Kraków 2025-03-18

Railways in Poland during the Great World War. 1914

We know that the railway network in the Kingdom of Poland and the entire Muscovite state was poorly developed. Just before the outbreak of the Great World War, the government of the Muscovite state received further requests from the army to build more railway lines. All proposals had strategic goals. The country’s economic considerations were not taken into account. The general staff assumed that in the event of a war, the Moscow army would be withdrawn to the line of fortresses: Kaunas – Osowiec – Brest.

After the outbreak of the war, the defense plan was changed. The Muscovites decided to fight on the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. In great haste, new lines began to be built. The idea was to connect the railway lines with the network in Galicia and East Prussia. In the first months of the war, the Muscovites occupied Galicia and East Prussia. In September 1914, construction began on a line from Lublin to Rozwadów, which was the closest railway station in Galicia. The work was carried out in great haste. The first train on the Lublin – Rozwadów route was launched on December 31, 1914. The line was 104 km long. However, due to the rush, the line was made carelessly and the train speed was very low; 20-25 km/h. Years later, the line was modernized. In many places, its course was improved. As a result, the line was shortened to 99.3 km.

The Muscovites also built the Włodzimierz – Sokal line at a lightning pace. Currently, the entire line is in Ukraine. The length of the line was 49.9 km and runs meridionally. The line was built in 90 days.

In February 1915, construction of the third connection with the Małopolska Railway began. The line, 48.6 km long, connected Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski – Nadbrzezie near Sandomierz, on the right side of the Vistula. This involved the construction of a bridge over the Vistula, which was built later. The first train reached Sandomierz in May 1915. Because the Muscovites had to retreat before the Austrian army, the bridge over the Vistula was completed by the Austrians.

During the siege of Lviv, the Muscovites built the Krystynopol – Sapieżanki line, 38.7 km long. The Szepietówka – Zbarazh line was also built.

In the north, the Muscovites built a railway line to East Prussia from Suwałki to Raczek. The line was 54.6 km long. Construction of another railway connection was also started, from Śniadów through Łomża to the north. Only the Śniadowo – Łomża section, 16.5 km long, was built. Additionally, about 40 km of narrow-gauge lines were laid.

Similarly, from the Ivanogród – Dąbrowa line, at the bridge over the Vistula, a line was built to Kozienice, to the north, 13 km long, and to the town of Wysokie Koło, 11 km long, to the south.

In August 1915, the Muscovites withdrew from the Kingdom of Poland, under the influence of Germanic and Austrian troops. The new Austrian occupiers built the Rejowiec – Bełżec line, 121.9 km long. They also built the Zawada – Włodzimierz – Wojnica line, 123.3 km long. On the other hand, the Germans built the Podbrodzie – Łyntup section, 45 km long, and the Ostrołęka – Raszujek section, 57 km long. Railway lines were also built for obtaining timber from forests. These were; the Kowel – Kamień Koszyrski line, 56.3 km long, and Spała Tomaszów – Potok, 13 km long.

All of these lines were built at a low cost, in a makeshift manner. In total, the occupiers built about 820 km of standard gauge lines. For the future reborn Poland, these lines were of no great importance. They did not connect important cities and industrial centers. Their directions were irrelevant to society. There were no SRK devices, passing loops, or rail-road crossings on the lines. There were no water towers, ramps, or warehouses. In technical terms, they were of very little value. When it was decided to adapt a section to PKP traffic, it had to be rebuilt. Steep gradients and sharp arches had to be eliminated. Bridges and culverts had to be built anew, as steel or reinforced concrete.

In the Second Polish Republic, the Lublin – Rozwadów line became an important section of the Warsaw – Lviv main line. A large iron bridge was built on the San near Rozwadów in the town of Kępa Rzecka. A new bridge was also built over the Vistula near Sandomierz in the town of Zalesie Gorzyckie. This bridge was put into service on 17 February 1928. The railway lines in the Polish Borderlands, of local importance, were restored to normal operation, without course corrections. The necessary equipment for proper and safe operation was built.

The construction of railway lines in the Borderlands was of great importance to PKP. The Rejowiec – Włodzimierz – Bełżec line was modernised. Similarly, the Włodzimierz – Kowel and Włodzimierz – Rawa Ruska – Lwów lines.

In Masuria, the Raczki station on the Suwałki-Raczki line was adapted to function as a border crossing between Poland and Germans.

The takeover of the railway by PKP from the former occupiers.

