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Transport in Poland#Railways

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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}

Transport in Poland involves air, water, road and rail transportation. The country has a large network of municipal public transport, such as buses, trams and the metro. As a country located at the 'cross-roads' of Europe, Poland is a nation with a large and increasingly modern network of transport infrastructure.

The country's most important waterway is the Vistula river. The largest seaports are the Port of Gdańsk, the Port of Gdynia and the Port of Szczecin. Air travel is generally used for international travel, with many flights originating at Warsaw Chopin Airport. Railways connect all of Poland's major cities and the state-owned Polish State Railways (PKP) corporation, through its subsidiaries, runs a great number of domestic and international services of varying speed and comfort. In addition to this, five out of sixteen Polish voivodeships have their own regional rail service providers.

Rail transport

File:Poland rail map.svg

File:Wrocław Dworzec Główny.jpg, the busiest train station in Poland.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-25 |title=Poznaliśmy najpopularniejsze stacje kolejowe w Polsce. Wrocław Główny z rekordem |url=https://www.portalsamorzadowy.pl/gospodarka-komunalna/poznalismy-najpopularniejsze-stacje-kolejowe-w-polsce-wroclaw-glowny-z-rekordem,553086.html#:~:text=Z%20danych%20UTK%20wynika,%20%C5%BCe%20g%C5%82%C3%B3wna%20stacja%20Wroc%C5%82awia,czyli%203,9%20proc.%20ca%C5%82kowitej%20wymiany%20pasa%C5%BCerskiej%20w%20Polsce. |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=www.portalsamorzadowy.pl |language=pl}}]]

File:Polish Pendolino front 2.JPG ED250 Pendolino at Wrocław Main Station.]]

File:Gdańsk Główny, Blick von Marienkirche.jpg, one of Poland's most important railway terminals]]

File:Bwe loco change rzepin.jpg unit at Rzepin on a Berlin-Warsaw Express train]]

{{Main|Rail transport in Poland}}

{{see also|High-speed rail in Poland}}

Poland is served by an extensive network of railways. In most cities the main railway station is located near a city centre and is well connected to the local transportation system. The infrastructure is operated by PKP Group. The rail network is very dense in western and northern Poland, while eastern part of the country is less developed. The capital city, Warsaw, has the country's only rapid transit system: the Warsaw Metro.

The only high-speed rail line (though by most definitions, real high-speed rail only includes speeds over 200 km/h) in central-eastern Europe is the Central Rail Line (Poland), Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa (CMK). It has a length of {{convert|223|km|abbr=on}}, and was built in 1971–1977; it links Warsaw with Kraków and Katowice. Most trains on the CMK operate at speeds up to {{convert|160|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, but since December 2014 new Alstom Pendolino ED250 trains operate on a 90 km section of the CMK at {{convert|200|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, and improvements under way should raise the authorized speed to {{convert|200|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} 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 {{convert|293|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.'Bariera 300 km/h nie padła. Na koniec testów 293 km/h,' Rynek Kolejowy, 2013 11 24, http://www.rynek-kolejowy.pl/49466/bariera_300_km_h_nie_padla_na_koniec_testow_293_km_h.htm

Other high-speed lines:

  • The Warsaw-Gdańsk-Gdynia railway route is undergoing 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 {{convert|200|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, modernization of stations, and installation of the most modern ETCS signalling system, which is to be completed in June 2015. In December 2014 new Alstom Pendolino ED250 high-speed trains were put into service between Gdańsk, Warsaw, Katowice and Kraków reducing the rail travel time from Gdańsk to Warsaw to 2 hours 58 minutes,'Polish Pendolino launches 200 km/h operation,' Railway Gazette International, 15 December 2014, http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/polish-pendolino-launches-200-kmh-operation.html'Pendolino z Trójmiasta do Warszawy,' http://www.trojmiasto.pl/wiadomosci/Pendolino-z-Trojmiasta-do-Warszawy-Wiecej-pytan-niz-odpowiedzi-n71010.html to be reduced in late 2015 to 2 hours 37 minutes.';Jeszcze szybciej z Warszawy do Gdańska,' Kurier Kolejowy 9 01 2015 http://www.kurierkolejowy.eu/aktualnosci/22716/Jeszcze-szybciej-z-Warszawy-do-Gdanska.html
  • Warsaw–Kutno–Poznań–(Berlin) (160 km/h)
  • Warsaw–Siedlce–Terespol–(Minsk) (160, 120 km/h) – being upgraded to 160 km/h
  • Warsaw–Puławy–Lublin (120, 140 km/h)
  • Opole–Wrocław (160 km/h) and further upgraded via Legnica to Berlin and Hamburg

Projects

The Warsaw–Łódź line is being upgraded to allow speed up to 160 km/h (in order to bind together the Warsaw–Łódź agglomeration).

