The rail freight industry in Poland is in shambles. Goods are moving back to trucks, and the country’s main operator, PKP Cargo, will lay off thousands of workers amid a massive restructuring plan. As if this were not enough, train drivers have now stormed Polish roads in “a nationwide protest against the government’s anti-rail policy”.
The protest is organised by the Railway Drivers’ Trade Union (ZZM), started yesterday and will continue until tomorrow. Protesters will be blocking 13 roads all over Poland, especially in the Katowice area, near the border with Czechia. “This is a response to years of systemic government neglect, culminating today in the dramatic situation at PKP Cargo and the deepening degradation of the entire rail freight sector”, ZZM claimed.
Discrimination led to reverse modal shit
The trade union is lamenting the disparity between road and rail freight transport, accusing the government of adopting discriminating practices. “90% of roads used for freight traffic remain free in Poland, while the railways pay some of the highest infrastructure access rates in Europe”, the union underlined. This approach is damaging to the rail freight industry but also to the public interest, as more trucks are being deployed to transport goods usually put on trains.
“Trucks often carry incredibly heavy structural components, building materials, aggregates, and other goods for which rail would be the obvious default transport solution”, ZZM pointed out. This means more pollution, more road congestion and less safe roads. The union is thus calling on the government to “come to its senses” and finally reform its transport policy. Blocking the roads is not ZZM’s first attempt at being heard, as they also recently picketed the office of the Polish ministry of infrastructure.
PKP Cargo did not condemn the drivers
The main issue remains the situation with PKP Cargo. The Polish incumbent commenced a tough restructuring plan in 2024 after years of financial difficulties. Its market share has been decreasing both to competitors but especially the road, causing a reverse modal shift. The restructuring also comes with painful consequences for the workforce, with around 2,000 layoffs planned.
“Today, PKP Cargo stands on the brink of final paralysis due to the government’s pathological policies”, ZZM said. For its part, the company has not taken a stand against the protests launched by its employees, quite the contrary. “It’s hard to argue with the facts, and they are that a large portion of transport has shifted from rail to road”, PKP Cargo said in a statement, highlighting a decade of neglect which led to this extreme situation.