The takeover of the railway by PKP from the former occupiers took place at different times and in different railway districts. The conditions of the takeover were also different. At the end of the Great World War, the railways in the former Prussian partition were in the hands of the Prussian Railways, the railways in the Austrian partition were in the hands of the Austrian Railways. On the other hand, the railways in the former Kingdom of Poland were under the management of the Germanic and Austrian armies. At that time, the only Polish authority recognized by the occupiers was the Regency Council. The occupiers wanted Poland to be reborn within the borders of the former Kingdom of Poland, and a reduced one at that. The Bolshevik War was already underway in the east. The process of recognizing Poland’s borders continued until 1922. In September 1918, the Railway Section was established in the Polish Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Section was tasked with taking over the railway from the occupation authorities. The first to be handed over were the Warsaw junction and the Radom junction. The Polish authorities were concerned about whether it would be possible to gather enough Polish railway workers. Additionally, the Germans put forward a proposal to leave the railway management in German, even after the temporary occupation had ended; “In order not to expose the country to transport problems”.

Meanwhile, history took a different turn. A communist revolution was breaking out in Berlin. The German occupiers from Poland felt depressed and began to retreat. The Polish local government authorities quickly took over the entire administration, barracks, railway stations, and airports. Already in July 1915, on the territory of the Muscovite state, railway workers established the “Union of Polish Railway Workers”. These were railway workers forced by the Muscovites to evacuate to the east. There were about 40,000 of them, highly qualified workers. In April 1918, this Union merged with the “Mutual Aid Society of Railway Workers”. Demobilized railway workers from the occupying forces also joined the union. From some of these workers, two teams were created, which took over the management of railway junctions in Warsaw (from November 12, 1918) and Radom (from November 10, 1918). Most of the occupiers withdrew voluntarily, and only some put up armed resistance. They argued that they had not received instructions from Berlin. In the east, the takeover took place only after 1920. The transfer was made by the Bolsheviks. It was the Treaty of Riga in 1921 that regulated the eastern border of Poland.

The most efficient takeover of the railways took place in the Austrian partition. All because the entire administration of the Directorate was in Polish hands. This concerned all three directorates: Kraków, Lwów and Stanisławów. Only the railways west of Kraków were subordinate to the Directorate in Vienna. This concerned Western Lesser Poland and Cieszyn Silesia. Here, Polish railway workers, at the outbreak of the Great World War, treated the fight with the Muscovites as with a common enemy. However, these moods quickly gave way to Polish patriotism. This resulted from the misery of Polish railway workers on the entire front, and especially the robbery of their property after returning home. The brutality of Austrian officers towards Poles was great. The obligation to use only the Germanic language was introduced, which outweighed the reluctance. In October 1918, a circular came from Warsaw to Krakow, introducing the Polish language as the official language on the PKP. On October 31, 1918, the Polish Liquidation Commission was established in Krakow, which officially occupied the city. Krakow became a liberated Polish city. The Austrians tried to conduct sabotage actions at railway stations and at the Rakowice airport. A Communication Department was established at the Liquidation Commission, which took over the railway and post office.

In Lviv, in the autumn of 1917, the underground National Committee of Polish Railway Workers was initially established. This committee cooperated with the centre in Kraków and Stanisławów. In Lviv and Stanisławów there were conflicts with the Ukrainians, fuelled by the Austrians. However, the main problem was the fights with the Bolsheviks for Lviv. Railway workers actively participated in the fights. The situation was taken over by the Polish Army, which managed to come to the rescue.

In the provinces of Poznań, Pomerania, and Upper Silesia, the takeover of the railway took place at different times and in different forms. Unexpectedly, the Poznań railway junction was taken over the easiest and fastest. The aforementioned communist revolution in Berlin helped in this. The Polish People’s Council was established. Supervision of the railways was assumed by the men of trust; the Workers’ and Soldiers’ Councils. On 8 December 1918, the People’s Guard occupied the railway stations in Poznań. There was a visit from Ignacy Paderewski and the Greater Poland Uprising broke out. The Communication Department was established as the supreme authority over the railways, post and shipping. The beginnings of the state were created; the Prussian District. On November 3, 1919, the Railway Commission was established, which changed its name to the Railway Department. On August 30, 1920, the Greater Poland Railways were taken over by the Ministry of Railways in Warsaw.

In Greater Poland, there were difficulties in recruiting personnel. The Germans were very careful not to let Poles occupy managerial positions in offices, the police, the army and, of course, on the railways. All railway personnel on Polish lands, with the exception of some lower-ranking officers and workers, were Germanic. Polish railway workers were always transferred to the west of Germany. The Germanic railway workers received an order from Berlin that they were to leave Greater Poland by March 31, 1920. The reaction of the Polish authorities was immediate. Courses were launched. Within 6 months, the number of Polish railway workers increased from 30% to 97%.

