Railway transportation in Poland decreased to 230 million tons in 2023

According to data from the Polish Statistical Office (GUS), the volume of railway transportation in Poland in 2023 decreased by 3.2% compared to 2022, amounting to 230 million tons, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

This decline is part of an overall decrease in transportation volume, with the total volume for the previous year reaching 570.3 million tons, a 2.2% drop compared to 2022, marking the lowest result in the past three years.

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The reduction occurred across most transportation modes, except for road transport. The decrease in railway transportation is primarily attributed to reduced handling of fuel cargoes, particularly coal, as well as steel. Local railway operators anticipate 2024 to potentially be even more challenging for the industry, especially in April-July due to decreased coal transportation volumes.

The dynamics of freight transportation will undoubtedly be shaped by the economic conditions of Germany.

The situation in Ukraine and Germany will undoubtedly determine the market in 2024. Poland is a major destination for the export-import of goods from Ukraine following the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion.

While Polish transport has handled a large volume of Ukrainian cargoes over the past two years, recent events at the border will significantly hinder transportation in 2024.

According to GUS data, Polish railways handled 237.6 million tons of goods in 2022, a 0.1% decrease compared to 2021.

Of this, 12.4 million tons were exported, 20.3 million tons were imported, 3 million tons were in transit, and 64.3 million tons were in domestic traffic.

The largest share of total transportation volume in 2022 was iron ore and other mining and metallurgical industry products, accounting for 23.7%. Additionally, 5.2% was occupied by metal products.

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