Polski
The Social Committee for the Defense of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Kashubia openly protests against the implementation of the PKP PLK S.A. project in the Pomeranian province. As part of the nearly PLN 4 billion investment, the Koscierzyna-Gdynia railroad is to be expanded with a second track. According to activists, the project poses a serious threat to the environment and tourism in the region. PKP PLK S.A. defends the project, assuring that the public interest is safeguarded.
Heavy transport in Kashubia?
According to data provided to our editorial board by the Social Committee for the Defense of Kashubian Natural and Cultural Heritage , the planned PKP investment includes the construction of a freight line serving primarily heavy transport. The new Koscierzyna-Gdynia route does not provide for the construction of passenger stops and will serve transit only. The designated route will run through the Natura 2000 area, in the immediate vicinity of the Ostrzycki Forest Reserve and Ostrzycki Lake itself.
According to the Committee, the investment will be implemented from the state budget, as it has not received support from European Union funds. The feasibility study reportedly showed that none of the project’s options met the economic viability.
How can the Koscierzyna-Gdynia railroad affect Kashubia?
Established in 2019. The Social Committee Defending the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Kashubia is formed by representatives of local communities who are afraid of the consequences of PKP PLK S.A.’s planned investment. With the help of environmental experts, they expressed a number of concerns about the impact of the new Koscierzyna-Gdynia railroad on the region’s natural and historical assets.
One of the main objections relates to vibration and noise resulting from increased freight train traffic. Activists accuse the developer of failing to carry out studies on the potential impact of high decibels on the environment and on people living in the region. Also missing is a report on the impact of vibrations on the surrounding area and a scenario analysis predicting a transportation disaster. According to the protesters, train noise on the Koscierzyna-Gdynia railroad will be significantly increased due to the characteristic terrain within the Dabrowa-Ostrzycka Trough. This is an important caveat, since the entire Kashubian Landscape Park has a silence zone and the use of combustion boats is prohibited on Lake Ostrzyckie.
Ostrzycki Las Reserve has an area of more than 50 hectares and is part of the Natura 2000 area Uroczyska Pojezierza Kaszubskiego PLH220095. There are more than 400 species of vascular plants in the reserve, including eight under partial protection. The wilderness of the Kashubian Lake District is a sanctuary with an exceptionally wide variety of habitat conditions, where numerous species of forest and waterfowl nest and rest. The entire area is characterized by varied terrain, lush mixed forests and numerous lakes, making it extremely attractive for tourism.
Reservations and demands of Kashubians
The Gdynia-Koscierzyna railroad’s expanded, double-tracked version is controversial, and not just environmentally. The Social Committee for the Defense of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Kashubia, in an open letter to the media, points to a number of procedural problems, including the fact that the tender was announced without a source of funding secured in advance and the use of the rigor of immediate feasibility. The Committee has already filed two complaints on the matter with the Supreme Administrative Court.
Kashubians’ reservations are also raised by the failure to take into account the historical value of objects along the route of the planned project. We’re talking about fragments of the 19th century origin. of the historic railroad line on the Koscierzyna-Somonino section and the viaduct in Krzeszna, which will soon be entered in the register of historical monuments. Representatives of the Committee emphasize that the expanded Kościerzyna-Gdynia railroad may cause the disappearance of tourism in the vicinity of such popular destinations as Slawki, Rybaki, Wieżyca, Krzeszna, Szymbark, Potuły and Golubie Kaszubskie. They are also places of work and life for thousands of Kashubians.
According to the Social Committee, a second rail track from Koscierzyna to Gdynia is not necessary. In his opinion, in order to meet the increased transport needs, it would be enough to carry out a revitalization of the existing line, consisting of, among other things. On electrification and the introduction of the so-called passing. The investment planned by PKP PLK S.A. is overestimated in this regard, and Kashubians concerned about the consequences of its implementation are asking for support in the fight to halt operations.
PKP position
We asked representatives of PKP PLK S.A. for comment on the matter. The investor explains that as a result of the implementation of two planned projects: Works on the Maximilianowo-Kościerzyna section and Works on the Koscierzyna-Gdynia section will significantly increase the speed of passenger and freight trains, and travelers from the Tri-City and Bydgoszcz will have easier access to the attractions of Kashubia. As a result, people will be more likely to choose greener rail transportation, which will reduce car traffic in the important tourist region and benefit the environment.
The modernization of the Koscierzyna-Gdynia railroad is part of a broader connectivity development program aimed at increasing the economic potential of the Port of Gdynia. The long-term effects will therefore include economic strengthening of the region, which will translate into increased income for the population and increased profits from tourism.
PKP PLK S.A. also explains that it has already obtained most of the required environmental decisions, and the implementation of the investment is proceeding in accordance with the law and within the limits of the law. The environmental impact report did not show any negative impact of the project on the six Natura 2000 sites located near the railroad line or on the Ostrzycki Las reserve. The document guarantees the implementation of such stipulations as fencing near protected areas or prohibiting the location of construction facilities within Natura 2000 sites.
In assessing the investment, the Regional Director of Environmental Protection in Gdansk and the General Director of Environmental Protection made a number of recommendations to compensate for the impact that the modernized Koscierzyna-Gdynia railroad relationship will have on the environment. The conditions that PKP PLK S.A. undertakes to meet include.
- Preserving gaps under the tracks to allow amphibians and small mammals to migrate;
- Posting birdhouses and bat boxes;
- Planting of trees and shrubs around the railroad infrastructure;
- Implementation of noise-generating works outside the hours of curfew.
Representatives of PKP PLK S.A. admit that acoustic tests have shown exceedances of standards in several locations. As a result, it is planned to install silencers and noise barriers near Golub and on the Koscierzyna-Somonino section. At the same time, the developer notes that technological advances related to trackless tracks and electric trains make it possible to fundamentally reduce the impact of this type of transportation on the environment. Once construction is complete, it is planned to carry out further measurements and take any corrective measures.
