Poland Is Reviving Abandoned Railway To Welcome Ukrainians Escaping To Its Land
A photo taken at the Poland-Ukraine border. Photo 31184572 © Dziewul | Dreamstime.com
Allies around the world, big and small, are throwing support for residents of Ukraine whose lives have been shaken by Russia’s invasion. In neighboring Poland, men in orange suits have been tasked to rebuild long-defunct rail tracks connecting Ukraine to the country.
When the passageway is restored, it should be able to support the transportation of refugees streaming into the country for years to come. The rail line is out of the way and requires excruciating work, and NPR brings these efforts of the Polish—put in all for the sake of a friend—to light.
The tracks, located along a remote mountainous area, were first installed in the 19th century. They’ve been unused for decades, and to bring them back, physically strong workers are manually digging out the rocks that once clamped the line down with their pickaxes and rakes.
The 18-mile railway “has deteriorated beyond use,” reports NPR, and laborers are removing its rotted wooden ties with new ones in the cold.
Already, Poland has welcomed more than 1.5 million people from Ukraine in the wake of the Russian conflict, and Polish President Andrzej Duda is commissioning projects to accommodate the shift. The revived rail tracks are one of the government’s long-term plans to sustain refugees’ hopes to build a better, safer life abroad.
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[via NPR, cover photo 31184572 © Dziewul | Dreamstime.com]