The takeover of the railways in Pomerania did not begin until January 10, 1920. Here, too, the process was very difficult. The middle and senior staff were Germanic. By March 31, 1920, the Germans had left their jobs en masse. There was no one to fill the gaps, because Wielkopolska had already attracted all possible Polish railway workers. The staff was made up of uneducated workers. Courses for various specialists were established at the locomotive depots, which improved the situation. The Free City of Gdańsk Railway was also under the supervision of the Polish State Railways.

In Pomerania, Polish railway workers and authorities encountered Germanic militias. There was a lot of sabotage. There were attacks on railway workers. The natives broke windows in the wagons. Obstacles were set up and the rails were unscrewed. The drivers had to drive the trains with great caution and reduced speed. Thanks to this, only one disaster occurred.

The situation in Eastern Upper Silesia was difficult, which was awarded to Poland by the decision of the greats of this world. On May 3, 1921, Silesian Poles took up arms. On the other side stood Germanic militias. On May 19, 1921, the Railway Council was established. The armed uprising died out and the Directorate in Katowice was established. Due to the industrial importance of Upper Silesia, it was necessary to create a Polish-Germanic economic agreement, which was called the Upper Silesian Convention. It was signed on May 15, 1922. The agreement did not solve all the problems, and in particular did not lead to a mutually beneficial exchange of goods. As a result, a “customs war” occurred. Let us remember that the Germans treated and still treat Poland as a seasonal state. On June 28, 1922, the Germans withdrew from Katowice and power passed into Polish hands. Poland received part of Upper Silesia and the Dąbrowa Basin (which had always been Polish).

New railway lines.

Already in 1920, a framework plan for the consolidation of railways from the former occupiers was ready. Its gradual implementation began. Polish railway regulations were developed, which were mainly based on Austrian regulations. The Germanic regulations were oversized and would have required the employment of at least 30% of new workers. The Muscovite regulations were vague and did not provide for appropriate procedures in emergency situations. The railway was important in Poland, a country most devastated by the Great World War. Additionally, the railway was a major factor in economic development.

For the reborn Poland, the meridional directions became important, and not the latitudinal directions, as for the occupiers. The developed plan provided for the construction of over 4,000 km of new railway lines. However, it was realized that only part would be implemented. Further expansion would depend on the needs of the economy, as well as on the establishment of the final state borders.

Already in 1921, the Gdynia–Kokoszki railway line, 26 km long, bypassing Gdańsk, was put into service. The line was built for military purposes. Due to difficult terrain conditions, the line had sharp bends and steep inclines. This reduced the transport capacity of the line.

The Maksymilianowo–Gdynia line was built. This line allowed trains to reach the port of Gdynia bypassing the Free City of Gdańsk. Existing sections were used in the construction; the Kościerzyna–Somonino section (25 km), built in 1901, which was part of the Kościerzyna–Kartuzy line, and the Osowa–Gdynia section (16 km), which was part of the local Kokoszki–Osowa–Gdynia railway line built in 1921. The legal basis for the construction of the current line No. 201 was the Sejm Act of June 1925. According to calculations made in 1930, the construction of the new line could bring profits of about 20-40 million złoty per year. The lines were put into operation in sections. In 1928, the Bydgoszcz Wschód – Maksymilianowo section and the Bąk – Kościerzyna section were handed over. In 1930, the Nowa Wieś Wielka – Bydgoszcz Wschód section, the Maksymilianowo – Bąk section and the Kościerzyna – Gdynia section were completed. On November 9, 1930, the Minister of Communications, engineer Alfons Kühn, ceremoniously opened the 171 km long Maksymilianowo – Gdynia section. In December 1930, on the 234 km long Inowrocław – Gdynia section, the assembly of all railway traffic control devices and installations was completed. The commissioning of the Maksymilianowo – Bąk – Kościerzyna – Gdynia section made Poland completely dependent on Germanic railways and ports. This caused great nervousness among the Germans. Southern European countries were also interested in coal, due to the possibility of export to Scandinavia. PKP provided transport services on time and at competitive prices. The main line proved profitable from the very beginning of its use. Profits achieved from operation showed a steady increase, constituting a significant item in PKP’s income.

