Gorzów Wielkopolski 2023-03-30
Gorzow Wielkopolski railway station.
Gorzów Wielkopolski is a city in Poland in the Lubuskie Voivodeship, in the Gorzów County. Gorzów Wielkopolski received city rights in 1257. The area of the city is 85.72 km2. In 2022, the city's population was 118,011. The city lies on the Warta River. Gorzów Wielkopolski is located on a strongly undulating terrain, with a height of 19 - 105 m above sea level and among numerous oxbow lakes of the Warta River and its tributaries.
In Prussian times, the city was called Landsberg an der Warthe and until 1945, it belonged to Brandenburg. In 1939, the stupid Germans started the Second World War and as a result they lost a large part of the area and Gorzów Wielkopolski found itself within the borders of Poland. In 1939, the city had 48,000 inhabitants. Gorzów Wielkopolski geographically belongs to Wielkopolska, but the small distance from Germania has an influence on the city. Historically, the town belonged to Kasztelania Santocka, which was part of Greater Poland.
Already from January 30, 1945, on the outskirts of Gorzów Wielkopolski, there were units of the Red Army. At that time, there were about 30,000 inhabitants in the city. The Muscovites burned and destroyed 60% of the Old Town, while at the same time committing thefts, rapes and murders of the native population. The Germans who did not leave the city were forcibly displaced to the Soviet occupation zone in Germania. Displaced persons from the Polish Borderlands, which were included in the CCCP, were brought to Gorzów Wielkopolski. There was an NKVD camp in the city, intended mainly for Germans, but also for Polish soldiers from the Home Army.
On July 7, 1945, the city was referred to in the documents as Gorzów on the Warta River. On March 2, 1946, the Commission for Determining Place Names decided on the official name of Gorzów Wielkopolski. After the war, Gorzów Wielkopolski developed rapidly, mainly thanks to the Catholic Church, which quickly organized church administration here. Poles did not want to settle where there was no Catholic priest. Already in 1963, the population reached 50,000 people, exceeding the pre-war figure. For 60 years, Gorzów Wielkopolski has become a large industrial center. Chemical, energy, electronic, light, machinery, pharmaceutical, automotive, metal and food industries have developed in the city. At the beginning of the 1970s, the first higher education institutions were opened in the city. In 1979, the city's population exceeded 100,000. The city painfully experienced martial law, declared by a communist, a servant of Moscow, General Wojciech Jaruzelski. The NSZZ "Solidarity" organization had to go underground. Since 1999, Gorzów Wielkopolski has been the seat of the Lubuskie Voivode.
From Gorzów Wielkopolski the distance is to: Kostrzyn nad Odrą 48 km. Zielona Góra - Babimost airport 87 km. Szczecin 101 km. Zielona Gora 105 km. Szczecin - Goleniów airport 117 km. Poznan 128 km. Warsaw 430 km. It is relatively far from Gorzów Wielkopolski to three airports (Ławica, Babimost, Goleniów); 87 - 128 km. The main provincial authorities are in Zielona Góra, which is relatively far away (105 km).
Road transport.
The following national roads intersect within the city of Gorzów Wielkopolski: Expressway No. S3 (E65, in the meridional direction, a fragment of which is the western bypass of the city) and National Road No. 22 (in the latitudinal direction, Kostrzyn nad Odrą - Gorzów Wielkopolski - Człopa - Wałcz - Elbląg – Rattles). There are also 4 provincial roads that start here; Provincial road No. 151, Provincial road No. 132, Provincial road No. 158, Provincial road No. 130. In addition, there are district roads leading out of the city to: Borek, Ulim, Chwalęcin, Santok.
PKP Gorzow Wielkopolski.
Geographic coordinates: 52.727N 15.228E.
The railway station in Gorzów Wielkopolski was opened on October 12, 1857, when the Ostbahn (Prussian Eastern Railway) was being built, in the direction: Berlin - Kostrzyn nad Odrą - Gorzów Wielkopolski - Krzyż Wielkopolski - Piła. The railway station was successively named; Landsberg an der Warthe, Kobyla Gora, Gorzow Wielkopolski.
The first station was a wooden, single-storey building. The brick station was built around 1890. It was a building with a basement, two-storey, with a gable roof, with a slight slope. The building was about 70 m long, but relatively narrow. During the Second World War the railway station was destroyed. The station building was razed to the ground.
