PKP Cargo Signs Freight Rail Planning Pact with CPK

WARSAW – Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), the state-owned company delivering the Port Polska programme, and PKP Cargo, Poland’s dominant rail freight carrier, have signed a letter of intent to embed freight-operator requirements into the design phase of new railway infrastructure. The move comes as Poland’s rail freight sector struggles after carrying only 216.1 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, the lowest annual volume since 2012.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The Port Polska programme, led by CPK, will construct a new central airport and an extensive network of high-speed and conventional rail lines, together with logistics infrastructure dedicated to freight. Under the just-signed letter of intent, PKP Cargo will contribute its operational expertise during the planning stage to ensure that new rail lines, terminals and technical facilities are designed from the outset to meet the needs of freight traffic. The cooperation will cover analyses of intermodal transport development, freight traffic organisation, the location of logistics terminals and industrial sidings, and the identification of all infrastructure requirements necessary for Port Polska’s freight operations. No specific financial envelope or delivery timeline for the freight component has been publicly disclosed.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

Poland’s rail freight market lost further ground in 2025: total volumes fell 2.7% year-on-year to 216.1 million tonnes, while transport performance dropped 3.4% to 55.9 billion tonne-kilometres – the weakest showing since 2012 (Source: Railmarket, 2026). Intermodal transport remained stable in volume share but could not offset the broader decline, indicating that rail continues to lose market share to road. Against this backdrop, the early-stage freight planning embedded in the Port Polska programme differs markedly from large European infrastructure projects such as Stuttgart 21 in Germany, where freight capacity requirements were largely addressed only after the design was finalised. Similar greenfield airport-rail projects with co-designed freight operator input are rare in Central and Eastern Europe, and no directly comparable agreement in terms of timing and operator involvement was publicly available at time of publication.

Editor’s Analysis

By binding PKP Cargo into the planning of new rail and terminal assets, CPK is trying to ensure that a multi-billion-euro public investment does not repeat the freight-unfriendly design flaws seen in earlier European megaprojects. The initiative squarely targets a reversal of the long-running loss of freight volume to road transport, yet the absence of a disclosed budget or firm timeline for the freight infrastructure leaves open the risk that early operator input will not translate into delivered capacity. Poland’s ability to connect this new gateway to the TEN-T network and to intermodal flows on the east-west axis will ultimately determine whether the Port Polska programme can arrest the sector’s 12-year slide.

FAQ

Q: What specific new rail lines will be built for freight under the Port Polska programme?
A: The exact routes have not been disclosed. The programme envisages high-speed and conventional rail lines radiating from the new airport; intermodal terminal sites and industrial spur lines will be selected jointly by CPK and PKP Cargo during the planning phase.

Q: When will the new freight infrastructure become operational?
A: No opening date has been officially set. The letter of intent covers only the design stage, while the overall Port Polska airport and rail programme is targeted for completion in the 2030s.

Q: How will this cooperation affect Poland’s rail freight market share?
A: By designing infrastructure specifically for freight from the outset, the programme aims to raise capacity and improve rail’s competitiveness versus road. The actual impact will hinge on the pace of construction, network electrification, cross-border harmonisation and overall freight demand trends.