Project stories 2. Train to investment - Interreg NEXT PL-UA 2021-2027

Let’s explore another story from the “Project stories” series – a collection showcasing the people who implement projects or benefit from their results.

Each story highlights individuals, places, and actions that – with the support of the Interreg NEXT Poland – Ukraine 2021-2027 Programme – bring lasting improvements to the daily lives of border region residents and enhance the experience for visiting tourists.
We hope these stories will inspire new cross-border initiatives.

Enjoy another inspiring story!

We had to arrive at 5 a.m., prepare the timber depot so that it could move smoothly. We had to crawl in the snow, knock down the brake blocks, which were frozen. This was the work when the wood came from Wetlina, because Moczarne was covered in winter. All the time ‘under the cloud’. And as a brakeman – whatever the weather, whatever the temperature outside was – I traveled ‘on the brake’. You had to ride those 3-4 hours standing up from Majdan to Rzepedź. Whether it was sunshine or rain, minus twenty-something degrees or plus thirty-something – you stood on your feet.

This is how Marek Chochoła recalls the beginnings of his work on the Bieszczady narrow gauge railway. He was born in Bieszczady, then went to school in Rzeszów and even worked in the local aviation plant, but he was drawn to his native mountains. So he started his work in the forest railway more than 40 years ago with a railway repair shop, then became a technical auditor, and after a year a brakeman. Over time, he gained further qualifications: as a helper, steam engine driver, diesel locomotive driver and, finally, as a traffic warden. This last function is the most responsible, as he has to deal with… an old machinery of more than 130 years! Yes, yes… Construction of the first sections of the Bieszczady Forest Railway began in 1890, during the Austrian partition. Narrow gauge railways were built at that time in various parts of the Carpathian Mountains, as it was the primary means of transporting construction and firewood from the vast, inaccessible forests. For the construction of bridges, viaducts and retaining walls, skilled Italian stonemasons were brought in from the Alpine city of Trento. In the Bieszczady Mountains alone, the track network gradually grew to over 73 kilometres.

At the end of the 20^th century, when the times of market economy arrived, the spectre of liquidation even hung over the Bieszczady “train”. Transport froze, the tracks became overgrown, and equipment began to be taken out of the region. However, the determination of the enthusiasts, who saw in this unusual monument of technology, human thought and hard work a huge potential for tourism, meant that it was able to be saved for future generations. But a lot had to change – a foundation was established, the route was significantly shortened, the recovered carriages were adapted to carry passengers, and railway artefacts were collected in the station buildings. However, the track needed constant repairs and modernisation, while the growing wave of tourists needed a professional service. In the beginning there were a few, several thousand, and today it is already more than 160,000 travellers a year! It became clear that investments were needed, and not insignificant ones at that. The Interreg NEXT Poland – Ukraine Programme came to the rescue as well as… a coincidence. Representatives of the foundation visited places in the Carpathian Mountains where traces of narrow-gauge railways still remain. In the Ukrainian commune of Vyhoda, they saw an unusual monument – steam locomotive:

We were there as tourists, we knew there was such an exhibit. We wanted to measure elements of the monument, in connection with the renovation of our steam locomotive. It seemed to us that the reproduction of some of the elements might be useful to us. We entered the monument, but other people were passing by and we didn’t want anyone to draw attention to us. We went to the owners of the monument to get permission. And that’s how the first contacts began…,’ Mariusz Wermiński, president of the Bieszczady Forest Railway Foundation, smiles at this memory.

In this way, they found their way in time to the authorities of Vyhoda commune, which later became a partner in the project.

Thanks to a joint project entitled ‘Carpathian narrow-gauge railway – a journey in the footsteps of the Carpathian forest railway’ (acronym: TrainToNature) and funding from the Programme, a visitor service centre and a footbridge over the tracks with a path and platform in the treetops will be built at the main station of the Bieszczady narrow-gauge railway in Majdan near Cisna. There will also be an offer of bicycle rail trolleys, which are to travel along the section renovated as part of the project. Working conditions will also change for the better for local residents, who will gain modern social facilities and new jobs:

There will be more work for sure, there will be more employees to operate the handcar. The tourists will not be allowed on the route alone, as the trolleys will cross the road and everything must be secured,’ says Marek. – You can’t compare it with what it was, we have covered wagons, the worker doesn’t get wet, doesn’t get cold. You also have to consider that the wood didn’t grimace, it just rode on, and every tourist is different, some can grimace, grumble…,’ he comments with typical Bieszczady humour.

In order to attract tourists and provide them with good conditions, the Ukrainian partner will create a narrow-gauge railway museum in Vyhoda together with a recreational environment. The local ‘Carpathian Tramway’ there is one of the biggest tourist attractions of the Kalush region. As part of the project, the timber transport route will become a pedestrian and cycle path.

Meanwhile, in Bieszczady, when asked if he misses the early days of his work in the 1980s, Marek replies:

More details about the project can be found HERE.