Chorzów Batory–Tczew railway is a railway line in Poland connecting the Upper Silesian and industrial regions, as well as the Rybnik Coal Area, with the railway hub in Tczew, and further with the Port of Gdańsk and the Port of Gdynia. It was built primarily as a freight line, which is why it bypasses major cities (except for Bydgoszcz). The line runs through five voivodeships and 18 counties. It largely overlaps with one of the most important infrastructure investments of the Second Polish Republic – the Polish Coal Trunk-Line.
Chorzów Batory–Tczew railway was constructed and opened in sections between 1852 and 1933, with finishing works on accompanying infrastructure continuing until 1935. The line was electrified between 1965 and 1974.
It is the longest (493.472 km) railway line managed by PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe. It is a mainline railway, almost entirely double-tracked, standard-gauge, electrified, and of both national and European significance as part of corridor C-E 65.
Route
The line begins in , where it passes under Katowice–Legnica railway via a viaduct, turns northeast, and then passes under the viaduct of Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa. Since 1978, the starting point of the line has been located on the western side of the station because in 1974, following the construction of Drogowa Trasa Średnicowa, the line had to be relocated to a newly built section due to its original collision with the roadway. The old section of the line began approximately at the height of the Chorzów Batory railway station platforms, making a sharp turn into a straight section toward . After passing the junction of the old and new sections, the line first turns east, then north, and then northwest. Passing through the Bytom and railway stations, the line runs north, veering eastward toward Radzionków and westward toward Tarnowskie Góry. At Miasteczko Śląskie, it finally takes a northern direction. After passing Kalety, it turns slightly east, then northwest before Boronów. After passing the junction at Herby Nowe railway station, it turns northeast.
After Wręczyca Wielka, the line heads increasingly north. Near Więcki, it bends northwest. At Trębaczew, it turns northeast. At Huta, the line runs north again, but between and railway stations, it takes a northeastern direction. Before reaching Zduńska Wola, the route bends northwest. After crossing the junction there, it runs north, with slight deviations west and east before returning westward. After , the line turns northwest, taking an increasingly western course. At Inowrocław, it sharply turns northeast before veering northwest again. Freight trains and some TLK passenger trains operated by PKP Intercity use Mimowola–Jaksice railway to bypass Inowrocław from the west. Upon reaching Trzciniec, the line turns north and enters the Bydgoszcz Railway Hub. Near Czyżkówko, it bends east, and after passing Bydgoszcz Główna railway station, it turns north again. Past Rynków, it shifts northeast, with minor deviations to the right and left. Between Warlubie and Smętowo, it turns north. Before reaching Pelplin, it takes a northeastern course until it reaches Tczew Południe station. Just before Tczew railway station, the line turns northwest.
The railway runs through the following counties: Chorzów, Bytom, Tarnowskie Góry, Lubliniec, Kłobuck, Pajęczno, Bełchatów, Łask, Zduńska Wola, Poddębice, Koło, Konin, Radziejów, Inowrocław, Bydgoszcz, Świecie, Starogard, and Tczew.
The line is divided into 21 sections:
A: – (km 5.440–12.210) B: Chorzów Stary – (km 12.210–20.056) C: Bytom Karb – (km 20.056–30.143) D: Nakło Śląskie – (km 30.143–33.882) E: Tarnowskie Góry – Tarnowskie Góry TGE (km 33.882–39.900) F: Tarnowskie Góry TGE – (km 39.900–47.966) G: Kalety – Kalina (km 47.966–67.099) H: Kalina – Chorzew Siemkowice (km 67.099–124.172) J: Chorzew Siemkowice – Zduńska Wola Karsznice (km 124.172–168.803) K: Zduńska Wola Karsznice – Dionizów (km 168.803–173.653) L: Dionizów – (km 173.653–240.456) M: Ponętów – (km 240.456–317.048) N: Inowrocław Rąbinek – Mimowola (km 317.048–321.040) O: Mimowola – Inowrocław (km 321.040–324.936) P: Inowrocław – (km 324.936–331.651) R: Jaksice – (km 331.651–346.082) S: Nowa Wieś Wielka – Bydgoszcz Główna (km 346.082–370.310) T: Bydgoszcz Główna – (km 370.310–379.848) U: Maksymilianowo – (km 379.848–422.552) W: Laskowice Pomorskie – Górki (km 422.552–494.077) Z: Górki – Tczew (km 494.077–498.912)
History
Before the construction of the Polish Coal Trunk-Line
Chorzów Batory–Tczew railway is a major part of the interwar Polish Coal Trunk-Line, which connected Upper Silesia with the Port of Gdynia, bypassing the territory of the Free City of Danzig. A change was made to the northern section of the line, north of Nowa Wieś Wielka. The original Polish Coal Trunk-Line ran from this station along Nowa Wieś Wielka–Gdynia Port railway. The purpose of the line led to bypassing Łódź, which was located several dozen kilometers away. The only large city the line passed through was Bydgoszcz, although the route ran through the city's peripheral eastern part.
