CONDITION OF RAILROADS IN POLAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R000100210004-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 6, 2000
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: April 1, 1946
• Content Type: IR

o cument No.
NO CHAN1 re
fl DZCLASSIFIED.
Class. CHANGED TO: TS S
DDA Memo, 4 Apr 77
Auth: DD R G. 77,0.763
Date: 0 11 By: 074
e 2000/05/16 : CIA-RDP82-00457ROOW 00
CONTROL
FOR U.S. 0 CIALS ONLY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE', GROUP
25X1A2g
INTELLIGENCE REPORT
COUNTRY Poland
SUBJECT Condition of Railroads in Poland
25X1A6a
ORIGIN
25X1X6
25X1A9a
DkTE
INFO.
DIST.
PAGES
25X1X6
20 November 1946
3
SUPPLEMENT
ftlebgelELOIV
1. The dotbleetraok Grodno-Warsaw line via Bialystok and Siedice was destroyed
by the Germans and rebuilt by the,Sovieteas a normal-valet, single-track
line in March 1945. It was relaid as a broad-gauge line in July 1945;
the seetion:ParsaweLososna? however; was once more reconverted to normal:.
MUM) in September, 1945,
2. The Soviets have rebuilt the railway station at Grodno, which had been
demolished during the German retreat, and added another stOry (with a flat
roof) to the station buildings. Though the water tower was undamaged, the
Soviets. had to equip the pumps on the Niemen with new motors to replace
those destroyed by the Germans.
The railway bridge over the Niemen was destroyed by the Germans, who
smashed. the pylons down to the very foundations. The Soviets built a
temporary bridge on seven pylons, four in the river, one on the Grodno
station Side,and two on the Leeesna side, etanding on eolid ground. The
r ilway depots in the vicinity Of the station were gutted, though the
offices on the station preilees.escaped damage. In the statioknine tracks
have been rebuilt. The single-track from Grodno to Lesosna is normal-gauge
as is the Losesna-Suwalki line which lb, however, not in use at present.
The switch points at Lososna have been dismantled and installed elsewhere,
,The roundhbeceoee which the Germans had considerably extended, was destroyed,
complete with'turntables, so thoroughly that the Soviets built a wooden
shed nearby the former Polish roundhoueee in which only two inspection pits
were available. Although the station has been rebuilt, the switches have to
be operated by hand and only the semaphores are automatically actuated from
the signal boxes in the station Nay 1946).
'gnaw:Wm
The station buildings on the Grodno-Wilno line (two broad-gauge tracks)
have on the whole suffered but little damage, and operation (points,
switches) is more or less normal. All the important bridges that were destroyed
have been temporarily re-erected as wooden structures0
r r rut 25X1A9a 25X1A2g
CI-ASSIFICATION -,-
CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS
On
So
x
A DEP.
X
FST
S-
VTO
DADSO
FBK
FBV
PDS
S DER
xI
EXEC.
FBI
F5St
, FB2!
SPDT
$CO
: fili i
CFCS
CONTROL
FBM
2c
CTRS
tilANS 1
Apprpved_Forliiitefieas
Ili
is III.
Approved For Release 2000/05/16 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000100210004-7
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP
-2-
Wilno
25X1A2g
54 The station buildings have rot been deMaged, and signals. are operated
automatically. The railvey bridges over the Ostrobramska street and near
the Rosa Cemetery wore also not demeged.
Wilno e Lida
6. The Wilno-Lida section has suffered major &Image, end the station at Lida
has been severely damaged, though 'the signalling equipment and switches
erd functioning normally, l'he station buildings haVe been replaced by
temporary wooden structures.
Viostyierett
7. The Mosty-Lida section id nowa broadegauge single-track lino. The
MostyeGrodno sectionwwhichii0 undamaged, is also brosd-gauge. On the
Mosty-Wolkowysk section howeVer, the bridges oVer the Niemen were
destroyed down to their foundations; here the SoVieta have erected a
temporary wooden bridge some 300 motors below the old bridge and
constructed a new embankment. Phe WolkowYsk Central Station vas ootpletely
destroyed and has been replaced by n wooden shed. The water tower was
also destroyed end the Soviets built a new one in May 1946.. The actual ?
rod-bed was not damaged. The. first station beyond. Wolkowysk In the
direction of Swilocz IA used at% marshalling yard for reloading shipments.
A singleetreck line runs from awilocz to JanoWka. The station at Lsndarow
is undemaged.
8. rhe Bielystok-Wolkorysk section is broad-gauge, and is linked up with the
broed-geuge section Bielystok-Grojewo-Kalinin-Koenigsberg.
9. Only the sidings end depots of the Sokolka station on the Grodne line
were not destroyed. The Czarna irlies station suffered damage, however,
and has been replaced by a temporery wooden shed; the switches are
hand-operated. The Czarny block signalling stotion has been dismantled
and re-erectod at Vasilkow (6 km from Bialystok). The roof of the station
et Bialystok ras burnt out and tho station hes boon transferred to the
reilvey premises in Linora street (between the old stetion 8nd the two
level railway bridre over the tracks). The road bridges heve been destroyed
and replaced by tomnorery wooden structures. The signol system is in
tart automatic; only the signals in the outlying signal boxes wove
hand-operated. The roendhouse hes boon severely dumaged end the doviets
have erootes1 n temperer:7 shod some 4 km fro si the stntion in the direction
of ralkinie (on the Wee-sw line) beyond thn goods etetion which we's elso
destroyed; this temposery ehed holds three locomotives, though locomotives
ere pormelly serviced in the oper. Passenger trains arrive at and depart
from the goods; station end rot the rnssonger station, lthough the platforms
end treck escsped demae4
2731J11109.15 WM=
10Q This isee double-track, normel-gauge line. The station at Lapy and the
workshops there were severely damaged and have not been repaired. The
bridge over the Farew which was destroyed has only been rebuilt as a
temporary structure. The station at Malkinia was completely burnt out,
together with its equipment, which le now opersted by hd0 Thou
the Malkinie bridge wee destroyed, its pylons escaped damage. A new
temporary wooden bridge has been erected on wooden piers sunk between
the old stone nylons.
ONTROL
. OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2000/05/16 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000100210004-7
Approved For Release 2000/05/16 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000100210004-7
?
25X1A2g
CaTRAL IFTELLIGENCE GROUP
731alzalQY - Brzogl.P.re# 1.ttax.e..11
11. The Mielsk Podlaskl statinn was completely -destroyed, including the
station buildings and technical equipment which was still operated by
hand. The station end shed at Czeremcha were ceveroly damaged. The
station has boon replaced by a temporsry Tooden structure4
Si10122 *
12. Siodlce has not boon damaged, and the roundhouse is still tanding;
tha block .signalling apparatus hen been rebuilt.
ENTIAL
uNTROL
U.S. OFFIC ONLY
Approved For Release 2000/05/16 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000100210004-7