Siedlce 2025-06-27

Railway line No. 31 Siedlce – state border (Cisówka).

Railway line No. 31 is a section of the route leading from the center of Poland to the north-east, to the Kresy; to the cities of Lida and Baranowicze. Currently, LK No. 31 ends at the border of Poland – Belarus; Cisówka – Świsłocz. The line is 154.697 km long. The line runs through the provinces; Mazowieckie and Podlaskie.

The construction of the line began in 1901, when Poland was still under partition. The investor was the tsarist authorities. The intention was to connect Siedlce – Polotsk, with a length of 650 versts (1 verst is 1,066.8 m). The Muscovites started building the line because of the agreements concluded with the French. The railway line was to ensure fast transport of Moscow’s troops from the Petersburg, Moscow and Kazan regions to the western border of the Moscow Empire. Economic development was of secondary importance. The line was built as a single-track with the possibility of adding a second track. The second track was added in the period 1907-1910. The line was launched in March 1906, with a track gauge of 1524 mm, to the border of the Kingdom of Poland. During the Great World War, the line was rebuilt to a normal 1435 mm gauge by the Austrians and Prussians. In 1945, Soviet troops partially dismantled the second track on the route. The second track was rebuilt by 1950 (on the territory of Poland). The entire line No. 31 was double-track. Currently, the Siedlce – Czeremcha section is double-track. The Czeremcha – state border section is single-track.

LK No. 31 was to be electrified along its entire length. Plans were made in the 1980s. In September 1983, the line was electrified on the Siedlce – Mordy section. Reinforced concrete poles were used, and steel poles were used in places where the traction was tensioned. In 2010, traffic was closed at the Mordy station. In 2012, the traction was removed and the poles were dismantled on the Ujrzanów – Mordy section. The Siedlce station and a short section of LK No. 31 up to 4 km of the route are electrified.

In 2004, due to damage to the viaduct near Siemiatycze, one of the two tracks was closed. In 2005, the viaduct was renovated and the track was reopened to traffic.

In April 2004, traffic on the Hajnówka – Cisówka section was suspended. The main reasons were unprofitable transport and lack of funds for current repairs. The Siemianówka terminus handles freight and border train traffic to the Świsłocz station. Due to the political situation, passenger rail traffic across the border was suspended; the war in Ukraine and illegal immigrants from Belarus.

In 2007, track No. 1 was dismantled on the Siedlce Sl4 – Ujrzanów section (3,900 km). The track layout and SRK devices in Ujrzanów were also rebuilt. Traffic in both directions is carried out on track No. 2.

The sectional renovation of LK No. 31 cost 170 million złoty. Bridges (8 bridges) and culverts were renovated, part of the tracks were replaced, the traffic control system was improved and platforms were renovated. Passenger traffic was resumed after renovation in 2007. Carriers; Koleje Mazowieckie and PolRegio launched trains on the Siedlce – Czeremcha – Hajnówka route. The VT628 SZT was used for passenger traffic. Initially, there were three pairs of trains per day.

On January 27, 2017, PKP PLK signed a contract with Track Tec for the renovation of the Siedlce – Czeremcha section. On September 21, 2017, PKP PLK concluded a contract with TorPol for the renovation of the Hajnówka – state border section. On June 26, 2018, PKP PLK signed a contract with PNiUIK from Kraków for current repairs on LK No. 31 Siedlce – Siemianówka. In August 2019, due to renovation, train traffic on the Hajnówka – Siemianówka section was suspended. In July 2021, traffic was restored. 

The renovations carried out resulted in LK No. 31 receiving a new trackbed, sleepers and rails. New turnouts and new elements of rail traffic control were installed. The line has a speed of: passenger up to 120 km/h, freight up to 80 km/h. The platforms are of the high type, 200 m long. The edges are made of grey concrete slabs, measuring 1 m x 2 m, with warning lines and buttons. The rest of the platform is paved with paving stones or pavement tiles. The platforms are accessible to people in wheelchairs. The platforms have benches, bus shelters, waste bins, railway information boards, and lighting. Not all platforms on the line have been modernised to the current standard, such as the Mordy stop. The platforms of the old type remain, but they are well-maintained, have a surface made of pavement tiles and are shortened to 200 m.

The SHP system operates on LK No. 31. All semaphores are light. Most of the railway-road crossings are equipped with automatic barriers or at least automatic stop lights for cars. However, there are no signals for drivers; a warning signal at the crossing. There are also unguarded crossings, but there are few of them. In addition, all crossings have good visibility, both for drivers and drivers of road vehicles. On LK No. 31 there are many long straight sections and a small difference in the height of the terrain. In theory, a speed of 160 km/h is possible, but due to the traffic management system used, the maximum speed is only 120 km/h.

