Poland has unveiled the Integrated Railway Network, the first comprehensive long-term railway plan in the country’s history. The program calls for 4,700 km of new lines, including 2,700 km built to high-speed standards, 19 strategic corridors, and rail access for 27 small and medium-sized cities.
Poland has unveiled the Integrated Railway Network (ZSK), a long-term plan for railway development based on passenger needs, traffic forecasts, and regional consultations.
The program calls for the construction of 4,700 km of new rail lines, of which approximately 1,000 km are already under construction, in the procurement process, or at an advanced stage of design.
The new network will be structured around 19 rail corridors, which are intended to better connect Poland’s regions. In addition, 27 small and medium-sized cities will gain access to the rail network.
“The Integrated Rail Network is the first comprehensive long-term plan for Poland’s railways, developed based on passenger needs, traffic forecasts, and regional consultations. Following the success of long-term road planning, the time has come for an equally ambitious strategy for the railways,” said Maciej Lasek, Deputy Minister and Government Plenipotentiary for Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), the Polish project that includes the new central airport and associated transportation infrastructure.
2,700 km of high-speed rail lines
Investments under the ZSK will be carried out by Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, as part of the strategic program Port Polska, and by PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK), Poland’s railway infrastructure manager.
According to current schedules, approximately 1,000 km of the planned network is expected to be operational by 2035. Among the included projects are the “Y” line, which will connect Warsaw – the new airport – Łódź – Poznań/Wrocław, the Rail Baltica Ełk – Trakiszki section, the Podłęże – Piekiełko project, and the Katowice – Ostrava route.
Of the total 4,700 km of new lines, approximately 2,700 km will be built to high-speed standards.
These include 480 km of the “Y” line between Warsaw, the new airport, Łódź, Sieradz,
Poznań, and Wrocław; 80 km of the new Rail Baltica Ełk–Trakiszki section; approximately 50 km of the Katowice–Ostrava route; and another 2,100 km as part of the ZSK, including the extension of the Central Railway Line, known as CMK, toward the Tricity area via the CMK North project.
720 million passengers annually by 2050
Polish authorities estimate a sharp increase in passenger rail traffic.
Long-distance rail transport is projected to grow by 105%, from 89 million passengers in 2025 to 182 million in 2050.
Regional traffic is estimated to rise by 54%, from 350 million to 538 million passengers.
In total, the Integrated Railway Network is expected to bring the number of rail passengers in Poland to 720 million annually by 2050.
The estimated cost of ZSK rail investments after 2035 is approximately 610 billion zlotys, of which 410 billion zlotys will be allocated to new lines and 200 billion zlotys to the modernization of existing infrastructure.
Piotr Malepszak, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, stated that the plan will contribute to achieving the public policy goals known as “Poland in 100 Minutes” and “Poland in 3 Hours” by substantially reducing travel times between major cities and between different regions of the country.
“Poland in 100 Minutes”
Examples presented by the authorities include 100-minute train trips from Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, and Bydgoszcz to Warsaw, as well as between Wrocław and Kraków and between Poznań and Gdańsk.
The “Poland in 3 Hours” category includes future connections such as Warsaw–Szczecin, Kraków–Gdańsk, and Lublin–Wrocław.
ZSK will also include a network of over 120 transfer hubs, and the goal is for every district in Poland to have access to long-distance rail services, either directly or via regional connections and coordinated bus services.
The new rail corridors are also designed as dual-use infrastructure to strengthen national resilience and military mobility.
Faster Freight Trains and 23 Intermodal Terminals
The plan also addresses rail freight transport.
Through ZSK investments, the average commercial speed of freight trains in Poland is expected to increase from approximately 34 km/h currently to 56 km/h, representing a 59% increase.
The program also calls for the development of 23 new intermodal terminals to facilitate the transfer of freight from road to rail.
These terminals would be designed according to a common technical standard to ensure high-quality freight handling.
Replaces the old concept of railway “spokes”
The Integrated Railway Network replaces the old concept based on 10 railway “spokes”, which totaled approximately 2,000 km of new lines and converged at a single point.
The new plan proposes instead 4,700 km of new railway infrastructure, integrated into 19 strategic corridors.
Piotr Rachwalski, a member of the board responsible for railways at Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, stated that the old model was analyzed and compared with the new version.
“During our work, we also analyzed the previous ‘spoke’ model, which proved to be less aligned with passengers’ needs than the ZSK. This shows that we remained open to previous proposals and evaluated them objectively, using scientific methods and data-driven analyses,” said Piotr Rachwalski.
The program also includes the modernization of an additional 5,600 km of existing lines after 2035.
Piotr Wyborski, CEO of PKP PLK, stated that the investments will be coordinated with the Port Polska program.
“The ZSK concept entails that, in addition to the thousands of kilometers of railway lines currently being modernized by PKP PLK, another 5,600 km of routes will be modernized after 2035. This is a major and carefully planned investment program, which we will carry out in coordination with Port Polska. Cooperation among investors will accelerate implementation and bring benefits to passengers,” said Piotr Wyborski.
Eastern Poland to Receive Nearly 490 km of New Lines
An important component of the plan is the development of eastern Poland.
According to the ZSK concept, approximately 490 km of new lines are to be built in the eastern part of the country, compared to approximately 260 km envisaged in the previous “spokes” plan.
Proposed for this region is the Eastern Main Line, an axis that will connect the main urban centers and integrate them into the national rail system.
The route will connect cities such as Suwałki, Ełk, Białystok, Siedlce, Sokołów Podlaski, Biała Podlaska, Lublin, Chełm, Zamość, Stalowa Wola, Rzeszów and Krosno.
The Eastern Main Line is designed as a network of connections intended to increase the transport cohesion of the macroregion, improve accessibility to eastern Poland, and support the area’s economic and social development.
Shorter Travel Times in Eastern Poland
Analyses of future connections within the Integrated Rail Network indicate significantly shorter travel times between major cities in eastern Poland.
Examples include 60 minutes between Warsaw and Lublin, 70 minutes between Białystok and Warsaw, 90 minutes between Warsaw and Stalowa Wola, and 95 minutes between Biała Podlaska and Lublin.
Other connections would allow for 120-minute trips between Warsaw and Rzeszów or between Lublin and Kraków, 130 minutes between Białystok and Lublin, 180 minutes between Warsaw and Krosno, and 190 minutes between Białystok and Rzeszów.
Poland’s Largest-Ever Rail Planning Exercise
The development of the ZSK was supported by analytical and forecasting tools developed by experts at Port Polska, including the Passenger Transport Model (PMT) and the Freight Transport Model (TMT).
During the planning process, 8,000 km of potential new rail routes were analyzed, making the ZSK the largest transportation planning exercise of its kind in Poland.
The concept is the result of over 18 months of work by an interdisciplinary team of transportation experts.
All 16 voivodeships participated through regional expert panels, which involved over 600 specialists and generated 160 corridor concepts.
Workshops were also held with representatives from the intermodal, freight, and defense sectors, and approximately 80 experts contributed to integrating economic and security needs. The work was also supported by a scientific council composed of 19 academics.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and jointly developed by Port Polska, PKP PLK, and IRMiR, the Integrated Railway Network is presented as a long-term framework for increasing competitiveness, mobility, and future railway investments in Poland.
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