Rail freight transport in Poland has been steadily losing market share for many years. Due to factors such as high infrastructure access charges and rising energy costs, it remains uncompetitive compared to road transport. Yet, with major megaprojects ahead of Poland, the development of rail freight is essential to secure the logistics of materials and equipment. The same applies to military supply chains — industry organizations warn and jointly propose a comprehensive “Five-Point Plan for Rail Freight Transport”.
The “Five-Point Plan”, signed during the 15th Railway Congress, is an initiative developed by companies active in rail freight and rolling stock. Besides IGTL (the Chamber of Land Transport Commerce), it includes the Private Wagons Association, the ProKolej Foundation, the Association of Independent Railway Carriers, and the Railway Business Forum.
“It is a set of five demands — but also ready-made solutions — intended to support the development of rail freight in Poland, which has been in deep decline for many years. We urge the Ministry of Infrastructure and other authorities to take this issue seriously. We are investing huge amounts of money in infrastructure, yet freight transport is not developing accordingly,”
says Maciej Gładyga, Managing Director of IGTL, in an interview with Newseria.
“Rail freight simply cannot compete with roads today. For years, all additional volumes in the system have been absorbed by road transport — and we are losing badly.”
1. Developing local rail infrastructure with state support
The first proposal concerns the expansion of point infrastructure: intermodal terminals, loading points, and sidings, all supported by public funding. According to experts, decisions on locating logistics centers often fail to consider rail potential. Therefore, planning rules should include an obligation to place such facilities within reach of rail networks and ensure track access. At the same time, economic and promotional incentives are needed to encourage operators to integrate these facilities with the rail system.
2. Lowering infrastructure access and traction energy costs
The second pillar of the plan highlights the need to reduce infrastructure charges and electricity costs, which currently represent 25–35% of total freight transport expenses. High charges have contributed to rail’s erosion in market share.
“Rail should be treated as a highly energy-intensive sector, and appropriate legislative and organizational solutions should be introduced,”
notes the IGTL expert.
This includes removing the capacity charge and the RES surcharge applied to traction energy. The plan also recommends introducing a long-term PLK price list with significantly reduced track access fees for freight operators (by 30–50%), alongside stable discounts for intermodal transport.
3. Supporting technological development and fleet modernization
The third proposal focuses on advanced technologies and modern rolling stock.
Modernizing freight wagons and locomotives is a precondition for increasing rail’s market share. The plan calls for incorporating R&D components into all development programs, financing the purchase of innovative rolling stock, and deploying technologies that reduce energy consumption and noise emissions.
4. Reforming capacity management on modernized lines
“We have excellent infrastructure, but freight trains have no priority on the network. We need changes ensuring that this capacity is used effectively,”
says Gładyga.
A comprehensive overhaul of capacity allocation is necessary so that modernized lines are not dominated solely by passenger services.
5. Including freight needs in investment planning and maintenance
Industry groups emphasize that freight transport must be considered at every stage of investment planning, maintenance scheduling, and traffic management.
Today, freight efficiency is hampered by local speed limits and line bottlenecks. A rapid-response system for addressing infrastructure degradation, bottleneck removal programs, and a long-term, guaranteed maintenance funding framework would significantly improve reliability.
Why rail freight matters — from national security to economic efficiency
According to industry organizations, expanding rail freight is crucial for multiple reasons. One is securing military logistics — an essential component of national defense and strategic readiness. For the economy, stronger rail freight capabilities translate into more efficient, stable, and environmentally friendly supply chains.
“Material and equipment logistics are critical elements of major investment programs — from national rail and road projects to the CPK hub and the nuclear power plant. It is unrealistic to assume that road transport can handle all these needs. If rail is to carry a significant share of these loads, we must seriously address how to organize it. The benefits would be felt by the whole society through reduced congestion and greater road safety,”
explains Gładyga.
A unified call for systemic action
Industry representatives stress that only coordinated, long-term actions across all areas can reverse the decline in rail freight.
“Importantly, five different organizations have endorsed this initiative. It is not just carriers, not just wagon owners, not just forwarding companies — it is a cross-sector agreement. We are appealing to the ministry to sit down with us and discuss this. This is not a program aimed against anyone; it includes ready-to-implement solutions. Not all can be introduced immediately, but it is high time that — after the success of passenger rail — we finally address the freight sector,”
says the IGTL expert.
