In 2025, the Polish rail freight market hit its lowest levels in the last 13 years, while passenger transport set a record for three decades.
This is reported by Finway
Decline in Freight Volumes in Poland
According to the Polish rail transport regulator, Urząd Transportu Kolejowego, the volume of freight transport in 2025 decreased to 217.8 million tons, which is 2.6% less than the previous year. This is the lowest annual figure since 2012. Transport work also fell to 56.2 billion ton-kilometers, and train-kilometers decreased by the same percentage. The average length of transport reduced to 258 km, indicating a decline in long-distance transport volumes.
The regulator explains this trend by structural changes in the bulk freight market. At the same time, since September, the first signs of stabilization in this sector have been observed. Despite the overall decline, the market for transporting construction materials, aggregates, and secondary raw materials showed some growth.
The regulator stated that the decline was due to structural changes in key bulk freight markets, but noted signs of stabilization since September.
Intermodal transport remains stable: during the first three quarters of the year, it showed an increase in volumes and maintains an important role in modern supply chains. In December, despite a decrease in freight tonnage year-on-year, transport productivity increased by more than 2%. This indicates the use of longer or heavier trains on some routes.
Passenger Transport Shows Record Growth
While the freight segment is experiencing a decline, passenger rail transport in Poland reached its highest level in the last 30 years in 2025 – nearly 439 million passengers, which is 7.7% more than the previous year. Passenger-kilometers reached 30.7 billion, and train-kilometers totaled 225.3 million, indicating further development of public rail transport. On average, each resident of the country used the railway 11.7 times a year – the highest figure since the mid-1990s.
The reported data illustrate the growing gap between the dynamic passenger transport market and the freight transport sector, which is under pressure due to low industrial demand and changing commodity flows. Despite the stability of intermodal transport, the regulator emphasizes that the freight segment remains dependent on recovery in the construction, processing, and logistics sectors and continues to adapt to new economic realities.