Saint Petersburg–Warsaw railway

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Warsaw–St. Petersburg Railway

Warsaw Wileńska Station (1862–1915)

Technical

Track gauge

(Warsaw–Hrodna) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
(Hrodna–Saint Petersburg) 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)

Route map

Legend

0.062

1,046

Warszawa Wileńska

000.000

I. Kosmowskiej

to
Warszawa
Wschodnia
9 to
Gdańsk
Główny

Radzymińska

2.718

Warszawa Wileńska Marki

503 to
Warszawa Wschodnia
Goods Yards

gen. Rozwadowskiego

Bródnowski Canal

Bukowiecka

3.953

Warszawa Zacisze-Wilno

DW 634

Łodygowa

6.746

Ząbki

DW 625

Wojska Polskiego

Kolejowa

DW 631

Piłsudskiego

Ave.

to Zielonka Bankowa

Ząbki Rozjazd Junction

449 to Warszawa Rembertów

Kolejowa

9.942

14.472

000.000

17.438

19.339

21.410

23.053

Niepodległości Ave.

25.082

27.750

31.044

to Pilawa 13 to Krusze

34.838

Jasienica Mazowiecka

Cienka River

513 to Jasienica Mazowiecka Junction

10 to Legionowo

DW 634

Norwida

37.912

Tłuszcz

000.000

29 to Ostrołęka

41.020

Chrzęsne

42.084

Mokra Wieś

DW 636

Główna

47.587

Szewnica

Fiszor River

53.001

55.235

Wyszkowska

58.479

63.689

68.680

DK 50

72.978

Kaca Canal

81.762

Prostyń

514 to Treblinka

Bug River

DW 627

DW 694

34 to Siedlce

87.969

Małkinia Górna

34 to Ostrołęka

000.000

096.270

99.260

102.964

105.700

Nurska

Szkolna

111.838

118.077

120.800

Mazowiecka

127.379

000.000

132.363

135.825

140.474

146.107

150.575

Brańska

36 to Ostrołęka

154.035

Łapy

177.305

882

Białystok

000.000

Narew River

156.265

Uhowo

DW 682

Kościelna

160.117

Bojary

163.251

Baciuty

DW 678

167.107

Trypucie

168.996

Niewodnica Kościelna

172.222

Klepacze

Horodnianka River

172.500

Turczyn Junction

173.570

Białystok Wiadukt

38
to
Bartoszyce
│

515

516

to
Białystok
Starosielce

DW 669

Trasa Niepodległości

Gen. Fieldorfa Nila

32 to Czeremcha

176.300

Białystok Towarowy Junction

177.305

882.000

Białystok

DW 676

Solidarności

Avenue

37 to Zubki

Sopoćki

000.000

Biała River

DK 8

E67

Gen. Maczka

DK 8

E67

1000-lecia

Państwa Ave.

Supraśl River

185.155

Wasilków

Czarna River

DK 19

191.278

195.280

199.178

203.118

207.525

212.882

57 to Kuźnica

Białostocka

Road

Sokółka River

218.527

Sokółka

000.000

40 to Suwałki

DW 674

Kryńska

225.580

Kundzin

Łosośna River

227.100

Łosośna

228.100

Łosośna passing loop

228.320

Krex Czuprynowo passing loop

230.146

Czuprynowo

DK 19

234.349

000.000

Bruzhi (Брузгі)

Klački (Клачкі)

Bakuny (Бакуны)

P 99

Niamiejščyna (Нямейшчына)

Karobčycy (Каробчыцы)

Hibuličy (Гібулічы)

Pryharadny (Прыгарадны)

to Masty (Масты)

Suvorov Street

Victory Street

Neman River

Levanaberazhnaya Street

Grodna (Гродна)

000.000

Kochanowski Street

to Masty (Масты)

Kaplica (Капліца)

Bahušoŭka (Багушоўка)

Rybnica (Рыбніца)

Pierasielcy (Перасельцы)

Losieva (Лосева)

Parečča (Парэчча)

P 41

Salaccie (Салацце)

Lichačy (Ліхачы)

Uzbieraž (Узбераж)

(

closed

2004

)

000.000

752

732

10 to Trakai

10 to Kaunas

675

658

000.000

000.649

634

610

585

563

540

520

border

000.000

000.516

505

500

000.000

000.493

Kūdraine

488

Zaļumi

483

Medupe halt

477

Višķi

470

Vīganti

467

Ārdava halt

462

Aglona

457

Apsāni halt

453

Zalvezers halt

447

Krāce Junction

443

Vainava halt

435

Malta

427

Pūpoli

416

Rēzekne

000.000

000.413

km 322 Junction

to Zilupe│to Riga

409

402

395

385

380

374

Malnava halt

371

Kārsava

Latvia

Russia

border

000.000

000.306

Ostrov (О́стров)

to Gulbene, Latvia

257

Pskov (Псков)

129

Luga (Лу́га)

Baltic Railway
to Narva (Нарва)│to Paldiski, Estonia

Gatchina (Га́тчина)

to
Saint Petersburg
Vitebsky Rail Terminal

Saint Petersburg

Warsaw Rail Terminal

Saint Petersburg–Warsaw Railway ((Russian: Санкт-Петербурго-Варшавская железная дорога) (transliteration: Sankt-Peterburgo–Varshavskaya zheleznaya doroga)) is a 1,333 km (828 mi) long railway, built in the 19th century by the Russian Empire to connect Russia with Central Europe. At the time the entire railway was within the Russian Empire: Warsaw was under a Russian partition of Poland. Due to territorial changes, the line now lies within five countries and crosses the eastern border of the European Union three times. Therefore, no passenger trains follow the entire route. Passenger trains between Saint Petersburg and Warsaw used to travel through Brest instead and a new line called Rail Baltica is under development to improve the direct connection between Poland and Lithuania.

