Rail services are operated by a range of public and private rail operators. The state-owned PKP Group operates the majority of rail services. In addition to PKP owned companies, there are a number of private cargo operators, as well as a number of independent passenger operators, with the latter owned predominantly by Voivodeship provincial governments.
Overview
Max speeds in Poland
The vast majority of the network was built before World War II by various railway companies, including by the German Deutsche Reichsbahn and by the Russian Imperial State Railways, and a minor component was built from 1946 onwards by the Communist authorities of the Polish People's Republic. During the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II the Polish railway network was crippled by the Luftwaffebombing campaign.[4] Due to the average age of the network and lack of maintenance, many sections are limited to speeds below 160km/h (99mph) even on trunk lines. 2,813km (1,748mi) allow 160km/h (99mph) or more.[5]
Since Poland's entry into the European Union in 2004, major financing has been made available by European financing institutions to improve both the Polish rail network and the rolling stock fleet. Up to June 2014, the European Investment Bank had provided loans totalling €1.9 billion for rail modernization projects in Poland.[6][7] An additional €578 million had been provided through December 2013 to modernize 70% of PKP Intercity rolling stock.[8] The €665 million purchase of 20 AlstomPendolino high-speed trains delivered in 2014 was financed in part by €342 million from the European Investment Bank.[9]
Poland currently has no high-speed lines operated at speeds above 200km/h (124mph). The Central Rail Line, centralna magistrala kolejowa, 'CMK', which links Warsaw to Katowice and Kraków, was designed with an alignment to permit 250km/h (155mph), but for over 30 years after its construction Poland possessed no rolling stock capable of speeds above 160km/h (99mph). Since 2008, the CMK has been upgraded to allow higher speeds, including installation of European Train Control System Level 1 which provides the Cab signalling required by high speed trains. Most trains on the CMK still operate at speeds up to 160km/h (99mph), but since 14 December 2014 new AlstomPendolino ED250 trains operate on a 90km section of the CMK at 200km/h (124mph), and improvements under way should raise the authorized speed to 200km/h (124mph) on most of the line. In test runs on the CMK in November 2013 a new Pendolino ED250 train set a new Polish speed record of 293km/h (182mph).[10]
In 2011–2015, the Warsaw–Gdańsk railway has undergone a major upgrading costing $3 billion, partly funded by the European Investment Bank, including track replacement, realignment of curves and relocation of sections of track to allow speeds up to 200km/h (124mph), modernization of stations, and installation of the most modern ETCS Level 2 signalling system, which is to be completed in June 2015. In December 2014 new AlstomPendolino high-speed trains were put into service between Gdańsk, Warsaw and Kraków reducing the rail travel time from Gdańsk to Warsaw to 2 hours 58 minutes,[11][12] to be reduced in late 2015 to 2 hours 37 minutes.[13]
In 2008, the government announced the construction of a dedicated high speed line based on the French TGV model and possibly using TGV style trainsets, by 2020. The Y-shaped line would link Warsaw to Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław at speeds of up to 320km/h (199mph). The plans included an upgrade of the Central Rail Line to 250km/h (155mph) or more, as this line has an LGV-like profile. In December 2011 plans to build the high speed 'Y' line were postponed until 2030, due to the high cost.[14][15]
As of 2008, foreign services include EuroCity and EuroNight trains between Western and Eastern Europe. Most notably, the now defunct EN Jan Kiepura[pl; nl]. This train carried direct sleeping cars between Cologne and Warsaw. Though formerly its Western terminuses have included Brussels, Amsterdam, Basel and Munich, while the Eastern terminus for some through carriages reached as far as Moscow and Minsk.
Lithuania – 3 kV DC/25 kV AC, as part of the construction of Rail Baltica a new standard-gauge diesel line from there to Kaunas was built in October 2015
Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, there are proposed to build more broad-gauge lines in and around Poland.[17] LHS westward extension from Slawkow via Gliwice, Gorlitz, Jena, Paderborn and Oberhausen to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and branch to Hamburg, and new broad-gauge link from Ukrainian border via Chelm, Lublin, Bialystok and Suwalki to Mockai (Lithuania) and branch to Gdansk Port.
Polish State Railways (PKP), a state-owned corporate group and part of the PKP Group conglomerate, is the main provider of railway services, holding an almost complete monopoly on long-distance passenger services. It is both supported and partly funded by the government.
There are three main PKP companies:
PKP PLK – owns and maintains infrastructure including lines and stations.
PKP Intercity – provides long-distance connections on the most popular routes. Trains are divided into the categories: EuroNight (EN), EuroCity (EC), Express InterCity (EIC), Express InterCity Premium (EIP) – generally faster and more expensive, InterCity (IC) and (TLK) (interregional fast trains, slower than EN/EC/EIC but cheaper) and international fast trains.
Regional operators of passenger services in Poland (in Polish)
While PKP is the largest rail operator in Poland, there are several independent operators of passenger and cargo railway services. Independent Cargo operators are predominantly privately owned. Passenger operators are predominantly owned by Voivodeship governments. These include:
Polregio – owned by regional authorities of the 16 voivodeships, formerly part of PKP Group. Operates local passenger trains (under the REGIO brand) financed by local governments, low-cost long-distance trains (interREGIO) and short-distance international trains jointly with DB Regio (REGIOekspres). Passenger trains are rather slow, mostly electric multiple units and diesel railcars/railbuses. InterREGIO trains are of slightly lower standard than TLK trains (no first class and dining cars), but are usually a bit cheaper. In June 2016, Lithuanian Railways and Przewozy Regionalne started weekend passenger train service between Bialystok and Kaunas in Lithuania.[18][19]
DB Regio connects from the border stations at Gorzów, Kostrzyn, Szczecin with the DB network with local trains (the Polish parts of their routes are generally operated by Przewozy Regionalne).
Weinberg, Gerhard L. (2005). A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II (2 ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 52. ISBN0-521-85316-8. OCLC986290507
Czech Republic – same voltage
Germany – 3 kV DC/15 kV AC
Slovakia – same voltage
Sweden – by train ferry; proposed fixed links, one from Szczecin to Ystad via Bornholm Island, the other from Gdynia to Karlskrona, both with 15 kV AC and SE-C loading gauge (Voltage change 3 kV DC/15 kV AC on Polish side)[citation needed]
Belarus – 3 kV DC/25 kV AC, a short stretch of dual-gauge track terminates at Grodno
Lithuania – 3 kV DC/25 kV AC, as part of the construction of Rail Baltica a new standard-gauge diesel line from there to Kaunas was built in October 2015
Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) – not electrified – there are short stretches of dual gauge sections around the border area
Ukraine – 3 kV DC/25 kV AC
