Jelenia Góra–Żagań railway is a single-track, non-electrified line located in southwestern Poland, running from Jelenia Góra to Żagań, via Świętoszów and Zebrzydowa. It is 89.196 km long and traverses the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, specifically in Jelenia Góra and the counties of Karkonosze, Lwówek, and Bolesławiec.
Initially completed in stages from 1904 to 1909, the line included routes such as Jelenia Góra–Lwówek Śląski and Zebrzydowa–Żagań, which became part of the line after World War II. Passenger services between Zebrzydowa and Żagań were suspended in 1991, and in 2004, the section between Ławszowa and Żagań was formally closed.
After a decline in use, between 2014 and 2016, a weekend tourist train named Dolina Bobru briefly operated on the Jelenia Góra–Lwówek Śląski section. Since then, the infrastructure has deteriorated, leading to low operational speeds. In 2019, part of the line near Jelenia Góra was removed to accommodate a new station, Jelenia Góra Zabobrze. The Polish Ministry of Defense announced plans in 2020 to restore the Zebrzydowa–Żagań segment, scheduled for between 2022 and 2026, although this date has ultimately been delayed due to permit issues.
Course of the line
The Jelenia Góra–Żagań railway begins at Jelenia Góra station (km 0.104). Initially, it ran northwest alongside Wrocław Świebodzki–Zgorzelec railway (to Lubań Śląski) and Izera railway (to Szklarska Poręba Górna) on the western track. Currently, from Jelenia Góra, it follows the track of line 311. After crossing the Bóbr river for the first time, it reaches the Jelenia Góra Zabobrze railway station (km 0.969), where it veers left to the north, passing under the E65 (national road 3) and connecting to a branch line for a local power plant. The line then turns right, passing beneath other railway lines and climbs northward to reach its highest point (343 m above sea level) near the (km 3.519).
After Jeżów Sudecki, the line shifts northwest, passing through a lowland area and approaching the (km 7.321) in the village's western part. Past Siedlęcin, it crosses more varied terrain, reaching and following its southern shore northwest. About 11.2 km from Jelenia Góra, it reaches . The elevation difference between Jelenia Góra and Pilchowice Zapora is 52 meters, with an average gradient of 4.6‰.
Leaving Pilchowice Zapora, the line enters a tunnel under and continues along the Bóbr’s right bank before crossing the Strzyżówka valley and the road between Jelenia Góra and Wleń. It then passes through a tunnel under Dwory mountain to (km 14.815). After Pilchowice Nielestno, it crosses the Bóbr again, running along its western bank northward, then entering the longest tunnel on the route under Zamkowa mountain. The line emerges at (km 18.004, 230 m above sea level), where the gradient between Pilchowice Zapora and Wleń is 9.0‰.
Beyond Wleń, the line crosses a road at grade and continues north along the Bóbr, passing the and railway stations before reaching Lwówek Śląski (km 32.636). Between Wleń and Lwówek Śląski, the elevation decreases by 19 m with an average gradient of 1.3‰.
After Lwówek Śląski, the line heads northwest, then turns west at , and shifts southwest at , moving away from the Bóbr river. At (km 51.618), it crosses the Kwisa river, changing direction northward. Near the village of Zebrzydowa, it crosses national road No. 94 and, just before Zebrzydowa railway station, provincial road No. 357, also connecting with Miłkowice–Żary railway. The section between Lwówek Śląski and Zebrzydowa railway station (km 61.030) spans 28.394 km, with a 22-meter elevation change.
Beyond Zebrzydowa, the line follows Miłkowice–Żary railway for around 800 meters before turning northward toward , paralleling the Kwisa river along its western side through forested terrain. The route passes three signal stations (, , and ) and crosses the A4 highway. Between Ławszowa (km 77.526) and Zebrzydowa, the distance is 16.496 km, with a 22-meter elevation difference and an average gradient of 1.3‰.
Previously, the line extended north along the Kwisa, where it joined Łódź–Tuplice railway at Żagań. Between the former Ławszowa railway station and Żagań (km 104.730), the distance was 27.204 km, with a 53-meter elevation change and a gradient of 1.9‰.
History
Origins and construction Before the line connecting Jelenia Góra with Lwówek Śląski and onward to Żagań was established, the three stations already functioned within the Lower Silesian railway system. Jelenia Góra, until 1906, had a connection to Zgorzelec and Wałbrzych (the Silesian Mountain Railway), constructed between 1866 and 1867, as well as to Kowary (opened in 1882) and Piechowice (1891). Lwówek Śląski, in addition to the 1904 route from Zebrzydowa, had a connection to Gryfów Śląski, opened on 15 October 1885, which was extended 10 years later from Lwówek Śląski to Nowa Wieś Grodziska and further to Złotoryja.
Much earlier, in the 1840s and 1870s, a junction was developed in Żagań. The route connecting the stations Jankowa Żagańska and via Żagań was launched on 1 October 1846, and on 31 December 1871, Żagań gained a connection to Żary, extended the following year toward Germany. Four years later, from 1875, thanks to the opening of the 15 March section Jasień–, trains on the Wrocław–Berlin route began passing through Żagań.
