Kamionce Wielkiej Tunnel
| Kamionka Wielka Tunnel | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Other name | Kamionkowski Tunnel |
| Line | Tarnów–Leluchów railway |
| Location | Kamionka Wielka, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland |
| Status | Active[1] |
| Crosses | bend of the Kamienica Nawojowska valley |
| Start | Kamionka Wielka side |
| End | Mszalnica side |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 18 August 1876[1][2] |
| Owner | PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe |
| Operator | PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe |
| Traffic | Railway |
| Character | Single bore, originally double-track |
| Technical | |
| Length | 180 m (590 ft)[1] |
The Kamionka Wielka Tunnel (Tunel w Kamionce Wielkiej), also known as the Kamionkowski Tunnel, is a railway tunnel in Kamionka Wielka, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It carries the Tarnów–Leluchów railway beneath a rocky spur on the route between Nowy Sącz and Grybów.[1]
At 180 m (590 ft) in length, it is one of the historic railway tunnels on the former Galician Transversal Railway system and one of the few surviving railway tunnels in Lesser Poland.[1][2]
Description
The tunnel lies at kilometre 79.524–79.704 of railway line no. 96, between Kamionka Wielka and Mszalnica.[1] It was constructed where the railway crosses a tight bend in the valley near Kamionka Wielka.[2]
Atlas Kolejowy describes the structure as a masonry arch tunnel 180 m (590 ft) long, with a clear height of 5.80 m and a width of 7.86 m.[1] It was originally built for double-track operation, but after electrification it became a single-track tunnel.[1]
The tunnel is built of stone masonry and has curved alignments for the two original tracks, with radii of 254 m and 248 m respectively.[1]
History
The tunnel was opened on 18 August 1876 together with the section of the railway line in the Nowy Sącz area.[1] Suchoń and Olesiak note that the Tarnów–Leluchów–Orłów line, opened in 1876, had significant strategic importance within the railway system of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[2]
At the beginning of the 20th century, the tunnel was additionally protected by a complex of fortified railway guard towers. According to Suchoń and Olesiak, these military structures were erected because of the strategic importance of the line and formed part of the defensive railway landscape of Galicia.[2]
During wartime operations, the tunnel was partially blown up. Atlas Kolejowy states that it was rebuilt in 1949–1950 after this damage.[1]
Repairs
Technical literature published in 2005 described serious deformation and cracking at the portal on the Tarnów side, with a risk of collapse of part of the stone lining and surrounding ground mass.[3]
The repair method described in that study involved temporary steel support ribs and a permanent strengthening system using corrugated steel panels and self-compacting concrete, while maintaining railway traffic through the tunnel during the works.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Kamionkowski (tunel)" (in Polish). Atlas Kolejowy Europy Środkowej. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Suchoń, Filip; Olesiak, Justyna (2019). "Zespół ufortyfikowanych strażnic kolejowych w Kamionce Wielkiej". Małopolska. Regiony – Regionalizmy – Małe Ojczyzny (in Polish). 21: 89–107. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Wzmocnienie kamiennego sklepienia tunelu kolejowego za pomocą współpracującej powłoki wykonanej ze stalowych, falistych paneli cylindrycznych i betonu samozagęszczalnego". Górnictwo i Geoinżynieria (in Polish). 29 (3/1). 2005. Retrieved 9 March 2026.