The first section of what would become Chorzów Batory–Tczew railway was the line connecting Bydgoszcz Główna with Tczew (and onward to Gdańsk), which was opened on 5 August 1852. In subsequent years, sections in Upper Silesia were opened: on 15 September 1859, the section from Bytom Karb to Tarnowskie Góry was opened, followed by the opening of the Chorzów Batory–Chorzów Miasto section on 15 August 1860. On 26 May 1872, the Bydgoszcz–Inowrocław section was opened. Further sections were opened in Silesia: on 1 October 1890, the Bytom–Bytom Karb section; on 1 May 1895, the Chorzów Stary–Bytom section; and on 1 May 1903, the Chorzów Miasto–Chorzów Stary section. By the early 20th century, the future Chorzów Batory–Tczew railway was completed between Chorzów Batory and Kalety, and between Inowrocław and Tczew. In the following period, until the construction of the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, the route was expanded to a double-track system on both sections.
Construction
On 4 July 1924, Władysław Grabski signed an agreement with the Franco-Polish Consortium (the northern section was to be constructed by the state). The impetus for the construction of the trunk-line facilitating maritime exports was the customs war between Poland and Germany. At that time, Poland had a significant coal surplus compared to its own needs and lacked the capacity to export it to neighboring countries other than Germany. Another reason the trunk-line was vital was the opportunity for transit, particularly from Czechoslovakia, which had no access to the sea, but also from Romania and Bulgaria, where access to the Baltic was better than exporting through the Black Sea or Yugoslavia. Additionally, the government established preferential railway transport rates, which were lower than the costs of transport through Warsaw (due to distance).
In 1924, earthworks began on the Polish Coal Trunk-Line between Kalety and Inowrocław. In 1925, the track layout in Tarnowskie Góry was rebuilt to accommodate trains with up to 150 axles. On 6 November 1926, the first section of the Polish Coal Trunk-Line, connecting Kalety with Podzamcze (line 131 from Kalety to Nowe Herby), was opened. The line was built as a single-track route, but all excavations and larger bridge abutments were made in preparation for a double-track system. This section shortened the route by redirecting freight to Częstochowa. Initially, the line was used only for freight, and passenger trains began operating on it on 1 April 1927. The 1926 UK miners' strike led to an increased demand for coal transport in Poland, prompting the modernization of the Tczew railway station to handle more freight cars. Due to favorable market conditions and transport needs, a 255-kilometer section was built, connecting Herby to Inowrocław. Other lines were also constructed, including the Bydgoszcz–Gdynia route via Kościerzyna and the bypass of Bydgoszcz Główna. The decision to build the section from Herby to Inowrocław was officially made on 7 February 1928, under a decree by President Ignacy Mościcki, despite the fact that much of the earthworks had already been completed.
The economic crisis, however, meant that the state lacked sufficient funds to complete the investment and had to allocate resources for the repair of existing lines. To save the project, there were considerations, including the sale of shares in the Bank Polski, which met with government opposition. In 1930, Polish State Railways' revenues dropped significantly, and under pressure, the government began negotiations with French investors, who, due to long-standing political contacts between France and Poland, agreed to complete the line using their own funds in exchange for a concession to operate the line. Additionally, the French–Polish Rail Association was founded by the Schneider et Co. group, which was involved in the construction of the Gdynia port and had interests in mines and steelworks in Upper Silesia. The company had 8 million French francs and 7 million Polish francs in capital, and bonds were issued to cover the remaining construction costs.
On 8 November 1930, the section from Herby Nowe to Zduńska Wola Karsznice was opened. This line connected with the route from Łódź to Kalisz, further shortening the journey from Upper Silesia to the Port. However, in the long term, this line was intended to supply the Łódź agglomeration with coal. Due to the significant distance between Tarnowskie Góry and Bydgoszcz, a previously unplanned locomotive depot was built between 1930 and 1931. The opening of this section reduced travel time by 60 hours.
By 31 December 1932, the Polish Coal Trunk-Line was expected to be open and passable from Chorzów to Gdynia. However, due to the disruption of work caused by lack of funds, the completion of the section from Zduńska Wola to Inowrocław was delayed until 1 March 1933. The opening of the final section was marked by a grand ceremony highlighting Polish-French cooperation. The event started in Karsznice, and delegates then traveled by train to Bydgoszcz for the second part of the celebrations. Final works on the infrastructure continued for several years after the line became operational.
World War II
On 25 August 1939, the railway was militarized, and by 28 August, the armored train Śmiały had begun operating. On the night of 31 August to 1 September, the wartime timetable came into effect. On 1 September 1939, Śmiały participated in the Battle of Mokra, which took place on and around the trunk-line. The September Campaign resulted in the destruction of key railway hubs. With the Wehrmacht's advance, German forces seized all railway facilities and rolling stock, rebuilding the line and dividing it administratively into three sections: Reichsbahndirektion Danzig (north of Nowa Wieś Wielka), Reichsbahndirektion Posen (from Nowa Wieś Wielka to Działoszyn), and Reichsbahndirektion Oppeln (south of Działoszyn). Due to its strategic importance, Chorzów Batory–Tczew railway was targeted by Luftwaffe bombings during the September Campaign.