Łódź–Tuplice railway

The Łódź–Tuplice railway is a 388 kilometer-long railway line in Poland running between Łódź Kaliska station and the Germany–Poland border between Tuplice, Poland, and Forst (Lausitz), Germany. It is commonly used for passenger and freight services.

Łódź–Tuplice railway
An EN57AL EMU approaching Kalisz Winiary station
Overview
Native name	Linia kolejowa Łódź Kaliska - Tuplice
Status	In use
Owner	PKP PLK
Locale	Poland Germany
Termini	Łódź Kaliska, Łódź, Poland Germany–Poland border near Forst (Lausitz)
Continues from	15  Łódź-Bednary railway
Continues as	Cottbus–Forst railway
Connecting lines	Łódź Kaliska:  25  to Dębica Zduńska Wola (connectors with Coal Trunk Line):  739  to Karsznice  810  to Szadek Ostrów Wielkopolski:  272  Kluczbork-Poznań railway  355  to Grabowno Wielkie Krotoszyn (via Durzyn and Osusz)  281  Oleśnica-Chojnice railway Leszno:  271  Wrocław-Poznań railway  359  to Zbąszyń Głogów:  273  Wrocław-Szczecin railway Żagań:  275  to Wrocław  389  to Jankowa Żagańska Żary:  282  to Miłkowice  370  to Zielona Góra
Service
Type	Heavy rail
Route number	14  (Łódź Kaliska – Tuplice – State Border)
History
Opened	1846 (Głogów – Żagań), 1858 (Leszno – Głogów), 1871 (Żagań – Żary), 1872 (Żary – Forst), 1888 (Leszno – Ostrów Wlkp.), 1896 (Ostrów Wlkp. – Nowe Skalmierzyce), 1902 (Łódź –Kalisz), 1906 (Kalisz – Nowe Skalmierzyce)
Technical
Line length	388.577 km (241.451 mi)
Number of tracks	2 (Łódź Kaliska – Głogów) 1 (Głogów - Forst)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Old gauge	1,524 mm (5 ft) (Łódź – Kalisz – Nowe Skalmierzyce)
Electrification	Overhead wire, 3000 V DC (Łódź Kaliska – Durzyn (branch post))
Operating speed	120 km/h (75 mph)
Route map  15  Łódź–Bednary railway to Łódź Żabieniec Łódź Kaliska  25   539  Łódź-Dębica railway to Łódź Chojny Retkinia Junction Łódź Retkinia Łódź Lublinek Ner Pabianice Chechło Dobroń Kolumna Łask Air Base Łask Borszewice Gajewniki Junction Zduńska Wola Karsznice Junction  131   543   810 │ 131   542   739  Dionizów Junction Zduńska Wola Męcka Wola Sieradz Męka Sieradz Warta Warta Sieradz Myja Sędzice Błaszki Skalmierz Radliczyce Opatówek Kalisz Winiary Prosna Kalisz-Piwonice power plant Piwonice Junction Kalisz Kalisz Szczypiorno Nowe Skalmierzyce Ociąż Czekanów Stary Staw Junction  272   811  Kluczbork-Poznań railway to Poznań Ołobok Ostrów Wielkopolski  272  to Kluczbork  355  Ostrów Wielkopolski- Grabowno Wielkie railway to Grabowno Wielkie Ostrów Wielkopolski Zachodni Ostrów Wielkopolski Gorzyce Łąkociny Daniszyn Biadki Durzyn Junction Krotoszyn  281   816  to Jarocin Osusz Junction  281   815  to Oleśnica Dzierżanów Wielkopolski Kuklinów Kobylin Czeluścin Pępowo Włostowo Krobia Karzec Dzięczyn Poniec Pawłowice Kąkolewo Leszno Grzybowo  271  Wrocław–Poznań railway to Poznań  359  to Zbąszyń Leszno  271  to Wrocław Lasocice Wschowa Stare Drzewce Głogówko Grodziec Mały Oder  273  Wrocław–Szczecin railway to Wrocław Głogów  273  to Szczecin Żukowice Nielubia Kłobuczyn Gaworzyce Przecław Szprotawski Niegosławice Dzikowice Szprotawa Bukowina Bobrzańska Bóbr  275  to Wrocław Żagań  389  to Jankowa Żagańska  282  to Miłkowice Żary  370  to Zielona Góra Sieniawa Żarska Lipniki Łużyckie Tuplice Dębinka Tuplice Zasieki Lusatian Neisse Poland Germany border Weißwasser–Forst railway to Weißwasser Forst (Lausitz) Cottbus–Forst railway to Cottbus

History

Poland in mid 19th century
territory controlled by:
  Kingdom of Prussia
with   Grand Duchy of Poznań
  Russian empire
with   Congress Poland

The line consists of sections built during the 19th century and early 20th century, during the period of the Partitions of Poland opened in parts of the country which were under Prussia and former lands of Congress Poland, which was part of the Russian Empire.