Plans were made to construct a new high-speed line (350 km/h) from Warsaw to Poznań and Wrocław with forks in Łódź and Kalisz.,[http://en.transport-expertise.org/index.php/2008/06/11/in-brief-high-speed-rail-will-invade-poland-by-2020/ In brief: High Speed Rail will invade Poland by 2020] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201112317/http://en.transport-expertise.org/index.php/2008/06/11/in-brief-high-speed-rail-will-invade-poland-by-2020 |date=1 December 2008 }}, Transport Expertise Association, Matthieu Desiderio, 11 June 2008. but the project was cancelled in November 2011 due to its high cost.'Polish High Sped Rail Project Cancelled,' Railway Gazette International, 8 December 2011, http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/infrastructure/single-view/view/polish-high-speed-rail-project-cancelled.html

The PKP Group is the fourth largest railway throughout Europe. Trains are run by its different subsidiaries.

= Passenger transport operators =

The following companies operate in Poland:

== Narrow-gauge railways ==

{{Main|Narrow gauge railways in Poland}}

There are hundreds of kilometres of {{RailGauge|600mm}}, {{RailGauge|750mm}}, {{RailGauge|785mm}}, and {{RailGauge|1000mm}} narrow-gauge lines in Poland.

These railways are mostly in decline, some survive as a museum or tourist railways.

= Freight transport market =

== Broad-gauge railways ==

Image:Mapa LHS.png

Except for Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa, and a few very short stretches near border crossings, Poland uses the standard gauge for its railways. Therefore, Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa (known by its acronym LHS, English: Broad-gauge steelworks line) in Sławków is the longest broad-gauge railway line in Poland. The line runs on a single track for almost {{convert|400|km|-1|abbr=on}} from the Polish-Ukrainian border, crossing it just east of Hrubieszów. It is the westernmost broad-gauge railway line in Europe that is connected to the broad-gauge rail system of the countries of the former Soviet Union.

= Rail system =

Total: {{convert|23420|km|-1|abbr=on}}

  • standard gauge {{RailGauge|sg}} : {{convert|21639|km|-1|abbr=on}} ({{convert|11626|km|-1|abbr=on}} electrified; {{convert|12236|km|-1|abbr=on}} double track)
  • broad gauge {{RailGauge|1520mm}} : {{convert|646|km|abbr=on}}
  • narrow gauge (various) : {{convert|1135|km|-1|abbr=on}} various gauges including {{RailGauge|1000mm}}, {{RailGauge|785mm}}, {{RailGauge|750mm}}, and {{RailGauge|600mm}} (1998)

As of December 2002 narrow-gauge railways were no longer owned or operated by PKP. They were transferred to regional authorities or became independent companies.

== Rail links with adjacent countries ==

Road transport

{{see also|Classes and categories of public roads in Poland}}

Image:DocelowyUkladDrog.svg

Image:PL A2 Poznan Komorniki.JPG, opened in 2003]]

File:Ruch tirow 2015.svg average daily traffic in 2015]]

Polish public roads are grouped into categories related to administrative division. Poland has {{convert|424563|km|-1|abbr=on}} of public roads, of which {{convert|120563|km|-1|abbr=on}} are unsurfaced (2021):{{Cite web|title=Rodzaje dróg w Polsce - Ministerstwo Infrastruktury - Portal Gov.pl|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/infrastruktura/rodzaje-drog-w-polsce|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Ministerstwo Infrastruktury|language=pl-PL}}

  • National roads (Technical classes A, S, GP and exceptionally G): {{convert|19403|km|-1|abbr=on}}, {{convert|1.9|km|0|abbr=on}} unsurfaced
  • Voivodeship roads (Classes G, Z and exceptionally GP): {{convert|28924|km|-1|abbr=on}}, {{convert|63.2|km|0|abbr=on}} unsurfaced
  • Powiat roads (Classes G, Z and exceptionally L): {{convert|124572|km|-1|abbr=on}}, {{convert|11379|km|-1|abbr=on}} unsurfaced
  • Gmina roads (Classes L, D and exceptionally Z): {{convert|251664|km|-1|abbr=on}}, {{convert|120419|km|-1|abbr=on}} unsurfaced

In recent years, the network has been improving and government spending on road construction recently saw a huge increase, due to rapid development of the country and the inflow of European Union funds for infrastructure projects.{{cite web| url = http://www.euromonitor.com/Improving_Polands_transport_infrastructure| title = Adisa Banjanovic, Improving Poland's transport infrastructure}}

