1918.E2.80.931939 History of rail transport in Poland

1 1918–1939

1.1 independent poland railways
1.2 motive power
1.3 new railway lines

1918–1939

for state of polish railways in 1939 see polish national railroads summer 1939

on 3 january 1918, regency council transferred management of state railway in former congress poland ministry of business , industry. in fact, management belonged militäreisenbahn-generaldirektion warschau (mgd). in october of same year, regency council brought being ministry of communication.

on 31 october 1918, polish railwaymen took on railway directorate in kraków , railways in galicia , Śląsk cieszyński, beginning takeover of railways in former russian , austrian sectors. polish railwaymen took on management of railways in warsaw district on same day.

independent poland railways

pkp pt31 series (1932–1940)



one share of polish first locomotive factory in chrzanów

gaining independence on 11 november 1918 allowed poland reclaim former russian , austrian sectors military railways. railway department in ministry of communication created , polish railways officially named polskie koleje państwowe.

in december 1918, great poland uprising started. rebels took on former prussian sector of railways. 1 year later, fights lwów on , former austrian railway directorate taken on poland , left-hand traffic infrastructure reconstructed. taking on railways prussians lasted until 1921.

in 1919, stanislaw rodowicz, eng. developed first draft of container system in poland. in 1920 build prototype of biaxial wagon. polish-bolshevik war halted development of container system in poland.

after victory on red army in polish-bolshevik war (1920), great deal of damage in railway structure discovered on route along communists retreating. @ same time, tense relations lithuania led railways around wilno , minsk partial disintegration , stagnation. libau–romny railway not recovered.

polish railways administration took on railways in upper silesia in 1922. same year, decision made divide railways in poland 9 administrative districts.

an economic crisis in 1930s forced state cut budget railway investment. profit decreased 50% compared 1929. next year, on 23,000 pkp employees had been dismissed , protests , strikes causes authorities try find solution. end of crisis , increase of cargo transport , income came in 1937.

motive power

the government of paderewski purchased 150 steam locomotives type consolidation united states in 1919. same year french authorities offered 1 hundred captured german steam locomotives , 2 thousand cargo vehicles. twenty-five items of pkp class tr20 locomotives ordered usa in 1920.

the poles fought compensation railway rolling stock defeated central powers, germany, in accordance article 371 of versailles treaty, , treaties of saint germain (from austria) , trianon (from hungary) took 3 years (1921–1923). received around 2,900 steam locomotives former german railways , on 1,300 austrian railways.

in 1921, first orders steam locomotives pkp german factories (pkp class ok1, pkp class tp4 , pkp class tw1) , austrian (pkp class tr12, pkp class okm11). reconstruction of austrian steam locomotives pkp class tr12 spare parts in warsaw steam locomotive company ltd. started well.

in 1923, construction of first locomotive factory in chrzanów, poland started. same year, local production began in warszawa steam locomotive joint stock company. first polish steam locomotives in germany , belgium (pkp class tr21, pkp class ok22, pkp class ty23) ordered. year after, steam locomotive production in h. cegielski factory in poznań began. state s financial problems stopped orders rolling stock abroad. after 1933, pkp had deal competition wild carters , raftsmen, offering horse , river transport distances on 150 kilometres (93 mi) @ lower prices railway.

from 1936, factory in chrzanów worked @ own cost (without pkp orders) on fast steam locomotive pkp class pm36 in 2 versions. engineer k. zembrzuski contractor of locomotive. in 1937, prototype pm36-1 aerodynamic lagging won gold medal on world exhibition in paris. speed test of pm36 on way paris reached on 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph) on german rails.

new railway lines


opening of warszawa–radom connection

in 1920, decision made construct of new railway line urgently: Łódź–kutno–płock–sierpc–nasielsk, kutno–strzałkowo, , gaps in lines, bypassing connections broken new border germany , gdańsk.

a year later, construction began on kutno–konin–strzałkowo railway, shorten connections between warsaw , poznań. in 1922, construction of kutno–płock , swarzewo–hel lines started.

in 1924, nasielsk–sierpc line , construction of new port station , railway junction in gdynia opened. customs war germany started in 1925, causing rush build port in gdynia , detour line silesia coast by-passing german territory.

in 1927, first polish electric railway built: private ekd warszawa–podkowa leśna–grodzisk/milanówek branches włochy near warszawa. french-polish rail association finished construction of polish coal trunk line between bydgoszcz , gdynia in 1933. in 1934, beginning of use of new railway line, warszawa–radom, opening new connection warszawa kraków, , preparation electrification works on warszawa railway junction , suburbs took place.

in 1936 first electric line based on 3,000v dc warszawa otwock , pruszków opened.