The new station was built in the 50s. In the 70s, the station was renovated. In the period 2009 - 2011, the railway station was modernized. Architectural barriers for people with disabilities have been removed.
Railway overpass in Gorzów Wielkopolski.
On October 14, 2016, a PLN 111 million contract was signed with Intercor for the renovation of a flyover in Gorzów Wielkopolski. The scope of work included strengthening 50 arches, replacing the track surface (3,000 m), repairing 5 steel viaducts and strengthening 310 m of the retaining wall. The scope of work also included the renovation of the platforms and the tunnel for travellers. As part of the works, a new passenger stop was built at Teatralna and Spichrzowa Streets, right next to the building - the Provincial Road Transport Inspectorate. The stop was named Gorzów Wielkopolski Wschodni.
The railway flyover in Gorzów Wielkopolski was opened on October 15, 1914. The flyover is 2,116 m long. Since June 2, 2009, the building has been entered in the register of monuments. The flyover is the world's longest technical monument of this type. The overpass is located on the railway line No. 203, from km 295.591 to km 297.707.
Initially, two parallel railway tracks were laid along the traces of today's Spichrzowa Street. There were 10 rail-road crossings in the city. With the increase in the number of trains, the gates were more often closed than open, which hindered the movement of carts and pedestrians. There were several proposals to solve the problem, including moving the station outside the city. Finally, the solution used in Wrocław was used, i.e. the construction of a flyover. Construction began in 1910 and was completed in 1914. Some of the buildings at the Warta embankment were demolished for the construction of the flyover. The facility is built mainly of orange and red bricks, joined with cement mortar. The color of the brick proves that it was imported from various brickyards. The flyover had about 70 brick arches. The width of the flyover was such as to fit two tracks. The development of the city forced the modernization of the flyover. In 1974, a steel viaduct was erected in the place of the crossing to the bridge. The reason was the ever-larger trucks that did not fit under the brick arch.
Until about 1975, there were two normal-gauge tracks on the flyover. But at that time, many echelons of the Moscow army passed through Gorzów Wielkopolski and wagons produced in East Germany for the CCCP were transported. Since the gauges of the Soviet wagons were wider than the Polish gauge, it was decided to spread the tracks apart. It was done incorrectly, because the overpass drainage system was damaged. As a result, the flyovers began to crack. It was decided to eliminate one track, and the second track was placed closer to the flyover axis.
The last renovation was carried out from October 2016 to June 2019. The renovation cost amounted to PLN 111 million.
Gorzow Wielkopolski railway station.
The station is located in the city center, on the right bank of the Warta River. The station is regional. Since the construction of line No. 367 (1899) to Międzyrzecz (later to Zbąszynek), the station became a junction station. In 1912, another line No. 415 to Myślibórz and Sulęcin was launched.
The Gorzów Wielkopolski railway station has 4 platforms and 6 platform edges. The station building was destroyed by the Muscovites in February 1945. The new building was built in the 1950s. In the period 2009 - 2010, the station was renovated. The building has been insulated and plastered in blue and burgundy colors. The internal installation, central heating and window and door joinery were replaced. The ticket offices have been rebuilt. The renovation cost about PLN 1.5 million. The official opening of the station took place on March 16, 2010. Trams and public buses reach the station. In 2018, the first PolRegio ticket vending machine in Gorzów Wielkopolski was installed in the hall of the station. In 2020, electronic displays of the passenger information system were installed at the station.
Platform 1 was renovated in 2011. The platform has been raised and given a new surface. Platform 1 is single edged. At the edge of the platform, concrete slabs 1 m wide have been installed, which have a warning line with buttons and paths for the visually impaired. The rest of the surface was made of concrete paving stones. The so-called small architecture was installed; benches, litter bins, display cases with railway information. A lift has been installed for disabled passengers and passengers with large luggage. In addition, the track in the area of the platform was replaced. Platform 1 is 333 m long. But it is relatively narrow. The roof of the platform is 205 m long.
Platform 2 has two edges, it was renovated in 2017 as part of the renovation of the flyover. During the renovation of the flyover, trains from Kostrzyn nad Odra ended at Platform 4. Trains from Krzyż station ended at Gorzów Wielkopolski Wschód stop. Platform 2 has a length of 300 m and a roof of 210 m.
