After a turbulent 2023, intermodal rail in Poland surged back to growth last year, with Silk Road activity, Ukrainian links and seaport transshipments pushing volumes to grow.
Intermodal rail transport in Poland recovered substantially in 2024, with all key indicators showing strong year-on-year growth. Figures from the Polish Office of Rail Transport (UTK) show that intermodal volumes reached 27,6 million tonnes over the year, nearly 3,2 million tonnes more than in 2023 — a rise of almost 13%. Transport performance reached 9,4 billion tonne-kilometres, up 10.7%.
The number of intermodal units transported climbed from 1,59 million to 1,74 million units, an increase of 9.6%. Meanwhile, total TEUs transported reached 2,72 million, increasing 11.6% from the 2023 figure.
Port performance and eastward corridors aid recovery
The 2024 turnaround comes after a sluggish 2023, when economic and geopolitical disruptions sharply affected containerised cargo volumes. Last year, however, the market proved more resilient. According to UTK, 39 companies reported intermodal activity in 2024, reflecting revived interest and capacity on the rail freight market.
A key driver of the rebound was improved eastward connectivity. Transport along the Brest-Terespol crossing on the New Silk Road regained momentum through much of the year, nearly reaching record 2021 levels before declining in late 2024 amid tightening Russian controls. At the same time, newly launched intermodal connections with Ukraine continued to grow. Both developments were complemented by record transhipment volumes at Polish seaports.
Intermodal share of rail freight hits record
“Intermodal transport is currently a very important section of rail transport,” said Dr Eng. Ignacy Góra, President of the UTK. He highlighted that the 2024 share of intermodal freight reached 12.4% by weight and 16.1% by transport performance — the highest since records began.
Góra pointed to new support mechanisms, including additional intermodal relief schemes and EU-backed investment programmes, as further signs of the sector’s strategic importance.
Q4 slowdown, but annual trend strong
The upward trend was steady across all four quarters of 2024, although Q4 saw a slight slowdown. Compared to Q4 2023, the number of intermodal units rose 3.9% to 438,600, and TEUs increased 8.4% to 690,300. Cargo weight stood at 6,83 million tonnes (+1.7%), while transport performance dropped slightly by 3.4% to 2,34 billion tonne-kilometres.
Compared to Q3 2024, all parameters declined marginally, suggesting seasonal or post-peak moderation. In total, 36 companies reported intermodal activity in Q4 alone, slightly fewer than the annual total of 39.
PCC Intermodal leads operator rankings
PCC Intermodal SA emerged as the top intermodal carrier in 2024 by both transport performance (19.55%) and cargo weight (17.45%). PKP CARGO SA followed closely with 18.7% and 16.49%, respectively. DB Cargo Polska SA held third place on both counts.
Captrain Polska and Metrans Rail also crossed the 5% threshold for market share by both metrics. Other significant players in terms of weight included LTE Polska and Eurasian Railway Carrier, each holding just under 6%.