= Motorways and expressways =

{{Main|Highways in Poland}}

Polish motorways and expressways are part of national roads network. As of December 2021, there are {{convert|1721|km|-1}} of motorways (autostrady, singular - autostrada) and {{convert|2790|km|-1|abbr=on}} of expressways (drogi ekspresowe, singular - droga ekspresowa).{{Cite web|url=https://www.gddkia.gov.pl/pl/a/31883/Przed-nami-kolejny-rekordowy-rok|title=Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad - Generalna Dyrekcja Dróg Krajowych i Autostrad - Portal Gov.pl}}

File:Znak D9.svg Motorways in Poland, {{convert|1721|km|-1|abbr=on}} (2021):

A1 | A2 | A4 | A6 | A8 | A18

File:PL road sign D-7.svg Expressways in Poland, {{convert|2790|km|-1|abbr=on}} (2021):
S1 | S2 | S3 | S5 |

S6 | S7 | S8 | S10 |

S11 | S12 | S14 | S16 |

S17 | S19 | S22 |

S51 | S52 | S61 | S74 | S79 | S86

Air transport

Image:Poland airports 2016.svg

File:Warsaw Airport.jpg]]

Image:Terminal T2 we Wrocławiu - landside.jpg - interior of the terminal T2]]

File:Gdansk-Lotnisko-Terminal2 5.JPG]]

{{Main|List of airports in Poland}}

The most important airport in Poland is Warsaw 'Frederic Chopin' International Airport. Warsaw's airport is the main international hub for LOT Polish Airlines.

In addition to Warsaw Chopin, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków and Poznań all have international airports.

In preparation for the Euro 2012 football championships jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine, a number of airports around the country were renovated and redeveloped. This included the building of new terminals with an increased number of jetways and stands at both Wrocław Airport and Lech Wałęsa Airport in Gdańsk.

= Airlines =

{{Main|List of airlines of Poland}}

There are a total of 8 Polish airline companies currently operating, with the most successful airline being LOT Polish Airlines, the flag carrier of Poland. It is also the only regularly-scheduled airline in Poland.

6 of the airlines are chartered airlines, including Buzz, Enter Air, LOT Charters, Skytaxi, SprintAir, and Smartwings Poland. SprintAir Cargo is also the main cargo airline in Poland.

=Airports=

The Polish airline market was until 2004 a closed market, with bilateral agreements between countries served from the national hub – Warsaw. The regional airports were mostly serving as spokes, and were controlled by PPL, the state-owned airport authority. However, in the 1990s it was decided to deregulate the airport market and abolish the dominant position of PPL. Nearly all local airports (apart from Zielona Góra airport) became separate companies, with local governments involved in their management, which led to the partial decentralisation. Soon after opening of Polish sky for competition, flights "avoiding" the Warsaw hub became more common.

There are twelve passenger airports in operation, and there is also an airport Heringsdorf in German village Garz, 7 kilometers from Polish seaside spa Świnoujście.

=International airports=

List of airports in Poland

The following are the largest airports in Poland (In descending order for 2013):

Domestic:

Airports with paved runways:

Total: 84 (2005)

  • over 3,047 m: 4
  • 2,438 to 3,047 m: 29
  • 1,524 to 2,437 m: 41
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 7
  • under 914 m: 3

Airports – with unpaved runways:

Total: 39 (2005)

  • 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  • 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 13
  • under 914 m: 21

Heliports: 2 (2005)

Water transport

File:MF Skania 1.jpg in the city of Szczecin]]

Image:Gdynia kamienna marina.jpg's main municipal marina]]

The country's most important waterway is the river Vistula. The largest seaports are the Port of Szczecin and Port of Gdańsk.

Marine transport in Poland has two main sub-groups, riverine and seaborne. On the Baltic Sea coast, a number of large seaports exist to serve the international freight and passenger trade; these are typically deep water ports and are able to serve very large ships, including the ro-ro ferries of Unity Line, Polferries and Stena Line which operate the Poland – Scandinavia passenger lines.

Riverine services operate on almost all major Polish rivers and canals (such as the Danube–Oder and Elbląg canals) as well as on domestic coastal routes.

= Waterways =

Poland has {{convert|3997|km|-1|abbr=on}} of navigable rivers and canals (as of 2009).

= Ports and harbors =

= Merchant marine =

{{main|Polish Merchant Navy}}

Total: 57 ships (1,000 GT or over) totaling 1,120,165 GT/{{DWT|1,799,569|metric|disp=long}}

Ships by type:

bulk 50, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off 1, short-sea passenger 2

(1999 est.)