In 2022, only two pairs of trains operated by the PolRegio carrier ran on the Siemianówka – Hajnówka route. The first departed from the Siemianówka station at 7:17 and the second at 19:22. Due to the ongoing renovation, there is currently (2025) no connection. In 2024, 6 pairs of passenger trains ran on LK No. 31. In 2025, 22 passenger trains departed from Czeremcha station per day. You could go to the following stations: Białystok, Bielsk Podlaski, Gdynia Główna, Hajnówka, Siedlce, Warszawa Wschodnia. In 2025, 16 passenger trains departed from Hajnówka station per day. You could go to the following stations: Białystok, Bielsk Podlaski, Czeremcha, Gdynia Główna, Siedlce, Warszawa Wschodnia.

LK No. 31 is not uniform. Its western section is much better used. However, the further north-east it is, the less it is used. The main reason is the attitude of Belarus, which is a regime country, reluctant to cooperate with the countries of Central and Western Europe. In addition, at the moment, the Belarusian government uses the Poland-Belarus border to transfer illegal immigrants who want to get to Western Europe. The PKP PLK company is ready to carry out new investments on the eastern section of LK No. 31, provided that the political situation in Belarus normalizes. So far, this does not seem to be the case. Especially since Ukraine and the Moscow state do not intend to end the ongoing war, from 2022. As a result, the long-term plans of the so-called Eastern Main Railway are still in suspension.

The Eastern Main Railway (WMK) is an informal term used to refer to a number of railway lines in Poland that are of strategic importance for rail transport along Poland’s eastern border. The name refers to the project of modernization and development of rail infrastructure on the north-south axis along the eastern wall of Poland, as well as to the geopolitical and economic context. The main line includes the following voivodeships: Podlaskie, Lubelskie, Podkarpackie and partially Masovian Voivodeship. The main line could improve the development of eastern Poland, as well as countries from the north and south of Europe. The WMK main line is not supposed to exclude Ukraine and Belarus, although these countries are mutually exclusive. The elements of the WMK are the following railway lines: Railway line No. 6: Warsaw – Białystok – Kuźnica Białostocka. Railway line No. 68: Lublin – Stalowa Wola. Railway line No. 91: Przemyśl – Rzeszów – Tarnów – Kraków. Railway line No. 7: Warsaw – Lublin – Dorohusk. And LK No. 31, 37, 69, 74, 101, 102, 103. WMK is to be electrified, adapted to a load of 22.5 tons/axle, length of freight trains up to 740 m.

Description of railway line No. 31.

Siedlce station (0.00 km, elevation 158 m). There are lines No. 2,34, 34a here. Line No. 31 leaves the station in a south-easterly direction, and after a while turns east. The line bypasses the Siedlce Wschodnie passenger stop. The line is single-track. On the eastern side of the line is the STADLER factory. Here comes the connecting line from the south, from the Białki Siedleckie station. The lines connect and after their connection a double-track line is created.

Siedlce Baza passenger stop (2.50 km, elevation 158 m).

Doły R12 turnouts (3.96 km, elevation 162 m). There is line No. 520 here. The line passes over the viaduct over DK No. 63. The line takes a north-easterly direction. Then the line crosses the Helenka river. Then there is a passage along Majowa Street and a little further along Pałacowa Street.

Stok Lacki passenger stop (12.018 km, elevation 156 m). The stop was built in 1941. There are 2 platforms at the stop, single-edge, arranged in a passing loop. Behind the platforms there is a passage along the local road. Further on there is a passage along Miodowa Street.

Krzymosze passenger stop (13.46 km, elevation 156 m). There are two platforms here, single-edge, arranged in a passing loop. Between the platforms there is a passage along Ostoja Street. Further on the line crosses the Liwiec River. Then there is a passage along the local road.

Mordy passenger stop (17.90 km, elevation 159 m). There is one island platform with two edges at the stop. There used to be a station here. Further on there is a passage along Składowa Street and another along Cmentarna Street.

Mordy Miasto passenger stop (19.71 km, elevation 161 m). There are two single-edge platforms here, set opposite each other. The stop is reached by 8 Dywizji Wojska Polskiego Street, impassable. Then there are two crossings on local roads. Then the line passes over DW No. 698.

Cierpigórz passenger stop (25.43 km, elevation 178 m). There are two single-edge platforms here, set alternately. There is a crossing between the platforms. Then there is a crossing along the local road. The line runs through forests. Then there is a viaduct over the local road.

