Kulinie Kłodzkim Tunnel
| Kulin Kłodzki Tunnel | |
|---|---|
Portal of the Kulin Kłodzki Tunnel | |
Interactive map of Kulin Kłodzki Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
| Other names | Kuliński Tunnel; Ratschenberg Tunnel (German) |
| Line | Kłodzko Nowe–Kudowa-Zdrój railway |
| Location | Kulin Kłodzki / Duszniki-Zdrój, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland |
| Status | Active[1] |
| Crosses | spur of Grodczyn in the Grodziec massif, Lewin Hills |
| Start | Duszniki-Zdrój side |
| End | Kulin Kłodzki side |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 10 July 1905[2] |
| Owner | PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe |
| Operator | PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe |
| Traffic | Railway |
| Character | Single-track summit tunnel |
| Technical | |
| Length | 577 m (1,893 ft)[3][4] |
The Kulin Kłodzki Tunnel (Tunel w Kulinie Kłodzkim), also known as the Kuliński Tunnel, is a railway tunnel in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of south-western Poland, between Duszniki-Zdrój and Kulin Kłodzki. It carries the Kłodzko Nowe–Kudowa-Zdrój railway through the Lewin Hills and is one of the principal engineering structures on the mountain section of the line.[3][4]
The tunnel is 577 m (1,893 ft) long and was opened together with the final section of the railway to Kudowa-Zdrój on 10 July 1905.[2][3]
Description
The tunnel lies between the stations of Duszniki-Zdrój and Kulin Kłodzki on line no. 309. It was driven beneath a spur of Grodczyn (803 m above sea level) in the Grodziec massif.[3]
Przemysław Dominas describes it as a typical summit tunnel with a double-gradient profile. The tunnel runs on curves of radius 405 m and 310 m, with a 418 m (1,371 ft) straight section between them. The highest point of the railway line, 634.7 m above sea level, is located within the tunnel.[3]
Like the other summit tunnel on the Kłodzko–Kudowa route, the Kulin Kłodzki Tunnel has a parabolic cross-section about 5.4 m high and 5.0 m wide in the clear, with the portals and interior lined with sandstone blocks.[3]
History
In the early planning stages for the railway from Kłodzko towards Kudowa and the Bohemian border, engineers considered several possible alignments across the watershed in the Lewin Hills. An 1891 concept envisaged three or four tunnels, while a project prepared in 1893 reduced this to a single tunnel beneath the Polskie Wrota pass; the final built route ultimately included two summit tunnels, at Kulin Kłodzki and Lewin Kłodzki.[3]
Construction of the Kulin Kłodzki Tunnel began in autumn 1903. Dominas states that the work was carried out by the Austrian tunnelling method, and that a pilot heading had already reached 118 m by November 1903. Air was supplied into the workings by a pump through steel pipes.[3]
Breakthrough from the two headings was achieved on 20 April 1904.[3] The tunnel was completed in time for the opening of the Duszniki-Zdrój–Kudowa-Zdrój section on 10 July 1905.[2]
Wojciech Preidl lists the Kulin Kłodzki Tunnel among the historic railway tunnels of Lower Silesia built at the turn of the 20th century, and describes it as a preserved example of regional railway engineering heritage.[4]
Present-day operation
The tunnel remains part of the operational railway infrastructure of line 309.[2] PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe announced in January 2025 that train services were returning on the route to Kudowa-Zdrój following infrastructure works on the line.[1]
See also
- Rail transport in Poland
- Kulin Kłodzki
- Duszniki-Zdrój
- Lewin Kłodzki Tunnel
References
- ^ a b "Jutro pociągi wrócą na trasę do Kudowy-Zdroju" (in Polish). PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Kuliński (tunel)" (in Polish). Atlas Kolejowy Polski, Czech i Słowacji. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dominas, Przemysław (2020). "Tunele kolejowe na Dolnym Śląsku". In Przerwa, Tomasz; Keller, Dawid; Kruk, Bartosz (eds.). A jednak kolej! Historyczne i współczesne uwarunkowania rozwoju transportu (PDF) (in Polish). Wrocław: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej. pp. 66–69. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ a b c Preidl, Wojciech (2005). "Dolnośląskie tunele kolejowe – zabytki techniki" (PDF). Górnictwo i Geoinżynieria (in Polish). 29 (3/1): 319–329. Retrieved 9 March 2026.