SPATIAL DIVERSITY OF TRANSPORT EXCLUSION IN RAILWAY TRANSPORT ON THE EXAMPLE OF LOWER SILESIA VOIVODSHIP

Mateusz SMOLARSKI

Andrzej RACZYK

Abstract

Lower Silesia is characterized by a high density of its railway system. The current layout of it has formed since the mid-nineteenth century, going through a few stages of development until today. First of all, the main skeleton was made, then local connections were successively being added. The present analysis concerns primarily the stage of liquidating railway lines and suspensions in the regional passenger rail
transport in Lower Silesia Voivodship. A significant element here is the time characteristic of it, since each stage of suspending the movement reveals spatial differentiation. The authors made an assessment of the links between liquidations of the passenger railway connections and the demographic potential of localities which have lost their access to the railway transport. Also, in their analysis, they included an evaluation of the course of the process of closing selected railway lines (a case study) and verification of the planned works
meant to restore the Lower Silesia railway system.

Keywords:

railway transport, railway lines closures, communication exclusion, Lower Silesia