Długopole-Zdrój Tunnel

The Długopole-Zdrój Tunnel (, ) is a railway tunnel in Długopole-Zdrój in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of south-western Poland. It carries the Wrocław Główny–Międzylesie railway through the narrow valley of the Nysa Kłodzka and is one of the two historic railway tunnels on this route.

The tunnel is long and was opened together with the Bystrzyca Kłodzka–Międzylesie section of the line on 2 September 1875.

Description

The tunnel lies east of Długopole-Zdrój on railway line no. 276, between Bystrzyca Kłodzka and Międzylesie. It was excavated beneath the western slope of Wronka, also referred to in some sources as Ambona, where the railway cuts across a bend in the Nysa Kłodzka valley.

Wojciech Preidl describes the tunnel as one of the two double-track tunnels constructed on the Wrocław–Międzylesie line. According to Inżynieria.com, it is a single-chamber masonry tunnel built of broken stone, with an elliptical profile approximately 7.6 m high and 7.8 m wide, originally designed for two tracks; today it carries one electrified track.

The tunnel contains refuge niches and drainage inspection recesses in the side walls.

History

Portal of the tunnel in Construction of the Wrocław–Kłodzko–Międzylesie railway was authorised in 1869 for the Upper Silesian Railway Company. The difficult topography of the Nysa Kłodzka valley required the construction of tunnels at Bardo and Długopole in order to avoid sharp river bends and maintain acceptable railway gradients.

Work on the Długopole-Zdrój Tunnel began at the turn of 1870 and 1871 and continued for almost five years. The tunnel entered service on 2 September 1875, the day the Bystrzyca Kłodzka–Międzylesie section was opened to traffic.

The structure remained in regular use after the national border changes following the Second World War. Although built for two tracks, it later became a single-track tunnel, reflecting changes in the operating pattern on the line.

Repairs and present-day operation

The tunnel remains part of the operational infrastructure of line 276. In 2024, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe carried out works on the tunnel as part of broader improvements on the Wrocław–Międzylesie route. According to PLK, the works included refreshing the portals after sandblasting and improving drainage conditions for continued railway operation.

See also

  • Rail transport in Poland
  • Bardzki Tunnel

References

:Category:Railway tunnels in Poland