Niemojki station (33.46 km, elevation 159 m). There is an island platform with two edges at the station. There are 5 through tracks at the station. There is the Niemojki station and the “Nm1” signal box at the station. There was a grain warehouse at the station. Before the platform there is a crossing along the local road. After the station there is another crossing along the local road.

Patków passenger stop (36.88 km, elevation 147 m). There are two single-edge platforms at the stop set in a passing loop. Between the platforms there is a crossing along the local road. Then the line crosses the Toczna river. Then there is a passage along the local road and another passage.

Platerów station (43.37 km, elevation 146 m). There is one island platform at the station, double-edged. There are four through tracks at the station, and there were also side tracks and a small locomotive shed. There is a station, a “Pl” signal box and a water tower at the station. Behind the station there is a passage along Dworcowa Street. Then the line runs parallel to DK No. 19, which runs on the south-eastern side, to then branch off towards the east. Then the line crosses the local road at a passage. Then the line crosses the local Marii Konopnickiej Street. On the north-western side of the line is the Podlaski Przełom Bugu Landscape Park.

Sarnaki passenger stop (48.36 km, elevation 138 m). Before the stop there is a passage along DK No. 19, Kolejowa Street. There is one island platform at the stop. Behind the stop there is a passage along the local road. The line enters the Podlasie Bug River Landscape Park. Then the line crosses the Rozwadówka River. The line runs through forests and crosses a forest road.

Fronołów passenger stop (53.44 km, elevation 124 m). The stop is in the middle of the forests. There are two single-edge platforms here set up as a passing loop. The Mazowieckie / Podlaskie provincial border is on the Bug River.

The railway bridge over the Bug River is set on steel and stone supports. Each track runs through three truss spans, riveted. The railway bridge in the Siemiatycze area is located in the town of Olendry and was built on the Bug River. It is a historic bridge, built in 1905-1906, connected with the railway line from Siedlce to Hajnówka, which originally ran to Polotsk in Belarus. The designer and main builder was the tsarist engineer Fronolov. The bridge is called the Fronolov Bridge after him, as is the village on the other bank of the river. Initially, there was one track, which was called “Tsar’s Passage”. The second track and the second part of the bridge were built at the beginning of 1914. The total length of the bridge is 320 m. The bridge was destroyed several times; 1915, 1918, 1920, 1939, 1944. After the war, the bridge was rebuilt in 1948. Initially, one track. The second part of the bridge was launched in 1957. In 2005, a fire occurred on the bridge, due to overheating of the wagon brakes and ignition of the wooden elements of the bridge. In 2017, the bridge was renovated.

Then the line crosses DW No. 640 on the mountain.

Siemiatycze station (56.89 km, elevation 134 m). At the station there is a train station, one island platform with two edges, there are five through tracks, signal boxes “Sm”, Sm1″. The track crosses the crossing along Kolejowa Street. Behind the station there is a crossing along the local road. The line enters the forests. Further on, the line crosses the local road with a crossing.

Sycze passenger stop (62.85 km, elevation 155 m). There are two single-edge platforms here, set in a passing loop and separated by a crossing along DW No. 658. Further on, the line crosses forests and wastelands.

Nurzec station (70.03 km, elevation 184 m). At the station there is one island platform with two edges, 6 through tracks, a footbridge over the tracks, a station with a library, a water tower, signal boxes “Nc”, “Nc1”. Before the station there is a crossing along Kolejowa Street, and behind the station along Tartaczna Street. Further on the line enters the forests again.

Nowy Nurzec passenger stop (76.61 km, elevation 175 m). At the stop there are two single-edge platforms set opposite each other. Behind the platforms there is a passage along the local road. The line runs among the forests.

Borowiki passenger stop (79.95 km, elevation 177 m). The stop is among the forests. There are two single-edge platforms set in a passing loop.

Berezyszcze “Ca5” station (88.61 km, elevation 181 m). There is line No. 519A here.

Czeremcha station (90.16 km, elevation 177 m). There are lines No. 32, 43, 43a here. To the south of the station there is the Railway Museum. Further on, the line crosses Topolowa Street with a passage. Czeremcha station is really big in this region of Poland and has 21 through tracks in the freight section. The station has two platforms and three platform edges. There is a footbridge over the tracks, but it mainly serves residents and less passengers. The station has a train station, a railway office building, “Ca”, “Ca1” stations, the Czeremacha Branch Locomotive Depot, a railway sleeper impregnation plant (southern edge of the city). To the north, two lines leave the station: LK No. 32 towards Bielsk Podlaski and LK No. 31. Both lines are single-track. In the northern part of the city, these lines intersect. LK No. 31 passes over LK No. 32. Then the line crosses the Nurzec River, and then a local road. The line runs through forests.

