The contraction of the railway network in Poland

Rok, strany: 2003, 291 - 307

In a paper consisting of three parts, the first characterizes railway closures in Poland. Three periods of more extensive closures can be distinguished. The first embraces the years 1944-1948, when some 38 % of the total railway network was destroyed and then partly divested by the Soviet Red Army troops as war-booty. The second period of withdrawals (1961-1990) relates mainly to narrow-gauge railways and is connected with growing competition from road transport. The third and last period of extensive closures came after 1990 and is exceptional due to its extraordinary scale. The majority of the present closures are linked to the poor economic situation of the Polish rail, and decisions are made on the basis that immediate effects may be gained in the form of a lowering of running costs. This is not a conscious strategy of the state and closures frequently lack any economic, social or ecological background. The reasons of the present withdrawals are given in the second part of the paper. And finally, in the third part of the paper, a typical process of the contemporary railway closure is characterized. Key words: railway lines, network contraction, closure reasons, closure effects, Poland

ISO 690:

Taylor, Z. 2003. The contraction of the railway network in Poland. In Geografický časopis / Geographical Journal, vol. 55, no.4, pp. 291-307. 0016-7193.

APA:

Taylor, Z. (2003). The contraction of the railway network in Poland. Geografický časopis / Geographical Journal, 55(4), 291-307. 0016-7193.