdynia were crucial for the Polish economy, so by 1966 electrification of the whole route was completed. However, the original connection Bydgoszcz - Kościerzyna - Gdynia was abandoned by freight trains which go on the route Bydgoszcz - Tczew - Gdansk - Gdynia, and today is used only by local traffic.
Today, the Coal Trunk-Line is one of the most prosperous rail routes in Poland. Passenger trains are few, but freight trains are very numerous, as this is the fastest way from the industrial areas of Upper Silesia, Zagłębie Dąbrowskie and Częstochowa to the Baltic ports.
(FPTK - Francusko-Polskie Towarzystwo Kolejowe). This company maintained the route Herby - Gdynia from April 24, 1931 until September 1, 1939. During that time, the line was not under the authority of the Polish State Railways (PKP
), the FPTK directed it from its headquarters in Bydgoszcz. After the war, the whole line was nationalized.
, Tarnowskie Góry
, Kalety, Herby Nowe
, Chorzew Siemkowice
, Zduńska Wola Karsznice
, Inowrocław, Bydgoszcz, Wierzchucin, Kościerzyna
, Somonino
and Gdynia
.
Total length of the connection constructed between 1930 and 1933 - 448 km.
It crosses the central part of the country, from the coal mines and steelworks of Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
in the South to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
port of Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
in the North. The line is used mostly by freight trains: passenger connections on it are few. Constructed in the late 1920s and early 1930s, it was the biggest investment of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
.
Route
The Coal Trunk-Line starts at the station Chorzów Batory, in the Upper Silesian city of ChorzówChorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, heading north. After crossing almost 30 kilometers it reaches Tarnowskie Góry
Tarnowskie Góry
Tarnowskie Góry is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands....
- a very important freight station located on the northern outskirts of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin.
Then, the line goes towards Kalety and Herby Nowe
Herby Nowe
Herby Nowe is a major Polish rail junction, located north of the Upper Silesian Industrial Area, along the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, in the Lubliniec County of the Silesian Voivodeship. Around the station, which was opened in 1926, there is a whole district of condominiums and houses, built for the...
. In Herby , the Coal Trunk-Line proper begins. The connection Chorzów Batory - Kalety had been built before the 1920s, by the Germans, as these lands had belonged to Germany until 1921. Then, in 1926 a Kalety - Herby Nowe
Herby Nowe
Herby Nowe is a major Polish rail junction, located north of the Upper Silesian Industrial Area, along the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, in the Lubliniec County of the Silesian Voivodeship. Around the station, which was opened in 1926, there is a whole district of condominiums and houses, built for the...
- Wieluń
Wielun
Wieluń is a city in central Poland with 24,347 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously in Sieradz Voivodeship .- History :...
- Kępno
Kepno
Kępno is a town in Poland. It lies on the outskirts of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, as it borders on Silesia and the Łódz Land, at the crossing point of two transport routes: north to south and east to west . As of December 31, 2009 Kępno had a population of 14,760...
line was constructed, thanks to which Upper Silesia and Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
got a direct connection, without the necessity of using the then-German junction at Kreuzburg
Kreuzburg
The German placename Kreuzburg may refer to:* Kluczbork , Poland * Slavskoye, Russia, a settlement in Russia; formerly part of the German Province of East Prussia...
(Kluczbork).
From Herby , crossing the strategic junctions of Chorzew Siemkowice
Chorzew Siemkowice
Chorzew Siemkowice is a Polish rail junction located in the Pajęczno County of the Łódź Voivodeship, in central part of Poland. It is located on the route of the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, here the Trunk-Line is joined by the Częstochowa - Chorzew Siemkowice line....
and Zduńska Wola Karsznice
Zdunska Wola Karsznice
Zduńska Wola Karsznice is one of the biggest rail junctions in Poland, located in central part of the country, within borders of the town of Zduńska Wola . It is a station along the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, before 1930 it had been a separate village, but construction of the Trunk-Line resulted in...
, the Coal Trunk-Line reaches Inowrocław. From there it goes to Bydgoszcz, which had already been connected to Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
and Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
(via Laskowice
Laskowice
Laskowice may refer to the following places:*Laskowice, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship *Laskowice, Masovian Voivodeship *Laskowice, Kluczbork County in Opole Voivodeship...
and Tczew
Tczew
Tczew is a town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60,279 inhabitants . It is an important railway junction with a classification yard dating to the Prussian Eastern Railway...
), but the creation of Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
made it difficult to keep regular Polish freight movement in the interbellum. Thus, another part of the Coal Trunk-Line between Bydgoszcz and Gdynia was constructed in the early 1930s, via Wierzchucin and Kościerzyna
Koscierzyna
Kościerzyna is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998...
and the sparsely populated forests and hills of Kashubia
Kashubia
Kashubia or Cassubia - is a language area in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland. Located west of Gdańsk and the mouth of the Vistula river, it is inhabited by members of the Kashubian ethnic group....
.
The Coal Trunk-Line ends in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
port of Gdynia, after crossing all of Poland from south to north (appr. 550 kilometers).
Beginnings and interwar period
In 1921–1922 the borders of the Second Polish RepublicSecond Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
were finally established. Upper Silesia was divided (see: Silesian Uprisings
Silesian Uprisings
The Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed uprisings of the Poles and Polish Silesians of Upper Silesia, from 1919–1921, against German rule; the resistance hoped to break away from Germany in order to join the Second Polish Republic, which had been established in the wake of World War I...
) and the boundary left in German hands several crucial junctions, including Kluczbork
Kluczbork
Kluczbork is a town in southwestern Poland with 26,670 inhabitants , situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Kluczbork County and an important railroad junction. In Kluczbork the major rail line from Katowice splits into two directions - westwards to Wroclaw and northwards to Poznań...
(Kreuzburg) and Fosowskie
Fosowskie
Fosowskie , also caleed Wosowska between 1945 and 1948, is a district of the southern Polish town of Kolonowskie . Located at the Mała Panew river, Fosowskie was for most of its history a separate village...
(Vossowska). Without these centers, rail communication between Polish Silesia and the Baltic Sea was virtually impossible. As coal was one of main Polish exports, and transit through Germany was not allowed (due to the Polish - German customs war in the late 1920s and early 1930s), construction of the new line was necessary.
On February 17, 1928 the President of Poland Ignacy Mościcki
Ignacy Moscicki
Ignacy Mościcki was a Polish chemist, politician, and President of Poland . He was the longest-serving President of Poland .-Life:...
signed a bill which ordered construction of the 255-kilometer line Herby - Inowrocław. For unknown reasons, the important industrial center of Łódź, located just a few kilometers east of the route, was not included in it. Instead, the Coal Trunk-Line crossed the main East-West route (Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
- Łódź - Ostrów Wielkopolski
Ostrów Wielkopolski
Ostrów Wielkopolski is a town in central Poland with 72,360 inhabitants , situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship; the seat of Ostrów Wielkopolski County.-History:Recently, a small fortified dwelling dating from the 10th century was discovered on the north-east side of...
- Poznań) in the vicinity of the town of Zduńska Wola
Zdunska Wola
Zduńska Wola is a town in central Poland with 44,671 inhabitants .Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Sieradz Voivodeship . It is the seat of Zduńska Wola County.- Famous people from Zduńska Wola :...
. As a result, a huge nexus was built in Zduńska Wola-Karsznice, which until today is one of the most important junctions of the whole country. Also, a new settlement was built there, with several condominiums for rail workers and their families. Apart from the line itself, numerous stations along the way were built. Most of them resemble traditional Polish manor houses, with a very interesting architecture.
The Herby - Karsznice connection was completed by 1930, soon afterwards the route reached Inowrocław. As the line between Inowrocław and Bydgoszcz already existed, the next step was construction of the last part - from Bydgoszcz to Gdynia, through the Polish Corridor
Polish Corridor
The Polish Corridor , also known as Danzig Corridor, Corridor to the Sea or Gdańsk Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia , which provided the Second Republic of Poland with access to the Baltic Sea, thus dividing the bulk of Germany from the province of East...
, without entering the territory of the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
. The whole Coal Trunk-Line was completed by 1933, and in 1939 it was connected with Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
, due to the Chorzew Siemkowice
Chorzew Siemkowice
Chorzew Siemkowice is a Polish rail junction located in the Pajęczno County of the Łódź Voivodeship, in central part of Poland. It is located on the route of the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, here the Trunk-Line is joined by the Częstochowa - Chorzew Siemkowice line....
- Częstochowa route, which was finished on April 23, 1939. Also, on the same day the second track was completed on the sector between Zduńska Wola Karsznice and Chorzew Siemkowice. Among the guests, invited for celebration of the opening of the Częstochowa - Siemkowice connection, were the Polish minister of transportation, Juliusz Ulrich and the minister of public works of France, Anatole de Monzie
Anatole de Monzie
Anatole de Monzie was a French administrator, encyclopaedist , political figure and scholar. His father was a tax collector in Bazas, Gironde where Anatole - a name he disliked from an early age - was born in 1876...
.
In the interbellum period, long distance passenger trains still used the Bydgoszcz - Danzig - Gdynia connection, crossing the territory of the Free City of Danzig.
Second World War and aftewards
During the Second World War German occupiers did not regard the Coal Trunk-Line as a strategic one. For them, the West - East routes were most important, along which military transports were carried. Besides, since the pre-1939 borders were voided, part of the line between Bydgoszcz and Gdynia was replaced by the Bydgoszcz - Tczew - Danzig - Gdynia connection. In spite of this, in the early 1940s the Germans laid a second track on the routes Herby - Siemkowice (55 km) and Karsznice - Inowrocław (156 km).After the war, the Coal Trunk-Line again gained importance. Transports of Silesian coal to Gdansk and Gdynia were crucial for the Polish economy, so by 1966 electrification of the whole route was completed. However, the original connection Bydgoszcz - Kościerzyna - Gdynia was abandoned by freight trains which go on the route Bydgoszcz - Tczew - Gdansk - Gdynia, and today is used only by local traffic.
Today, the Coal Trunk-Line is one of the most prosperous rail routes in Poland. Passenger trains are few, but freight trains are very numerous, as this is the fastest way from the industrial areas of Upper Silesia, Zagłębie Dąbrowskie and Częstochowa to the Baltic ports.
Investor
The Coal Trunk-Line was constructed by order of the Polish Government by a private company, the French-Polish Rail AssociationFrench-Polish Rail Association
French-Polish Rail Association was a Joint-stock company, established in 1931 to complete construction and then usage of the Polish Coal Trunk-Line. Its offices were in Paris, Warsaw, and Bydgoszcz...
(FPTK - Francusko-Polskie Towarzystwo Kolejowe). This company maintained the route Herby - Gdynia from April 24, 1931 until September 1, 1939. During that time, the line was not under the authority of the Polish State Railways (PKP
Polskie Koleje Panstwowe
is the dominant railway operator in Poland.The company was founded when the former state-owned operator was divided into several units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union...
), the FPTK directed it from its headquarters in Bydgoszcz. After the war, the whole line was nationalized.
Main stations
The most important stations located on the original route are ChorzówChorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, Tarnowskie Góry
Tarnowskie Góry
Tarnowskie Góry is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands....
, Kalety, Herby Nowe
Herby Nowe
Herby Nowe is a major Polish rail junction, located north of the Upper Silesian Industrial Area, along the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, in the Lubliniec County of the Silesian Voivodeship. Around the station, which was opened in 1926, there is a whole district of condominiums and houses, built for the...
, Chorzew Siemkowice
Chorzew Siemkowice
Chorzew Siemkowice is a Polish rail junction located in the Pajęczno County of the Łódź Voivodeship, in central part of Poland. It is located on the route of the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, here the Trunk-Line is joined by the Częstochowa - Chorzew Siemkowice line....
, Zduńska Wola Karsznice
Zdunska Wola Karsznice
Zduńska Wola Karsznice is one of the biggest rail junctions in Poland, located in central part of the country, within borders of the town of Zduńska Wola . It is a station along the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, before 1930 it had been a separate village, but construction of the Trunk-Line resulted in...
, Inowrocław, Bydgoszcz, Wierzchucin, Kościerzyna
Koscierzyna
Kościerzyna is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998...
, Somonino
Somonino
Somonino is a village in Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Somonino. It lies approximately south of Kartuzy and west of the regional capital Gdańsk....
and Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
.
Distances
The length of the line is measured from the junction at Herby to the port of Gdynia (e.g. from South to North). Not included is the connection Chorzów Batory - Herby (65 km.)- Herby (0 km.),
- Chorzew Siemkowice (55 km.),
- Zduńska Wola Karsznice (99 km.),
- Inowrocław Rabinek (247 km.),
- Inowrocław Glowny (254 km.),
- Bydgoszcz Glowna (299 km.),
- Wierzchucin (347 km.),
- BąkBAK-Acronyms:* Bcl-2 homologous antagonist killer, a protein involved in pro-apoptotic action* Betrayal at Krondor, an acclaimed 1993 role-playing game on the PC* Biking Across Kansas-Places:* Bak District, Afghanistan* Bak, Hungary, a village in Hungary...
(392 km.), - Kościerzyna (413 km.),
- Somonino (438 km.),
- Gdynia Glowna (480 km.).
Timeline
Dates of construction of the route:- Czersk - Bak - Kościerzyna - 1928,
- Herby - Zduńska Wola - 1930,
- Maksymilianowo - Bąk - 1930,
- Kościerzyna - Gdynia - 1930,
- Zduńska Wola - Inowrocław - 1933,
Total length of the connection constructed between 1930 and 1933 - 448 km.