New liveries on Polish railways. Who will provide transport services?
The year 2030 could mark the start of a new chapter in the Polish long-distance transport market. Following the expiry of the contract with PKP Intercity, new operators will be selected through tenders. Interest is high: 10 operators are interested in passenger services with budgetary support, and 7 entities in commercial services. Port Polska is preparing a cyclic timetable for the whole of Poland. Potential operators have been asked about their plans and expectations regarding the opening of the market.
Consultations conducted as part of the Horizontal Timetable Project (HRJ) are intended to help develop recommendations regarding the implementation of the transport market opening. They should also result in the identification of tools for the public sector that will enable the creation of market conditions open to competition, conducive to growth in transport services, whilst ensuring the protection of passengers’ interests and the stability of the market’s functioning.
The opening of the rail market should not be an end in itself, but a tool for improving the service offered to passengers and the functioning of the rail system. Simply announcing tenders or issuing open access decisions will not ensure that new operators enter the market overnight. What is of decisive importance is the creation of market conditions, as well as their stability and predictability, for which the state is responsible in the case of both subsidised and commercial transport.
High level of interest in the consultations
Twenty-three domestic and foreign entities took part in the consultations held at the turn of 2024 and 2025. In-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen of them in the form of questionnaires and bilateral meetings. The aim was to understand the perspective of potential market participants, particularly regarding the expected rules for its future operation. The consultations therefore focused on the planned subsidised services, which will be operated on behalf of the minister responsible for transport and commercial services, i.e. funded exclusively from ticket revenue.
Polish railways – today
Currently, long-distance trains in Poland are almost entirely operated by PKP Intercity. This amounts to around 500 trains a day. Most of them are funded from the state budget (Intercity and TLK categories). Only a few dozen of the company’s services are commercial trains, funded by ticket revenue (Intercity Express and Intercity Express Premium).
Only a few trains per day are the recently launched commercial services of private operators – Leo Express and Regio Jet.
The Polish market has potential
During the consultations, 10 operators declared an interest in operating publicly funded services, whilst 7 entities expressed an interest in launching commercial services at their own expense.
This is one of the key takeaways from the consultations: the Polish market is attracting interest. However, this does not mean that these declarations will automatically result in the introduction of many new trains from various operators.
Competition brings not only benefits but also challenges that must be managed. The example of RegioJet, long-distance operator that recently ceased commercial passenger services on domestic routes, shows that a sustainable market presence requires both adequate capabilities on the part of the company and favourable market conditions. This is particularly important in the case of public service transport, where continuity of service is of key importance. Therefore, it will be important for the state to create the conditions for the stable and step-by-step development of new operators. Examples of major investments by operators with significant capital, such as Italo operating in Italy or Iryo operating in Spain, primarily concern high-speed networks, which is also significant in the context of the planned launch of Polish high-speed rail.
Stability and predictability
One of the key topics of the consultation was the stability of market development. Railway Undertakings called for the organiser to draw up a schedule of planned tenders, setting out the dates of subsequent procedures and their parameters: geographical scope, operational volume and contract duration. The market expects tenders to be announced gradually and for varying periods, which will help maintain continuous engagement among operators. Predictability is also important for commercial transport. RU-s pointed out that their development depends on their ability to gain access to infrastructure, and decisions on open access are issued for a limited period — a maximum of 5 years. Another problem highlighted was the lengthy procedure for obtaining it.
Lack of transport data
The lack of knowledge regarding historical transport data was identified as a significant barrier to market entry. This gives established operators an advantage. For new entrants, this poses a significant problem when calculating a tender bid, particularly if the contract involves assuming the risk associated with ticket revenue.
Access to rolling stock
RU-s pointed out that access to rolling stock could be decisive in securing a competitive advantage in future tenders. In their view, vehicles purchased with EU funding — for example, 300 carriages and locomotives subsidised by the National Development Plan (KPO) to the tune of over PLN 2 billion — should be made available on an equal footing.
The idea of creating a rolling stock pool also gained the support of stakeholders.
Is cooperation between public and commercial transport possible?
The possibility of using hybrid solutions, combining features of commercial and subsidised services, was viewed positively. This could apply to services that would operate commercially on some sections and receive budgetary support on others.
Many stakeholders welcomed the proposal for so-called ‘synergic stops’. In the event of an increase in the number of commercial services, this solution would allow for the subsidisation of stops at specific stations.
– To maintain the high growth rate of passenger numbers, further development of rail services is essential. Examples from the Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden show that in the subsidised transport segment, market liberalisation has led to reductions in unit subsidies for transport of up to 20–30 per cent. This means that for the same amount of money, there can be more trains in the timetable, modern rolling stock can be purchased, or more seats can be provided on trains. This is particularly important because it is currently often impossible to buy tickets for a seat at short notice – says Piotr Rachwalski, a Member of the Board of Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, the company managing the Port Polska project and leading the Horizontal Timetable Project.
The Horizontal Timetable Project responds to these trends through the systematic expansion of transport services across the country. It sets out the directions for the development of transport services and their coordination at national and regional levels. An update for 2035 will be published in May, based, among other things, on the results of public consultations and meetings with rail transport organisers at the provincial and conurbation levels. The year 2035 has been adopted as a milestone due to the planned launch of the full Y high-speed rail line.
Experts from Port Polska are participating in the work of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Centre for EU Transport Projects (CUPT) on the preparation of a new transport plan for 2030–2034, so that some of the HRJ’s objectives can be implemented earlier. The transport plan will form the basis for launching tenders for domestic and international rail connections. Furthermore, the Ministry of Infrastructure, through CUPT and in cooperation with Port Polska, will conduct preliminary market consultations in accordance with the Public Procurement Law, which will concern the competitive selection of operators for the provision of domestic and international passenger transport services in the years 2030–2034. Port Polska’s support for CUPT is being implemented on a project basis and covers not only the timetable but also activities related, among other things, to the integration of fares and timetables for transport services and the introduction of AeroExpress services.
Furthermore, Port Polska, in collaboration with Polskie Linie Kolejowe, is implementing the Integrated Rail Network (ZSK) project, which will define the target network in Poland, including investments planned for implementation after 2035. The ZSK concept will be published in June this year.
Report on consultations with potential operators:
https://hrj.gov.pl/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Raport_konsultacje_HRJ_przewoznicy_kolejowi_operatorzy_Prezentacja_EN.pdf