Municipal transport

File:Solaris Urbino 10 1006.jpg]]

= Bus =

Image:PL road sign D-15.svg

Most Polish towns and cities have well-developed municipal bus services. Typically, a city possesses its own local bus service, however, in some cases they have private competitors operating on certain lines upon the agreement with local authorities.

Until the 1990s, interurban connections were operated by a single, state-owned company PKS. Since then, it has been broken into a number of independent national and municipal enterprises. In addition, several private operators emerged. There are two classes of service distinguished by vehicle length:

  • autobus — longer vehicles (12.0 m and more),
  • bus — shorter vehicles with smaller capacity, very popular on local connections, run by individual persons and smaller companies.

While they often use the same bus stops, they tend to use different stations.

= Tram =

Image:PL road sign D-17.svg

Image:Bombardier NGT6 -2027.jpeg tram in Kraków]]

Bigger cities run dense tram networks, which are the primary mean of public transport. Currently, there are 15 systems serving over 30 cities including Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Łódź, Poznań, Szczecin, Warsaw and Wrocław, with the total track length varying from {{convert|200|km|-1|abbr=on}} (Silesian Interurbans) to less than {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=on}} (Tramways in Grudziądz). A new network has been constructed in Olsztyn in 2015. See the list of town tramway systems in Poland

Since the 1990s, a number of cities attempts to upgrade certain parts of their networks to the light rail standard (called szybkie tramwaje, En. fast trams). The most notable investments are Poznań Fast Tram and Kraków Fast Tram with the underground {{convert|1.5|km|1|abbr=on}} premetro section.{{cite web

| title = Trams in Poland

| url = http://polandtravelplanner.com/transport/tram.html

| website = Poland Travel Planner

| access-date = 10 April 2019}}

= Trolleybus =

50px

Trolleybuses can be found in three cities: Gdynia (with some lines reaching Sopot), Lublin and Tychy.

= Rapid transit =

{{main|Warsaw Metro}}

Image:Warsaw Metro logo.svg

The first metro line was opened in Warsaw in 1995.{{Cite web |url=https://mirprometro.info/en/Warsaw/ |title=History of the Warsaw Metro |website=mirprometro.info |access-date=23 August 2024}} Part of the second line was opened in 2015. This is part of the country's rail transport infrastructure. There is an ongoing debate whether a new metro or premetro should be built in Kraków. The current President of Kraków, Aleksander Miszalski, supports the idea and has declared that first works will commence in 2028.{{Cite web |url=https://kr24.pl/krakow/metro-w-krakowie-miszalski-deklaruje-prace-rusza-w-2028-roku/ |language=pl |title=Metro w Krakowie. Miszalski deklaruje: „prace ruszą w 2028 roku” |website=kr24.pl |date=28 June 2024 |access-date=23 August 2024}}

File:Warsaw 07-13 img37 Plac Wilsona metro.jpg|Plac Wilsona Station

File:A21 Warsaw Metro.jpg|Stare Bielany station

File:C10 Rondo ONZ - peron, Ogłoszenie wyników plebiscytu na głos linii M2, 2014-10-29.jpg|Rondo ONZ Station and the Siemens Inspiro stock train

= Commuter trains =

File:PL-SKMWA logo.svg

File:45WEa-002A SKM, Warszawa Gdańska.jpg]]

In major Polish cities such as Warsaw and the Tricity area, Commuter (SKM) trains provide efficient connections between the city center and surrounding suburbs or satellite towns. In other cities like Łódź (served by ŁKA) and Kraków (served by SKA), similar commuter rail services operate under different names but follow the same principles and rules.

Pipelines

  • Crude oil and petroleum products {{convert|2280|km|-1|abbr=on}}
  • Natural gas {{convert|13500|km|-1|abbr=on}}

(2006 est.)

See also

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20130822184426/http://rozklad-pkp.pl/bin/query.exe/en], [https://web.archive.org/web/20081208183433/http://nowy.rozklad-pkp.pl/bin/query.exe/en] Online rail timetables, [http://www.rozklady.com.pl/] Online rail and bus timetable
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070621160747/http://www.plk-sa.pl/fileadmin/pdf/infrastruktura/5000-35_strona_Agc_agtc.pdf Rail Map: Poland] (PDF) Most minor lines omitted
  • [http://www.poland.gov.pl/gallery/serwis/polska_drogowa_d_879.jpg Road Map: Poland]

{{Poland topics}}

{{Transportation in Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport In Poland}}