The Port of Gdańsk is Poland’s largest port, and rail freight has played a key role here for almost two centuries. Recently, significant investments were undertaken to improve rail connectivity to and from the port, such as the implementation of ERTMS.
The city is also hosting the RailFreight Summit 2025 which takes place this week. RailFreight.com had an exclusive interview with Dominik Landa, Director of the Strategy and Development Division at the Port of Gdańsk Authority, to discover more about the past, present and future of the port.
RailFreight.com: How long has the port of Gdansk had a rail connection, and how did volumes change through time?
Dominik Landa: The Port of Gdańsk has had a rail connection since the mid-19th century. The first railway to Gdańsk was built in 1852, linking the city with Tczew and further connecting to Berlin and other parts of Prussia. The importance of rail transport to and from the Port of Gdańsk grew with the further development of the port.
A breakthrough event was the construction of the Northern Port in the 1970s – a deep-water part of the port, where bulk goods are still being transhipped. Due to the size of the investment, it was necessary to create a completely new track system in the port. Therefore, a new railway line was built, which connected the Northern Port with the main railway line in Gdańsk.
This was a key route for the transport of raw materials, especially coal and ore, which were to be transhipped in the port. Another important moment was the launch in 2007 of the largest container terminal on the Baltic Sea (DCT – today: Baltic Hub), which required further expansion of the rail infrastructure, enabling direct service of container trains. New rail sidings were built, allowing for quick transshipment of containers between ships and the railway. The capacity of the tracks leading to the terminal was also increased.
A major development in recent years was the implementation of a project to improve railway infrastructure, including part of the modernisation of the Gdańsk Northern Port railway junction, which, thanks to the construction of a new railway bridge over the Dead Vistula River, enhanced the port’s capacity to handle increased rail traffic.
RailFreight.com: What are the main types of cargo handled at the port of Gdansk?
Dominik Landa: Currently these are: liquid fuels (51 per cent), general cargo and timber (30,3 per cent), coal (10,1 per cent), other bulk (4,5 per cent), grain (3,7 per cent) and ore (0,4 per cent). When it comes to types of traffic that occupy most rail operations, compared to tonnes, these are: containers (48,56 per cent), bulk (51,14 per cent) and automotive (0,30 per cent).
RailFreight.com: How many terminals are there in the port?
Dominik Landa: The Port of Gdańsk comprises 14 terminals and 41 berths, accommodating a diverse range of cargo and passenger services. They are located in two main areas. The first one is the Inner Port, located along the Vistula River and the port channel, which includes terminals for containers, ferries, ro-ro services, and various bulk goods. The second one is the Outer Port, situated on Gdańsk Bay, that includes piers dedicated to fuel, coal, LPG, and ore, as well as the Baltic Hub Container Terminal. They all are the place of business activity of several dozen operators of various types of transshipments in the Port of Gdańsk.
RailFreight.com: How does rail freight at the port of Gdansk compare to rail freight in other Polish ports?
Dominik Landa: The Port of Gdańsk stands out among Polish ports for its significant rail freight operations. This is not surprising, as it is the largest port in Poland. The total volume of transshipment in the three largest Polish ports amounted to approximately 136.65 million tons. The percentage share of individual ports in this volume is as follows: Port of Gdańsk: 56.6 per cent, Port of Gdynia: 19.7 per cent and Port Szczecin-Świnoujście: 23.7 per cent. And while the other Polish ports are investing in rail infrastructure to enhance their intermodal capabilities, the Port of Gdańsk currently leads in rail freight integration, positioning itself as a key logistics hub in the region.
RailFreight.com: What would be needed in terms of infrastructure to boost the modal shift even further? And in terms of policy, both national and European?
Dominik Landa: There is still a need for further investment in the port’s rail infrastructure to ensure further development of the Port of Gdańsk and increase our competitiveness on the international stage. One of the priority projects is the construction of a second rail bridge or tunnel, which will connect the deep-water part of the Port of Gdańsk with the mainland.
Currently, only one rail bridge leads to this part of the port, which is a potential bottleneck in the event of a failure or the need for maintenance work. This is also the part of the port that is developing most dynamically.
Also, we need to eliminate bottlenecks in rail infrastructure on the North-South line, which is our way to reach our target markets – the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Hungary. This is what we will focus on in the near future.
Among the so-called soft things, the intermodal discount for use of the rail infrastructure for intermodal operators should be maintained or even increased. They should also be provided with access to cheaper energy, because the recent increases in electricity prices have had a strong impact on the costs incurred by intermodal operators using rail transport. Also, the priority for freight trains should be increased, especially at night, or even dedicated lines for freight trains should be created to increase the railway capacity in this area.