History

Construction

In February 1851 the Tsarist Government of Russia made a decision to build the St. Petersburg–Warsaw railway line with a length of approximately 1,250 kilometers. It was built to Russian gauge. Construction was completed in 1862.

The first section of the railway was completed in 1853 between Saint Petersburg and Gatchina, with daily scheduled train service started on 31 October 1853. On 19 July 1858 the first train arrived in Pskov.

In May 1858, construction started near Vilnius on the first section of 19 kilometers. On 1 May 1859 the ground works started along the entire route Daugavpils–Vilnius–Lentvaris–Kaunas–Kybartai. The end of summer of 1860 marked the end of the construction of the Ostrov-Daugavpils–Vilnius railway. The first train from Daugavpils arrived in Vilnius on 16 September 1860. In 1861, this branch was completed to the Prussian border, and between Verzhbolovo Station in Kybartai and Eydtkuhnen in Prussia (now Chernyshevskoye in Russian Kaliningrad Oblast) the first junction between Russian gauge and standard gauge railway systems was built, with rails in both gauges between the border stations.

The construction of the section from Lentvaris to Warsaw was completed on 15 December 1862.

The first locomotives for the St. Petersburg–Warsaw railway were bought in England, France, and Belgium. They were “G” class 0-6-0s with two cylinders. They were produced in Manchester in 1857, in Paris in 1860, and in Belgium in 1862. Their weight was 30–32 tons.

The portion between Vilnius and Warsaw was rebuilt in the standard gauge in the 1920s when that area belonged to Poland. The railway was partly destroyed during both world wars.

Present

A 224km section of the line between Zielonka, some 13km north-east of Warsaw and Kuźnica Białostocka on the Polish-Belarusian border, some 54km north-east Białystok is today designated by the Polish National Railways PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe as PKP rail line 6. It is one of the country's major trunk lines. Since 2014 the line is being modernized to ultimately allow passenger trains to run at 200 km/h (125 mph) and freight trains at 120 km/h (75 mph), works include renewal of tracks and overhead lines, replacing level crossings with tunnels or overpasses and installation of ETCS level 2. The line is electrified along its entire length, and has two tracks up to Białystok.

In Zielonka a 9km long line built in 1933, today designated PKP rail line 449 branches of from the former Warsaw-Sankt Petersburg railway south to the former Warsaw–Terespol railway and through it to the Warsaw Cross-City Line and the other trunk lines of the Warsaw Railway Junction. The original route continues south-west as PKP rail line 21 terminating at the Warszawa Wileńska station in Warsaw Praga district, without reaching the city center. This segment is used only for local passenger traffic in the Warsaw metropolitan area, however due to large passenger volumes it is designated as a primary line. Line 21 also extends north-east from Zielonka to Wołomin along line 6, giving a total of four tracks on this segment.

From Białystok to Kuźnica Białostocka line 6 has only one track, which shortly before the Polish-Belarusian border is joined by a broad gauge track designated PKP rail line 57, with several transshipment facilities along its route. Both lines extend across the border and continue from Bruzhi into Hrodna, with the standard gauge line electrified at 3 kV DC which is commonly used by the Polish railways, rather than 25 kV AC used on the two Belarusian trunk lines. This allows Polish trains to reach Hrodna without the need for time consuming break of gauge operations and replacing traction power, and before 2020 Polish companies offered regular connections there.

From Hrodna however only the broad gauge track continues to Uzbieraž on the Belarusian–Lithuanian border. The track from the border to Marcinkonys in Lithuania has been dismantled at some point at the beginning of the 21st century, from Marcinkonys to Vilnius and further north-east the line remains in use for local regional traffic, although there have been some sporadic connections between Vilnius and Daugavpils.

Trains traveling between Warsaw and Vilnius today have to take a long detour through Ełk and Kaunas. It appears extremely unlikely a direct connection through Hrodna might be restored in the foreseeable future. Instead a project called Rail Baltica is underway to upgrade existing infrastructure and build new standard gauge lines in order to improve the rail connection from Poland to Lithuania, Latvia, further to Estonia and eventually to Finland, running entirely within EU territory.

References

"Put' k Varshave" Путь к Варшабе [Route to Warsaw] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
"O inwestycji". PKP PLK Rail Baltica (in Polish).

Sources

"Line Riga–Valka celebrates 120 years". "Latvijas dzelzceļš". Latvian State Railways. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2009. In 1907 Baltic Railway was merged with St.Petersburg–Warsaw Railway and was made the Northwest Railways
Rakov, V. A. (Vitaliĭ Aleksandrovich) (1995). Lokomotivy otechestvennykh zheleznykh dorog 1845-1955 Локомотивы отечественных железных дорог 1845-1955 [National railways locomotives 1845–1955] (in Russian). Moscow: Transport. ISBN 5-277-00821-7.

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