Polish national rail freight operator PKP Cargo is going to court over the government’s ‘coal decision’ from 2022. It obliged the carrier to prioritise coal transports, which contributed to the financial crisis from which the company is still recovering.
PKP Cargo hopes to get compensation amounting to 1.522 billion zloty (around 360 million euros) from Poland’s State Treasury. The operator demanded the sum on 5 December, but since it has not received the money, decided to file a lawsuit.
It wants to get the money as compensation for the so-called ‘coal decision’ by then-Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. It forced PKP Cargo to transport coal from Baltic ports and to prioritise it over other commercial and profitable contracts. The measure helped Poland to weather the energy crisis following the covid pandemic and the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but brought severe financial problems upon PKP Cargo. In total, some 3,300 trains helped to transport the wave of imported coal during that time.
The ‘coal decision’ helped plunge PKP Cargo into a financial crisis. Since July 2024, the company has been in restructuring proceedings and had to fire over 3,000 employees.
CEO also dismissed
In the meantime, the PKP Cargo supervisory board has dismissed CEO Agniezska Wasilewska-Semail, who took on the position 11 months ago. It is unclear whether the dismissal has anything to do with the restructuring proceedings.
Reflecting on her time as CEO and her departure, Wasilewska-Semail commented on LinkedIn: “The company and the Group still face major market, financial, and regulatory challenges. I keep my fingers crossed that the months ahead bring wise decisions and consistency in strengthening PKP CARGO’s position – a company with real potential in modern, sustainable transport.” The newly appointed temporary CEO is Monika Starecka.