WARSAW — July 4, 2025
Freight rail in Poland is accelerating, signaling a welcome turnaround for European inland transport. New data from PKP PLK shows that several key routes are now two to two-and-a-half hours faster than a year ago — a rare boost in cross-border logistics.
“We’re seeing real gains in efficiency,” said Aneta Kowalczyk, head of operations at PKP PLK. “Consistent transit times help shippers commit to rail as their backbone.”
Why It Matters
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Faster transit means better predictability and lower costs for high-volume shippers.
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It strengthens East–West rail corridors feeding Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
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Freight trains are now closer to road transit times — keeping rail competitive for container flows.
Growth in Poland echoes calls from Brussels. The European rail association (CER) last week urged for deeper multi-country cooperation and integration between rail and ports to build a truly multimodal network.
This momentum builds on recent EU investments to support Ukraine gauge standardisation and permit smoother freight across borders — showing rail’s growing strategic role in European logistics.