The origins of the current Jelenia Góra–Żagań railway trace back to the 1880s, when a connection along the Bóbr Valley was being designed to link Jelenia Góra with Bolesławiec through Lwówek Śląski. The line's construction began in stages in the early 20th century from Zebrzydowa in both directions. The routes toward Żagań were launched as follows:
Zebrzydowa–Ławszowa, 25 November 1902 Ławszowa–, 1 November 1904 Świętoszów–Żagań, 1 August 1905
The section toward Lwówek Śląski was put into operation on 20 July 1904, allowing Lwówek Śląski and Nowogrodziec easy access to the main railway line connecting Wrocław with Dresden and Berlin (the current E 30 railway line). This was one of the main reasons for constructing the route, and its completion also contributed to the economic revitalization of the surrounding areas.
The idea of a railway line between Jelenia Góra and Lwówek Śląski appeared as early as the 1880s. In addition, enterprises located along the planned route, particularly factories in Siedlęcin, Wrzeszczyn, Pilchowice, and the quarry in Nielestno, were interested in the railway's construction. Ultimately, the need for the railway line from Jelenia Góra to Lwówek Śląski was primarily driven by the construction of a dam in Pilchowice, which required the transport of large quantities of building materials, for which railways were considered the most effective solution. After the dam and railway line were completed, the route was expected to generate income from the transport of coal (from the Wałbrzych area) and local materials, especially wood and sandstone from the Lwówek Śląski region. Additionally, the line was intended to activate the economic development of the Lwówek region, including promoting tourism by providing easier access to tourist destinations like Wleń and Lwówek Śląski, as well as other landmarks.
In 1900, the first design works for the Pilchowice reservoir began, and two years later, the construction of the railway line started. The construction faced many difficulties due to the highly varied terrain, which required the creation of numerous engineering structures. The construction proceeded from two directions – from Lwówek Śląski and Jelenia Góra. The first phase focused on building the connection to Pilchowice, driven by the need to supply materials for the dam's construction. A third rail was laid to facilitate the transport of materials to the construction site using narrow-gauge trains. Experienced Italian and Polish workers were brought in for the construction. The section from Jelenia Góra to Pilchowice was completed on 1 October 1906. The next section, Lwówek Śląski–Wleń, was the easiest to build technically, as it followed the left bank of the wide Bóbr Valley, requiring fewer large engineering works. This section was opened on 1 July 1909. The Pilchowice–Wleń section was the most complicated, requiring the construction of tunnels under the Czyżyk and Dwory hills near Pilchowice and under Góra Zamkowa in Wleń, as well as a stone viaduct over the Strzyżówka Valley in Pilchowice. This section was completed nearly two months after the opening of the Wleń–Lwówek Śląski section, on 28 August 1909.
The construction costs were very high, with the cost of building the Jelenia Góra–Wleń section, calculated per kilometer, being approximately 250,000 marks, while the average cost of building a railway line in the German Empire at that time was 120,000 marks.
By the end of World War II, all the tunnel entrances were blown up by SS partisans, as well as the bridge piers over Pilchowickie Lake.
Post-war period After World War II, following the change in national borders, the railway line was taken over by Polish State Railways. After the damage done during the war, the line was quickly restored to operational status on 10 November 1946. A ceremonial reopening took place at stations, including in Wleń. For another five years, this line remained the only railway connection from Jelenia Góra to the north and west, which meant that, in addition to passenger trains, several long-distance trains operated on this route.
The passenger service on the line remained steady until the 1980s, when the gradual decline of the railway network began. In January 1983, passenger trains were suspended on the Lwówek Śląski–Gryfów Śląski section, and in 1991 on the Lwówek Śląski–Jerzmanice Zdrój route. That same year, passenger services were suspended between Zebrzydowa and Żagań, and on 20 October 1994, the Ławszowa–Żagań section was completely closed. In early 1996, passenger services between Lwówek Śląski and Zebrzydowa were suspended. The services were steadily reduced by Polish State Railways until July 2005, when trains were replaced by the Railway Bus Communication system, with the threat of complete closure for passenger traffic. However, due to efforts from local government authorities, the line was not closed, and promotion of the route, particularly for tourism, was pursued. In December 2007, the Lwówek Śląski–Zebrzydowa connection was revived, and in 2008, the line was included in the Euro-Nysa all-day ticket offer. Special promotional trains were also introduced, notably on Children’s Day, with a historic train powered by a steam locomotive.
Passenger services continued until 11 December 2016, when Lower Silesian Railways launched the last train from Jelenia Góra to Lwówek Śląski and Wrocław Główny, named the "Last Lazy Train". On the same day, bus replacement services were introduced for the Jelenia Góra–Lwówek Śląski section. The closure of passenger services was justified by the deteriorating technical condition of the railway line, which led to longer travel times for passenger trains. According to data from early 2017, as much as 74% of the railway’s length was in poor condition. To improve the line’s condition, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe sought financial support from the Lower Silesian Marshal's Office for maintenance and repair works worth 4.6 million PLN in 2014, but the regional authorities deemed the cost disproportionate to the expected benefits.