Farewell to the Rampa line

This evening I had the greatest shock I've experienced in our six years of living in Jeziorki. Scrambling to the top of the aggregate line embankment to suddenly realise - the tracks have been ripped up. Compare with photo taken ten weeks ago. Removing the tracks seems to run counter to today's environmental trends - rail should be replacing road for the transport of bulk freight. This is a sad sight for railway enthusiasts. Once torn up, they'll never come back.

The speed and scale of the operation has amazed me; it was not long since my last walk here. The tracks have been thrown down the side of the embankment and the sidings below also ripped up. Below: Looking towards the buffers at the Nowa Iwiczna end of the line. Compare with this view taken ten weeks ago.

Looking up at the embankment gives one the impression of scorched earth - vandalism on a monumental scale.

What will happen here? Will the rails be replaced by asphalt, allowing trucks to bring aggregate to the Jeziorki depot? Will this be a new local road, enabling the residents of the new housing estates of Nowa Iwiczna and Mysiadło to by-pass the totally congested ul. Puławska?

One thing is certain - a killing will be made on the scrap rails.

Click here for photos of the rampa na kruszywa in action
Looking towards the rampa from the end buffers
On the sidings, W-wa Jeziorki, last July

I did some checking online. The site is owned by Warszawskie Zakłady Eksploatacji Kruszywa (WZEK Sp. z o.o.). Its registered commercial activity, last amended on 7 November 2005, is 'real estate' and 'trans-shipment of cargo', in that order. My brother speculates that this sizeable piece of land, right next to a suburban railway station, would be prime property for a developer.

Warsaw City Hall has given planning consent for connecting the WZEK site to the main sewers running down ul. Karczunkowska on 12 November 2007, but I can't find anything relating to ripping up rails or change of land use.

UPDATE: 11 May - most of the rails seen strewn down the embankment have been removed.