Dobrowoda passenger stop and passing loop (96.03 km, elevation 188 m). Kolejowa Street reaches the stop. There is one single-edge platform here, and behind the platform there is a passing loop.

Policzna passenger stop (99.87 km, elevation 182 m). There is one single-edge platform at the stop. Behind the platform there is a crossing along the forest road.

Witowo passenger stop and passing loop (107.74 km, elevation 168 m). There is one single-edge platform at the stop, and behind the platform there is a crossing along the forest road. The passing loop is behind the road crossing. The passing loop is serviced by the “Wt” signal box. Further on, the line crosses the Orla River, and behind it a crossing along the local road.

Orzeszkowo passenger stop (112.55 km, elevation 162 m). There is a single-edge platform at the stop. In front of the platform there is a passage along the local road. Nearby there is an Orthodox church. Further on the line crosses several local roads and the Chwiszczej River. Further on the line crosses the Leśna Prawa River.

Hajnówka station (120.11 km, elevation 166 m). There is line No. 52 here. On the city border the line passes over the inactive line to Białowieża on a viaduct. Hajnówka station is expanded. There is a station, three platforms, four platform edges, a footbridge over the tracks, two freight sections, 6 through tracks. From Hajnówka station in the west direction there is a line to Bielsk Podlaski station. Further on the station crosses the passage along Warszawska Street. Further on the track runs over DW No. 689 and crosses the Leśna Prawa River. Further on, the line crosses Doddolna Street. Then, on the eastern side, the line passes the Gryfskand plant; Activated Coal Production Plant, which had railway sidings. Then there is a passage along Cegielniana Street, and then Szkolna Street and the Leśna Prawa River again.

Nowosady station (127.76 km, elevation 171 m). There is line No. 910 here. The station is currently out of service. There are four through tracks here. Further on, the line runs parallel to LK No. 910. The line crosses DW No. 685. DW No. 687 runs parallel to the line, on the eastern side. In the forests, on the eastern side of the line, there is a system of cargo reloading ramps from the standard gauge to the wide gauge. Additionally, there are cranes, loading yards, warehouses. These facilities are in various technical conditions. In the times of the Polish People’s Republic, they were used to reload military units with equipment, later also commercial goods. In this area there are the following railway lines: No. 910, 911, 912, 59, 43, 127; one is standard gauge and the other is broad gauge.

Gnilec passenger stop (132.12 km, elevation 171 m). The stop is currently out of service.

Bernadczyzna station (134.24 km, elevation 166 m). There is line No. 911 here. Currently it is a branch post. Line No. 911 leads to the transshipment base near the town of Zabłotczyzna. Then the line crosses the Narewka River. Then the line crosses DW No. 687 and reaches Narewka station.

Narewka station (139.84 km, elevation 148 m). There are lines No. 913, 914 here. The station has three platforms and three platform edges. Currently, the station has 5 through tracks, but previously there were 7 tracks. The station has signal boxes “No.”, “No.1”. Further on, the line crosses a local road, the Bobrówka river and another road, Łąkowa Street. On the south-eastern side of the line there is a plant that can act as a terminal.

Siemianówka station (146.10 km, elevation 149 m). There are lines 59, 916 here. The station is large and has a group of normal and wide tracks. The wide tracks are on the south-eastern side. There are 14 wide tracks and 6 normal tracks. At one normal track there is a single-edge platform. The station has signal boxes “Sm”, “Sm1”. In the past, there was a locomotive shed here. There is a customs office at the station, where there is a heliport. Behind the station there is a crossing along DW No. 688. Further on, there is one normal track, on the western side, and one wide track, on the eastern side. Both tracks enter the embankment (dam) on the backwater; Lake Siemianowskie of the Narew River. In addition to the embankment, there is a bridge that connects both parts of the lake. The bridge has two separate truss spans, separate for each track. The bridge is made of steel, welded and is 100 m long. Some elements of the bridge are screwed. Next to it is another embankment along which the road ran and there was also a bridge, which currently does not exist. Currently, the embankment is overgrown with self-seeding plants. This area is a favorite place for fishermen and tourists. Beyond the lake, the lines run through marshy areas.

Cisówka, a closed passenger stop (151.35 km, elevation 147 m). Until 2004, the stop was in use. Currently, there is an additional border traffic control point here.

State border (154.38 km, elevation 147 m). Normal track reaches Svisloch station.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman