In September 2022, 29.6 million passengers travelled by train which is almost 5 million more than a year ago. This is an increase of 19% and at the same time the best September result in ten years, according to the Rail Transport Office (UTK). The average distance travelled by a rail passenger in September this year was 67 km – almost 4 km more than in September 2021.

The UTK also reported that a total of 90.8 million passengers were transported by rail in the third quarter which is 23.8% more than in the same period in 2021, and almost 249 million passengers used rail services from January to September 2022.

“The third quarter of this year marks record results in rail passenger transport. Large increases in passenger numbers were recorded during the holidays. September was slightly weaker in this respect, but the number of passengers in this month was still a record in the last ten years. The strong interest in rail is optimistic, but it also presents a number of challenges for operators: adjusting train frequencies to meet demand and ensuring sufficient rolling stock. Meeting these expectations will determine further increases in transport”, says UTK President Ignacy Góra.

The Office also points out that in rail freight transport, for the second month in a row, year-on-year, the weight of goods transported decreased. In September, 20.5 million tonnes were carried, a decrease of 0.5 million tonnes (2.4%) compared to September 2021. In the third quarter of 2022, more than 62.3 million tonnes were carried – 0.6 million tonnes (0.9%) less than in the corresponding quarter of 2021,

“The railways in Poland have all the predispositions to develop, however, the war in Ukraine and the global perturbations whose consequences are the hindrance of the existing transport on the New Silk Road have significantly remodelled the functioning of some railway companies in Poland”, assesses the president Ignacy Góra.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński