The Horizontal Timetable brings a number of benefits, both from the perspective of passengers and the railway service system. These benefits result primarily from two factors: stabilisation of the timetable and the introduction of competition for the market, i.e. through competitive tendering for public service rail passenger services organised by the minister responsible for transport, as well as competition in the market, i.e. between railway undertakings operating services at their own business risk.

What is the Horizontal Timetable?

The Horizontal Timetable is a tool for making strategic decisions concerning the railway sector and for implementing market liberalisation. The Horizontal Timetable is:

• a project aimed at comprehensive planning of long-distance rail passenger services in Poland, both in terms of the service network and the rules for market organisation,
• a concept for rail passenger services based on fixed service lines forming a clock-face, transparent timetable with convenient transfers,
• a tool enabling the development of rules for dividing the long-distance passenger rail market: on the basis of HRJ, it is possible to determine which service lines require compensation, i.e. PSO — public service obligation — and which have commercial potential, while together forming one coherent system,
• a framework for the evolution of the service network, allowing operational work to be gradually increased in subsequent timetables so that passenger services remain coherent over time,
• a tool for defining tender packages and tenders for public service rail passenger services,
• a tool for public transport authorities, enabling the coordination of services and timetables in the long-distance and regional segments,
• a reference point for determining the required capacity of the railway network, so that the network is tailored to the timetable,
• a tool for precisely defining the scope of investments in new and existing railway lines, as well as maintenance works, so that infrastructure interventions are matched to the intended objective, such as a specific travel time,
• a tool for prioritising investment needs, including on the basis of the forecast increase in passenger numbers and train traffic volumes.

How can HRJ be used?

The Horizontal Timetable can be used as:

• the basis for preparing the transport plan of the minister responsible for transport and for defining the scope of tenders for international and interregional services,
• a tool for estimating compensation in interregional and international services,
• the basis for market analyses determining which interregional and international services should remain within the public service segment and which could be transferred to the commercial segment,
• a tool for coordinating the transport plan of the minister responsible for transport with the plans of lower-level public transport authorities, in particular regional and metropolitan authorities,
• a reference point for determining at what time a train should call at a given station in order to provide transfers and build a coherent service system,
• the basis for determining rolling stock needs in passenger transport,
• guidelines for PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. and Centralny Port Komunikacyjny sp. z o.o. in planning railway infrastructure investments, in particular in removing bottlenecks on the network and dimensioning the necessary capacity,
• support in the process of strategic capacity planning, in line with the requirements of the EU Regulation on capacity, including as a basis for defining strategic guidance for the infrastructure manager referred to in Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2026/1184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2026 on the use of railway infrastructure capacity in the single European railway area, amending Directive 2012/34/EU and repealing Regulation (EU) No 913/2010.

Why is HRJ a pioneering project in service and timetable planning?

For the first time in Poland:

• service planning is based not only on current and historical data and expert knowledge, but also on traffic forecasts,
• it is possible to analyse not only the timetable, but also economic indicators,
• service lines are shaped on the basis of comparisons between different development scenarios,
• long-distance passenger services are subject to broad consultation, not only with the public and sectoral organisations, but also with institutional stakeholders such as public transport authorities, potential railway undertakings and entities from neighbouring countries.

The HRJ project aims to build sectoral consensus on the directions for developing the long-distance service network. Stable frameworks are the basis for market development, while predictability helps passengers build travel habits and confidence in rail transport.

Which transport segments are included in HRJ?

HRJ defines not only the long-distance service network, but also takes into account its links with regional and metropolitan services. The competent public transport authorities are responsible for the assumptions concerning services in these segments. However, taking them into account already at the stage of planning long-distance services makes it possible to create a coherent travel system, rather than a set of independent connections.

HRJ covers both services provided under public service obligations, i.e. supported by the state, and the assessment of the potential of commercial services operating under the open access model. The aim of this approach is to propose a division of the market and railway capacity between the two segments in such a way that they do not compete inefficiently with each other, but complement one another.

In the target model, HRJ will also include capacity for freight traffic.

Why is HRJ necessary?

The implementation of long-distance passenger rail market liberalisation results from EU obligations. HRJ provides a well-organised framework for this process, making it possible to seize the opportunity to increase passenger numbers, reduce ticket prices and ensure benefits for all market participants.

At present, the timetable is planned with a one-year perspective, while investment projects are planned with a 20-year perspective. Implementing HRJ will ensure that investments are aligned with transport needs.

Regulation (EU) 2026/1184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2026 on the use of railway infrastructure capacity in the single European railway area, amending Directive 2012/34/EU and repealing Regulation (EU) No 913/2010, will introduce long-term planning of capacity allocation.

Every railway-developed country in Europe has an equivalent of HRJ or some of its elements, for example Czechia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

How is HRJ developed?

HRJ is a passenger service network and train timetable:

• based on data and simulation analyses using advanced tools, such as the Passenger Transport Model (PMT), the Railway Microsimulation Model (KMM) and the economic model of a railway undertaking and a public transport authority,
• developed as a result of consultations with the market, including potential domestic and foreign railway undertakings, regional and metropolitan public transport authorities, sectoral experts, the public and NGOs,
• feasible in operational terms, as it is based on train movement diagrams developed using microsimulation analyses that verify whether each train path can be operated in practice,
• adapted to the infrastructure available in a given year and to transport needs,
• prepared for the 2034/2035 timetable, subsequent periods will be developed on the basis of the infrastructure development plan defined under the Integrated Railway Network.

Who is working on HRJ?

The Horizontal Timetable project is being implemented jointly by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny sp. z o.o., PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. and the Centre for EU Transport Projects, in cooperation with the Office of Rail Transport.

HRJ is intended to facilitate the liberalisation of the passenger rail market resulting from the implementation of the EU Fourth Railway Package in Poland. This concerns not only the possibility of selecting operators through tenders for lines operated under public service contracts, i.e. PSO — public service obligation — but also competition in the market between railway undertakings operating within the same transport corridor.

For this reason, the planned service network developed under the HRJ project includes both public service operations, or PSO services, and commercial services, understood as the assumed allocation of capacity for specific train relations.

At the current stage of work, a preliminary assessment has been carried out to identify whether a given service line has the potential to operate commercially or should be provided under a public service obligation. These assumptions will be verified in subsequent stages of the project in order to define the target vision for the organisation of the long-distance passenger rail market in Poland and to delimit PSO and commercial services.

The potential for commercial operation exists primarily on those system service lines, or groups of lines within a single transport corridor, where demand is high enough to allow more than one railway undertaking to operate in a stable and profitable manner, ensuring competition, while also maintaining the desired high frequency of services, including outside peak hours.

An exception to this principle — “commercial operation means competition” — may apply to sections of the network where the potential for abuse of a monopolistic position is limited, or where the effects of such behaviour would not conflict with the objectives of the state’s transport policy. This usually applies to extensions of service lines beyond the main relations connecting the largest centres, or to international services.

The most obvious candidates for commercial operation are corridors connecting Warsaw with Poland’s other largest cities and metropolitan areas: the Tricity, Poznań, Wrocław, the Upper Silesian and Zagłębie Metropolis, and Kraków.

The arguments in favour of commercial operation on these relations include:

• very high travel demand,
• attractive rail journey times on high-speed lines;
• a significant share of passengers with a high willingness to pay,
• the use of railway lines with high capacity, with the exception of the route to the Tricity via railway line No. 9.

The main issues requiring further analysis at subsequent stages of work include:

• services to towns located between the main centres, where commercial railway undertakings may not provide a sufficient level of services, such as Opoczno, Prabuty or Jarocin,
• extensions beyond the main cities, which are socially desirable but may not be profitable and therefore may not be operated commercially, such as Warsaw – Jelenia Góra, Warsaw – Słupsk or Wrocław – Lublin.

The methodology and preliminary solutions used in the Horizontal Timetable are inspired by methods adopted in many countries such as Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Italy.  

The Horizontal Timetable not only incorporates best practices but also draws lessons from observed challenges, while taking into account the Polish specifics. These include economic development, settlement patterns, population forecasts, and the way the Polish rail market is organized. 

Czech Republic

The Czech Ministry of Transport, along with the infrastructure manager Správa železnic, have developed a long-term plan for the railway network up to 2050. This plan includes new high-speed rail lines serving as the country’s new transport backbone and specifies train frequencies, stop patterns, train categories, and maximum speeds. 

What inspires the Horizontal Timetable to draw from Chechia?  

• The Czech Republic is an example of a country that, like Poland, plans significant changes to the structure of its rail transport network due to the construction of high-speed rail lines. It also has experience with timetable integration based on clock-face schedules and train connections 

• In the Czech Republic commercial services on several transport corridors have been introduced under the open access model (market competition). Besides the obvious benefits for passengers (more service options, reduced ticket prices), some less apparent issues have also been observed, such as inefficient use of capacity, which, among other things, adversely affects the freight traffic 

Germany 

The Deutschlandtakt project in Germany is an integrated timetable concept coordinated across the entire country. It aims to develop the final timetable forregional and long-distance passenger rail transport. The target timetable envisions a half-hourly frequency for the most important long-distance trains. The Deutschlandtakt concept also aims to double the number of passengers in both regional and long-distance trains. 

What inspires the Horizontal Timetable to draw from Germany? 

• Deutschlandtakt emphasizes designing infrastructure to meet timetable requirements, not the other way around 

• It involves a list of necessary infrastructure investment projects to achieve the proposed goals, potentially optimizing infrastructure usage and doubling passenger volumes 

• Criticisms include the excessive pressure to align regional and long-distance services and unrealistic implementation timelines. 

Switzerland 

Switzerland has been perfecting its integrated timetable for many years. The ongoing work is part of the STEP 2035 program. The project products are network schemes that include railway nodes as well as the Swiss netgraphs illustrating layout of train routes across the country in a reference hour, repeated throughout the day. 

What inspires the Horizontal Timetable to draw from Switzerland? 

• Switzerland’s integrated and cyclical timetable is often cited as a model for better organization of the timetable, increased frequency, and easier transfers 

• However, the Swiss railway network is on the verge of reaching its capacity limits. Adding new connections (increasing frequency) is difficult, and rigid assumptions about train connections hinder the efficient maximization of infrastructure capacity 

• On the other hand, the lesson that might be drawn here is about the balance between frequency and connectivity – with sufficiently high service frequency, it might not be necessary to optimize connections, which has been the traditional approach for the Swiss timetable 

An integrated and periodic timetable is often cited as a model for Poland to follow. However, Switzerland’s specific conditions do not match those in Poland – both in terms of the size and settlement networks in each country, as well as market operations (Switzerland does not implement the assumptions of the Fourth Railway Package on market opening and liberalization). 

COUNTRIES WITHOUT HORIZONTAL TIMETABLE EQUIVALENTS 

Given the unique characteristics of Germany (a highly congested network with a substantial amount of mixed traffic), the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Austria (countries with much smaller areas and limited high-speed rail networks), the Horizontal Timetable must not restrict its inspirations solely to these countries. Consequently, solutions from other European countries that are actively striving to boost passenger rail transport volumes and have various similarities to Poland are also being considered. 

Spain 

Spain, a European leader in the size of its high-speed rail network, offers an insightful case, particularly in terms of market liberalization. Since opening its high-speed rail market to competition in 2020 and the subsequent entry of new train operators such as Ouigo and Iryo in 2021, Spain has experienced dramatic increases in passenger volumes. 

What inspires the Horizontal Timetable to draw from Spain? 

• Spain is the first EU country where already three train operators compete on the high-speed railway network. 

• The Spanish liberalization model involves pre-defined train routes put out to tender, with long-term framework agreements between infrastructure managers and train operators. 

• The model includes synergistic trains, where commercial trains offer some seats at subsidised rates under a public service contract (PSC) scheme, optimizing operational efficiency and reducing costs. 

Italy 

Italy is an example of a spectacular transformation in the railway market achieved in a relatively short time. At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, the country faced significant stagnation in rail transport. However, with the completion of a new transport framework in the early 2010s and the opening of the long-distance rail market to competition, marked by the launch of services by Italo, Italy managed to completely revamp its long-distance rail image within a decade, making it the preferred mode of long-distance travel. By 2019, the nationwide operational work increased by 21% compared to 2010, with long-distance connections seeing a remarkable 51% increase. 

What inspires the Horizontal Timetable to draw from Italy? 

• Italy demonstrated how competition between Trenitalia and Italo, supported by policies reducing access fees on high-speed lines, can benefit all market participants, consequently offsetting other costs incurred by train operators, such as acquiring rolling stock 

• The expansion of infrastructure, which boosted the capacity of the rail network, created the conditions needed for the long-awaited growth of regional connections. 

• The Italian experience shows that well-managed competition can lead to improved service quality and passenger benefits.