The first section was opened in Prussian controlled Silesia by the Lower Silesian branch line Railway (Niederschlesische Zweigbahn) company on 1 October 1846, running between Głogów (German: Glogau) and Żagań (Sagan). On 30 December 1857, the Wrocław-Poznań-Głogów Railway (Breslau-Posen-Glogauer Eisenbahn) opened the stretch from Leszno (Lissa) in the Grand Duchy of Poznań to Grodziec Mały (Klein Gräditz) across the Odra river from Głogów, and on 18 May 1858 the subsequent section to Głogów, along with a bridge over the Odra. The next section was opened by Lower Silesian-Mark Railway (Niederschlesisch-Märkische Eisenbahn) on 31 December 1871, from Żegań to Żary (Sorau). Half-a-year later, on 30 June 1872, the Halle-Sorau-Guben Railway extended its railway from Cottbus to Forst and across the Nysa Łużycka into Żary.

In 1888, all railways in Prussia were nationalized, and a new section from Leszno to Ostrów Wielkopolski (Ostrowo) was opened on 1 October. The final Prussian section of the railway line was opened on 14 February 1896, from Ostrów Wielkopolski to Nowe Skalmierzyce (Neu Skalmierschütz), near the Russian-Prussian border.

In Russian Empire, the first section of the line was opened 15 November 1902, as part of Warsaw-Kalisz Railway, between the Łódź Kaliska station in Łódź and Kalisz. Unlike the Prussian railways, this section was built with the Russian broad gauge, which at the time had track gauge of 1,524 mm instead of the standard gauge of 1,435 mm. On 28 October 1906, a follow-up section to Nowe Skalmierzyce was built, along with new border station.

Track gauge was unified during World War I by the German military. Following the reestablishment of an independent Polish state in the aftermath of the war, and the victorious Greater Poland uprising, the part of the line from Łódź to Leszno came under control of the Second Polish Republic, while a segment from Wschowa remained in German hands until Germany's defeat in World War II. In the 1930s the line received a connection with the newly built Coal Trunk-Line, with a major junction in Karsznice, southeast to Zduńska Wola.

During World War II the railway's route was changed between Czekanów and Ostrów Wielkopolski, as well as on the Durzyn - Krotoszyn - Osusz section, where the Krotoszyn station was excluded from the line, and the former tracks leading to the station became the connectors with the main line.

The line was partially electrified in 1965, starting with the section from Łódź to Zduńska Wola. In 1973 the overhead wires were installed up to Sieradz station, followed 2 years later to Ostrów Wielkopolski, and in 1987 the section to Durzyn branch post, along with connector rail to Krotoszyn station, was electrified.

Current condition

The railway line is listed by Polish government as the railway line of national importance. On the section from Łódź to Ostrów Wielkopolski it is used by PKP Intercity trains running between Warsaw and Wrocław, running through Skierniewice, Koluszki, Łódź, Sieradz and Kalisz, as well it serves as a backup route for trains usually running on the E-20 international railway, in case of a lack of possibility to run on it. Also, the section is commonly used by PolRegio regional trains running from Łódź to Poznań and Wrocław. On much shorter section, between Łódź and Sieradz, it is used by ŁKA commuter trains. Currently, the section is undergoing through refurbishment, which will allow raising the speed limit of the railway from 80 to 120 km/h.

The section between Ostrów Wielkopolski and Leszno stations, due to no electrification, is served with diesel units; one of significant routes on the railway is a train from Ostrów to Leszno ran by Koleje Wielkopolskie. However, the electrification of this section is planned.

Section from Wschowa to Żagań stations used to be impassable due to deteriorated condition of the tracks and no passenger services scheduled for this route till December 2019, when the traffic was restored between Wschowa and Głogów. The section from Żagań to Żary is mostly served by diesel multiple units and freight trains powered by diesel locomotives