While passenger rail transport in Poland continues breaking monthly records, the freight rail market is experiencing a downturn. “The situation in freight rail is definitely not good — at best, we can speak of stagnation,” warns Adrian Furgalski, chairman of the Railway Business Forum (RBF) and CEO of ZDG TOR. According to him, the sector urgently needs a comprehensive rescue plan.
Passenger Boom vs. Cargo Slowdown
“Passenger rail is hitting records almost every month — we are moving sharply upward there. But it seems we have forgotten about the freight market,”
Furgalski told Newseria.
He adds that Poland should not comfort itself with the fact that Western Europe is also seeing declines:
“Our problem is different — and much more fundamental.”
Too Much Dependence on Coal
Polish freight rail is still heavily dependent on bulk cargo, especially coal. But demand for coal is plummeting.
Meanwhile, container transport, although growing along with the expansion of seaports, is not able to replace falling coal volumes one-to-one.
“We need an urgent rescue plan not only for PKP Cargo, but for the entire cargo market,”
Furgalski stresses.
Hard Data: Freight Down, Passengers Up
According to the Office of Rail Transport (UTK):
- Passenger rail: nearly 323.4 million travelers in the first three quarters of 2025
→ +19.7 million year-on-year (+6.5%) - Freight rail: approx. 160.6 million tonnes transported Jan–Sept 2025
→ down 6 million tonnes (–3.6% y/y)
September showed a temporary rebound:
- 18.6 million tonnes transported (+3.4% y/y)
- Transport work ↑ by 62.2 million tonne-kilometres (+1.3%)
UTK notes this is a long-awaited positive signal — but warns the market needs several consecutive months of growth before speaking of a real recovery.
Infrastructure Improvements Are Visible — but Insufficient
“There has been clear progress in rail infrastructure. We are eliminating bottlenecks very quickly,”
says Furgalski.
He notes:
- In 2004, Poland had 7,000+ such bottlenecks
- In 2025, the number has fallen to approx. 1,700
A notable example is the modernization of the Nadodrzańska Line — a key freight corridor.
For PLN 500 million, around 300 km of track will be upgraded by next year.
“It’s essentially a freight line. Today trains often run 50–60 km/h. After works are completed, speeds will increase to 100 km/h along the entire route,”
he adds.
“Five Priorities for Freight Rail” — Industry’s Plan for Revival
At the recent Railway Congress, industry organizations — including RBF — presented a joint proposal titled “Five Priorities for Freight Rail”, aimed at strengthening intermodal transport and boosting rail’s market share.
Key demands include:
1. Eliminating bottlenecks & increasing infrastructure maintenance
2. Developing terminal infrastructure
Poland lacks enough:
- intermodal terminals,
- loading points,
- and industrial sidings.
And they are unevenly distributed — some regions (Świętokrzyskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie) have none.
“New factories and logistics centers boast about handling thousands of trucks — even when a railway line runs right behind the fence. Nobody thinks about connecting to the rail network,”
Furgalski points out.
RBF proposes a “siding program” under which the state would cover half the cost of building or rebuilding a rail siding.
3. Creating heavy freight rail corridors
Industry groups also call for:
- subsidies for rail freight services,
- environmental compensation payments,
- and new fees for road hauliers conducting transit through Poland.
4. Fulfilling EU targets: 30% of long-distance freight on rail by 2030
Poland committed to shifting:
- 30% of freight over 300 km to rail by 2030
- 50% by 2050
But this will be impossible without a fairer competitive environment.
5. Reducing infrastructure access charges
“Railways have no equal competitive conditions with road transport. We pay for every meter of track. Truck operators pay around 5,000 zł — and that’s it,”
Furgalski says.
Currently, access and energy charges make up 25–35% of rail freight costs — one of the main reasons rail has been losing market share.
The proposed solution:
- A multi-year PKP PLK tariff
- Significant reductions (30–50%) for freight operators
- Stable discounts for intermodal services
