Mały Wołowiec rail tunnel, Railway tunnel in Wałbrzych, Poland
The Mały Wołowiec rail tunnel is a double-track railway tunnel measuring 1,601 meters (5,254 feet) in length, carved through the Mały Wołowiec mountain beneath the Wałbrzych Mountains in Lower Silesia, Poland.
The first single-track tunnel opened for railway traffic on October 15, 1880, after construction between 1876 and 1879, with a second parallel tunnel built between 1907 and 1912 to accommodate growing regional transportation demands.
The tunnel represents a significant engineering achievement of late 19th and early 20th-century railway construction in Poland, connecting industrial towns in Silesia and supporting the movement of coal, ore, and other goods during rapid industrial growth.
The tunnel remains operational today for regional and freight trains on the Wałbrzych to Kłodzko route, managed by PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe, with recent renovations completed between 2018 and 2020 to restore structural integrity and safety systems.
The tunnel features an elliptical cross-section measuring 4.8 meters (15.75 feet) wide and 5.8 meters (19 feet) high, with stone block and clinker brick construction, multiple escape niches, and three cross passages connecting the parallel tunnels.
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