LN-01Silesian Mountain Railway
The trunk route along the northern foot of the Sudetes, and the reason almost every significant engineering structure in Lower Silesia is where it is.
Record
| Route | Wrocław Świebodzki – Wałbrzych – Jelenia Góra – Zgorzelec |
|---|---|
| Gauge | 1435 mm |
| Opened | 1867 (Wałbrzych Fabryczny, 15 August) |
| Builder | Prussian State Railways |
| Status | In service; passenger and freight |
| Record class | LN |
Alignment
The line runs west from Wrocław along the edge of the Sudeten foreland, climbs through the Wałbrzych coal basin, crosses to the Jelenia Góra basin and continues to Zgorzelec on the Nysa Łużycka. It is the spine of the regional network: nearly every branch in this inventory joins it somewhere.
Wałbrzych Fabryczny opened on 15 August 1867 and is the reference date usually given for the mountain section. The station was built by the Prussian State Railways and today sits on what is administratively the Wrocław Świebodzki – Zgorzelec line.
Why it is hard
Between Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra the route has to get across a succession of transverse valleys without losing the height it has gained. The answer taken in the 1860s was the conventional one for mountain work of the period: long approach gradients, tight radii, and masonry viaducts wherever the ground fell away.
The consequence is a line that is slow by modern standards and expensive to maintain, which is why sections of it have repeatedly been proposed for closure and repeatedly reprieved.
Current condition
The Wrocław – Wałbrzych section carries a regular passenger service and remains a working freight route, with Wałbrzych Fabryczny still serving local mineral traffic. West of Jelenia Góra the service pattern is thinner and has changed several times in the past decade.
Track condition varies sharply between renewed and unrenewed sections. Line speeds quoted in timetables are not a reliable guide to what a given kilometre actually permits.