Platform 3 and Platform 4 are called "Warciański platforms", because they are practically located on the bank of the Warta River and you can only go from them towards Kostrzyn nad Odra or to Zbąszynek, because the tracks lead to the bridge. Passenger traffic handled by PolRegio usually uses; rail buses type SA133, motor cars type SN82, SN83. Previously, SM42 (SU42) diesel locomotives were in service, pulling double-decker cars. Currently (March 2023) 38 passenger trains leave the Gorzów Wielkopolski station daily. From the station you can go to: Gdynia Główna, Hrubieszów Miasto, Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Krzyż, Lublin, Poznań, Zbąszynek, Zielona Góra.
Within the city limits there are the following railway stations: Gorzów Wielkopolski, Gorzów Wielkopolski Wschodni, Gorzów Wielkopolski Wieprzyce, Gorzów Wielkopolski Zamoście, Gorzów Wielkopolski Zieleniec, Gorzów Wielkopolski Karnin. There was also the Gorzów Wielkopolski Chróścik station on the closed line to Myślibórz. The Gorzów Wagony factory operates in Gorzów Wielkopolski, which deals with the repair of freight wagons.
Railway lines.
Railway line No. 203 is the most important railway line that runs through Gorzów Wielkopolski. The route was built in Prussian times, in the period 1846 - 1873. The line was commissioned in sections. Ceremonial openings of individual sections were in 1851 and 1873. From 1888, the line was owned by the Prussian State Railways (Preußische Staatseisenbahnen). The Eastern Railway was managed from Bydgoszcz. In 1895, the Eastern Railway was divided between three area railway directorates; in Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk and Królewiec.
Currently, the route No. 203 connects Tczew - Kostrzyn nad Odrą. From the point of view of the Polish economy, the route is of secondary importance because it does not ensure Poland's vital interests. It is true that in the documents the line is treated as primary. The line is 342,890 km long and mostly double track. The longest single-track section is 75.112 km - 178.981 km, and on the flyover in Gorzów Wielkopolski (295.538 km - 296.780 km). The line was included in the PKP network in two stages. In 1920, the section Tczew - Moszczenica Pomorska was included in the PKP. In 1945, the Wierzchowo Człuchowskie - Kostrzyn nad Odrą section was included in the PKP.
Line No. 203 is not electrified and is double-tracked on most of the route. The maximum speed of trains is 120 km/h. In the 1960s, it was planned to electrify the route, but to date (2023), the plans have not been implemented.
Since 2005, line No. 203 has been modernized in sections. By 2009, the 45 km long trail was modernized. The modernized sections allow the movement of passenger trains at a speed of up to 120 km/h and freight trains at a speed of up to 70 km/h. Renovation of the next sections will be carried out in the following years. Platforms, rail traffic control systems will be renovated, rail-road crossings will be automatically controlled and new passenger stops will be built in more convenient places for travellers.
Railway line No. 367 Zbąszynek - Gorzów Wielkopolski. The line has a length of 73.635 km and is single-track. The maximum speed is 100 km/h. The line was built in the period 1885 - 1899. In 1945, the line was incorporated into PKP. The line is not electrified and handles freight and passenger traffic. In the period 2010–2011, the line was modernized. The cost of the investment amounted to PLN 26 million. The train speed on the route was increased to 100 km/h for passenger trains (including railbuses) and 80 km/h for freight trains. The platforms were renovated, bus shelters were installed, architectural barriers for the disabled were removed. The most important technical structure on the trail is the railway bridge over the Warta River, which was commissioned in 1899. The bridge is supported by five concrete piers and two abutments. The bridge is steel, truss, riveted. The longest span is over the main stream of the Warta River and has an arch structure.
The railway line No. 415 Gorzów Wielkopolski - Gorzów Wielkopolski Wieprzyce is a single-track railway line with a length of 3.613 km. Originally, the line ran to Myślibórz. The line was opened on September 15, 1912. Passenger trains ran on the route until 1991 and freight trains until 1999 and occasionally until 2001. In 2005, decisions were made to close the trail. In 2006, the line to Myślibórz was completely removed from the PKP records. Local governments did not agree to take over the trail.
Currently (2023) line No. 415 is not in use and has never been electrified. Physically, the line was partially dismantled. But in many sections the track still exists. The remaining rails in the rail-road crossings. In the rail-road crossing along Warzowna Street, you can see two tracks of the line No. 203 and the rest of the tracks of the line No. 415. The construction of the road junction of roads No. S3 and No. 132 completely eliminated the track in this area. In this place, a viaduct was left where the railway lines No. 415 (down to the north) and No. 203 (up on the embankment) intersected.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman