‘First in Poland's history’: €140 bln to be plowed into ambitious railways revamp

First in Poland's history’: €140 bln to be plowed into ambitious railways revamp

Maria Kamińska

Edited by Piotr Kononczuk

16.06.2026, 01:40

The railway expansion is a key element of Poland's flagship transport hub project, Port Polska. Photo: X/Port Polska

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Poland has unveiled plans to build or modernize more than 10,000km of railway lines as part of a multi-billion-euro investment program aimed at improving transport links across the country.

Under the Integrated Railway Network (ZSK) project presented by government officials at a press conference on Monday, Poland plans to construct 4,700km of new rail lines, including 2,700km designed to handle high-speed travel.

A further 5,600km of existing track will be modernized in the coming years.

The drive is a central element of Poland's flagship transport hub project called Port Polska that includes a new mega-airport designed to be easily accessible from across the country and set to open in 2032 about 45km west of Warsaw.

The hub as a whole aims to integrate high-speed rail, road networks and long-distance air travel.

The rail development program will be carried out by PKP, Poland's national railways group, in cooperation with Port Polska, the state-owned company responsible for developing the hub.

The estimated cost of the program until 2050 is around 610 billion zlotys (€143 billion). Of this, about €97 billion will be allocated to the construction of new lines, while around €46 billion is set to be spent on modernising existing infrastructure.

‘Historical first’

Maciej Lasek, the government's pointman for the Port Polska project, described the Integrated Railway Network during Monday's conference as "the first such comprehensive plan in Poland's history for the construction and modernization of rail lines."

Maciej Lasek during the press conference. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Polish railways have been undergoing a revival in recent years, following the mass closure of lines and stations, particularly in smaller towns, during the country's transition to capitalism in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Cutting travel times

The rail upgrade includes “Poland in 100 minutes,” a plan to reduce travel times between the country's largest cities to around one hour and 40 minutes or less.

Another key objective is “Poland in three hours,” aiming to cut rail journey times across the country’s east-west and north-south axes to about three hours.

The project is also designed to tackle transport exclusion and improve connectivity in underserved areas. Under the plan, every county in Poland would gain access to rail services, either directly or through local bus networks coordinated with regional train connections.

Piotr Malepszak, Poland's deputy infrastructure minister, said the project is expected to drive a growth in rail passenger numbers.

Piotr Malepszak, Poland’s deputy infrastructure minister. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

“According to forecasts, a total of 720 million passengers will use rail services in 2050. Compared with 2025, when 439 million passengers traveled by train, this would represent an increase of as much as 64%,” Malepszak said.

‘Crucial for military mobility’

Lasek, the government's pointman, said the railway network has also been designed with security and military functions in mind.

“What is very important is that the new railway network will strengthen the resilience of the state,” he added.

“The main lines forming the ZSK system have been planned as dual-use infrastructure, which is crucial for military mobility. This objective guides us at every stage of planning and is absolutely key in the turbulent times we live in.”

Asked by reporters about the funding for the project, Lasek did not specify where the money would come from.

According to the schedule, the first 1,000km of new railway lines are expected to be completed by 2035.

This includes around 480km of high-speed rail as part of a planned route connecting Warsaw with the new Port Polska airport, as well as the major cities of Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław. Further stages of construction are scheduled to continue after 2035.