Transport in Poland
This article is about transportation in Poland.
Railways
Poland is served by an extensive network of railways. In most cities the main railway station located near a city's center and is well connected to the local transportation system. Infrastructure is operated by PKP PLK ( PKP-Polskie Linie Kolejowe : PKP-Polish Rail Lines ), part of state-run PKP Group.
The only high speed rail line in central-eastern Europe, Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa (Central Railway Route), links Warsaw with Kraków and Katowice. Trains on the CMK achieve speeds of up to 160km/h (some sections permit speeds of up to 200km/h, but rolling stock hasn't been adapted to handle higher speeds yet).
Other high speed lines:
- Warsaw - Kutno - Poznań - (Berlin) (140, 160 km/h)
- Warsaw - Siedlce - Terespol - (Minsk) (160, 120 km/h) - being upgraded to 160km / h
- Warsaw - Puławy - Lublin (120, 140 km/h)
- Opole - Wrocław (160km/h) and further upgraded via Legnica to Hamburg.
The Warsaw - Gdansk - Gdynia line is being upgraded to allow speeds up to 200km/h, and the Warsaw-Łódź line is being upgraded to allow speeds up to 160km/h (together with form Warsaw - Łódź agglomeration). There are long term plans to construct a new high speed line (300 km/h) from Warsaw to Poznan and Wroclaw with a fork in Kalisz. This line would have a "Y" shape.
The PKP Group is the fourth largest railway throughout Europe. Trains are run by:
Passenger transport market
- PKP Intercity (PKP Intercity website) - qualified passengers trains (express, intercity, eurocity, hotel and TLK)
- PKP Przewozy Regionalne (PKP Przewozy Regionalne website) - regional passengers trains (normal and fast train)
- Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa (PKP Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa website) - suburban railway in Warsaw agglomeration
- SKM Warsaw (Szybka Kolej Miejska w Warszawie website) - another suburban railway in Warsaw agglomeration
- SKM Tricity (PKP Szybka Kolej Miejska website) - fast urban railway in Tricity
Narrow gauge railways:
- Ełcka Kolej Wąskotorowa - Narrow Gauge railway in Ełk
- Gnieźnieńska Kolej Dojazdowa - Narrow Gauge railway in Gniezno
- Górnośląskie Koleje Wąskotorowe - Upper Silesian Narrow gauge railway
- Gryficka Kolej Dojazdowa - accessible Narrow gauge railway in Gryfice
- Kaliska Kolej Dojazdowa - accessible Narrow gauge railway in Kalisz
- Krośniewicka Kolej Dojazdowa - accessible Narrow gauge railway in Krośniewice
- Nałęczowska Kolej Dojazdowa - accessible Narrow gauge railway in Nałęczów
- Przeworska Kolej Dojazdowa - accessible Narrow gauge railway in Przeworsk
- Rogowska Kolej Wąskotorowa - Narrow gauge railway in Rogów
- Sochaczewska Kolej Muzealna - museum railway in Sochaczew
- Starachowicka Kolej Dojazdowa - Narrow gauge railway in Starachowice
- Śmigielska Kolej Dojazdowa - accessible Narrow gauge railway in Śmigiel
- Średzka Kolej Dojazdowa - accessible Narrow gauge railway in Środa Wlkp.
- Świętokrzyska Kolej Dojazdowa - Świętokrzyska accessible Narrow gauge railway
- Żnińska Kolej Powiatowa - Żnin district railway
- Żuławska Kolej Dojazdowa - Żuławska accessible railway
Freight transport market
- PKP Cargo (PKP Cargo SA website)
- PKP LHS PKP Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa - Metallurgic Broad gauge Line website)
- Przedsiębiorstwo Transportu Kolejowego i Gospodarki Kamieniem Rybnik - The company of Railway Transportation and Management the Stone in Rybnik
- Przedsiębiorstwo Transportu Kolejowego i Gospodarki Kamieniem Zabrze - The company of Railway Transportation and Management the Stone in Zabrze
- CTL Logistics
- PCC Rail Szczakowa (PCC Rail Szczakowa website)- part od German concern PCC AG
- Kopalnia Piasku Kotlarnia - The mine of sand Kotlarnia
- Kopalnia Piasku Kuźnica Warężyńska - The mine of sand Kuźnica Warężyńska
- Orlen KolTrans
- Lotos Kolej
- Nadwiślanski Zakład Górniczego Transportu - Situated on the Vistula Institution of Mining Transport
Rail System
Total:
23,420 km
standard gauge (1.435-m) :
21,639 km (11,626 km electrified; 8,978 km double track)
broad gauge (1.524-m) :
646 km
narrow gauge (various) :
1,135 km various gauges including 1.000-m, 0.785-m, 0.750-m, and 0.600-m (1998)
As of December 2002 narrow gauge railways are no longer owned or operated by PKP. They were transferred to regional authorities.
Rail links with adjacent countries
- Same gauge:
- Break-of-gauge - 1435mm/1524mm
Municipal transport
Bus
Tram
Over 30 cities with tramway systems:
Gdańsk | Katowice (Metropolian Katowice)| Kraków | Szczecin | Poznań | Wrocław | Warszawa | and other
See also: Poznan Fast Tram
Metro
City with metro system:
See: Warsaw Metro
Airports
Main Article: List of airports in Poland
Main airports
- Warsaw International Airport, handles 7 million passengers and 48,535 tonnes of cargo per year.
- Kraków International Airport, handles 1,564,338 passengers and 3,255 tonnes of cargo.
- Katowice International Airport, handles 1,1 million passengers and 5,618 tonnes of cargo.
- Gdańsk International Airport, handles 677,946 passengers and 3,433 tonnes of cargo.
- Wrocław International Airport, handles 454,047 passengers and 1,378 tonnes of cargo.
- Poznań International Airport, handles 399,255 passengers and 2,166 tonnes of cargo.
- Szczecin-Goleniów "Solidarność" Airport
- Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport
Number of airports in Poland - 123 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
Total:
85
over 3,047 m:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m:
30
1,524 to 2,437 m:
42
914 to 1,523 m:
7
under 914 m:
3 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
Total:
38
2,438 to 3,047 m:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m:
4
914 to 1,523 m:
13
under 914 m:
20 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 3 (1999 est.)
See: LOT Polish Airlines
Marine
Waterways
3,812 km navigable rivers and canals (1996)
Ports and harbors
- Port of Gdańsk,
- Port of Gdynia,
- Port of Szczecin,
- Port of Swinoujscie,
- Port of Ustka,
- Port of Kolobrzeg,
- Gliwice / Metropolian Katowice,
- Warsaw,
- Wrocław.
Merchant marine
Total:
57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,120,165 GRT/1,799,569 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 50, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off 1, short-sea passenger 2
(1999 est.)
Highways
Main Article: Roads and expressways in Poland
Total:
381,046 km
paved:
249,966 km (including 539 km of expressways)
unpaved:
131,080 km
(1998 est.)
Highways in Poland:
A1 | A2 | A4 | A6 | A8 | A18
Pipelines
- Crude oil and petroleum products 2,280 km;
- Natural gas 17,000 km
(1996 est.)
