Freight trains in Poland are travelling much faster in the first months of 2025 than they did last year. Transit times on various important arteries have dropped by up to two and a half hours, according to data from the Polish infrastructure manager PKP PLK.
One of the lines with the highest reduction in transit time is the Smardzów Wrocławski – Kłodzko Główne, which connects Wrocław to the Czech border. Freight train journeys have on average halved along this line, from five hours two hours and 29 minutes. The Poznań – Szczecin route, going into Germany, also saw freight trains covering the distance 112 minutes faster than in 2024. These two lines are mostly crossed by trains carrying bulk cargo.
Other significant reductions were recorded along the Brzeg Dolny – Stara Wieś (60 minutes), Pruszków – Poznań Franowo (50 minutes) and Swarzędz – Mockava (35 minutes). All these lines are important intermodal links, as the first one links Warsaw with Wrocław, the second one connects it to Poznań and the third one leads into Lithuania.
Faster and heavier trains
PKP PLK claims that these positive developments are tied to the recent infrastructure upgrades it carried out. Maximum speeds for freight convoys have increased along more than 1,500 kilometre of railway, while the permissible axle loads was upped over about 690 kilometres. For context, Poland has a total railway network of a little under 20,000 kilometres.