In order to bypass the already congested Bydgoszcz Główna junction, a Bydgoszcz bypass was designed on the eastern side. The bypass starts from the Nowa Wieś Wielka station and is currently (2023) the beginning of railway line No. 201 to Gdynia station. Line No. 131 Chorzów Batory – Tczew also runs through the Nowa Wieś Wielka station. A railway siding to the Fuel Base leaves from the station. The Bydgoszcz bypass runs north among the forests. The trail reaches the Emilianowo station, which is a freight station. Then the trail passes under the viaduct of National Road No. 10 “Szosa perimeter”. Then the trail enters the industrial areas of Bydgoszcz, where there is a large network of industrial tracks. Then the trail runs over a bridge over the Brda River. The bridge is a truss, three-span, supported by two stone pillars. The trusses are made in the form of arches, and the track is placed on top. The effect is that the bridge arches limit the height of river boats sailing down the river. A technical bridge was built next to the railway bridge, on which pipelines were laid. Then the route crosses other railway lines and, by an arch to the west, reaches the Bydgoszcz Wschód station, which was previously called the Kapuściska Małe station, and during Prussian times (1861) Karisdororf, and then Bromberg. At the Bydgoszcz Wschód station, the following lines meet: No. 18 Kutno – Piła Główna, No. 209 Kowalewo Pomorskie and No. 201, our route. Railway workshops were built in Kapuściska Małe. Then there is a goods station and another Bydgoszcz Leśna station. Then the route heads south on the switches to the Bydgoszcz Główna station or north to the Maksymilianowo station.

In 1922, a local line was built to the Hel Peninsula. The purpose of the construction was military.

The Kutno – Strzałkowo line was built. Strzałkowo is a town between Konin and Września. This section, with a length of 114 km, led to a shortened journey from Warsaw to Poznań. Previously, the journey led through Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski. Work began in the spring of 1919. Despite unfavourable weather conditions, the line was laid on 9 May 1920. However, the war with the Muscovites caused the final works to be interrupted and the workers to be sent to work on the railway lines in the Kresy. On 25 January 1922, the line was put into operation as a first-class line.

The next line built was Nasielsk – Sierpc. This is the line of the right bank of the Vistula. This line was built by the Germans during the Great World War, as a narrow-gauge line. Its reconstruction, to a standard gauge, began in 1919. However, the war with the Muscovites interrupted this work. After the war, work was resumed. The line was built as a second-class line. The aim of the line was to revive the economy of northern Mazovia. The line was considered as an alternative to transporting goods to Gdynia.

The next route was the line: Widzew – Zgierz – Kutno – Płock (Radziewie), which was another connection of Wielkopolska with Pomerania and a connection with Lviv. The rail-road bridge in Płock was also to be important. The construction of the bridge over the Vistula encountered financial difficulties and it was decided to build the bridge in the future. This line was built as a first-class line.

The next route was the Kalety – Wieluń – Podzamcze line. The main goal was to bypass Kluczbork, which was in Germania. The new route was of great importance to Poland. Its construction was noticed by our politicians; Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski, Kazimierz Bartel and others. All local governments also supported its construction, seeing the development opportunities of the region. However, there was a lack of money for the investment. The outbreak of the customs war with the Germans on June 15, 1925, contributed to the announcement by the President of the Republic of Poland Stanisław Wojciechowski of an act authorizing the government to build a first-class standard-gauge railway line from the Kalety station through Herby, Wieluń to the Podzamcze station, approximately 122 km long. The route under construction was part of the Kalety – Wieluń – Opatówek – Inowrocław section, 292 km long. In the assumptions, the Wieluń station was to be a junction station towards Zduńska Wola. Work began in August 1925. Railway traffic on the new line was launched on November 1, 1926. The ceremonial opening took place on November 6, 1926, in the presence of: Deputy Prime Minister Kazimierz Bartel, Minister of Industry and Trade Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski, Minister of Communication Paweł Romocki. The ceremony took place in the town of Dzietrzniki.

In 1930, the Łuck – Radziechów line was built, 80 km long.

In 1934, two railway sections were built, which enabled a direct connection between Warsaw and Kraków. The first section was the distance Warsaw – Radom. The second section was the distance Tunel – Kraków.

In the Second Polish Republic, several more short sections of railway lines were built. Mainly in Upper Silesia and in border zones. For example, the Chybie – Skoczów line. The purpose of building the 13.1 km long section, with a new station in Pierściec, was to shorten the route from Katowice to Cieszyn, as well as to further connect to the city of Wisła. The idea was put forward by the then Silesian Voivodeship Office and it was the first construction of a railway line financed by the Silesian Treasury. On July 8, 1925, the Silesian Parliament granted a loan for the implementation of the project, and the works began ceremoniously on October 21, 1925. The line was put into passenger and freight use on May 14, 1927.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman