Rail freight in Poland in 2023 experienced a minor setback both in terms of volumes and performance. Compared to 2022, volumes dropped by 6.8 per cent, while tonne-kilometres performance decreased by 1.4 per cent, as the Polish Office of Rail Transport (UTK) stated.

In more concrete numbers, the tonnes transported went from 248,5 to 231,6 million tonnes, while tonne-kilometres performance amounted to 61.6 billion Similarly to 2022, over three-quarters of the goods transported by rail in Poland were energy raw materials, metal ores and aggregates, as well as refined petroleum products, coke and briquettes.

Coal and grain

Hard coal remained the most popular item, with 75.5 million tonnes transported by rail in Poland in 2023. However, this is 14.3 per cent less than in 2022, as UTK pointed out. This decline was explained by the fact that, in 2022, Poland needed to increase its coal reserves. “when adequate coal reserves were ensured, we observed a decline in the transport of this raw material from 86.3 million tons to 75.5 million tons”, UTK added.

Rail transport has also been key for moving grain and other agricultural, hunting and forestry products. In 2023, 7.3 million tonnes of grain were moved by rail in Poland, which is almost 8 per cent more than in 2022. The situation surrounding grain was, and still is, one of the most heated topics in Poland. Polish farmers have been protesting for a while, asking for restrictions on grain coming from Ukraine and going as far as blocking border crossings between the two countries.

Not a new trend

Similar figures were also reported by the Polish National Statistics Agency in February, which also showed that rail freight in the country is stagnating while road freight keeps growing. This downward trend is not something new. As the Polish Independent Railway Carriers’ Association highlighted in October 2023, rail freight in the country has been in a stalemate since 2021.

It needs to be mentioned that there is a slight discrepancy between the data published by UTK and the one provided by the Polish National Statistics Agency. They both agree that roughly 230 million tonnes were moved by rail in Poland in 2023. However, the reference for 2022 is different, with UTK claiming that almost 249 million tonnes were moved by rail in Poland, while the Polish National Statistics Agency saying that it was 237 million tonnes.

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