The Horizontal Timetable aims to facilitate the liberalization of the rail passenger transport market as part of the EU’s Fourth Railway Package implementation in Poland. This not only entails selecting operators through tenders for routes operated under public service obligations (PSO) but also encouraging competition among train operators within the same transport corridor. 

The Horizontal Timetable, as an all-encompassing solution for the entire railway infrastructure and its services, will also set the conditions for the commercial operation of the most profitable routes, including high-speed lines. In practice, the operation of such services would be carried out in open access mode or with the use of a new mechanism of so-called “predefined train paths” by the infrastructure manager. Predefined train paths would be prepared on the basis of traffic forecasts to secure capacity for commercial services due to bottlenecks on the network. Such routes would be prepared in an effort to make them competitive, with attractive travel times and secured access to key hubs. The allocation of routes would follow an open, non-discriminatory and competitive procedure. Assumptions for predefined routes and market conditions for commercial services would be subject to consultations with potential rail operators, allowing for solutions that are attractive and acceptable to all involved.

Where there is commercial potential, there should be enough predefined train routes to enable at least two operators to offer services, and for the most attractive corridors, even three. This would foster real competition for passengers on these routes, resulting in lower ticket prices and higher service quality. The mechanism for predefined train paths could be linked to the possibility of entering into a multi-year framework agreement with the infrastructure manager for access to the network, potentially facilitating the carrier’s efforts to seek financing from financial institutions for the purchase of rolling stock. The use of framework agreements and predefined routes would be voluntary, and the interested operator could continue to use open access mode.