Horizontal Timetable. CPK launches consultation with European railway operators
Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), in cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and rail infrastructure manager PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK), is launching consultations with European railway operators. The goal is to jointly develop principles to open up the market for long-distance and international transport, aiming to significantly improve rail passenger transport market in Poland and between neighbouring countries. The initiative, pursued within the Horizontal Timetable (HRJ) project, is an important step towards liberalisation of rail transport market in the country.
The Horizontal Timetable is a clock-face passenger train schedule developed by CPK, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Polish rail infrastructure manager PKP PLK. It is based on predefined train routes that will create a transparent and convenient interchange network. The HRJ is a necessary tool for the liberalisation of rail transportation market in Poland, providing a framework for the transport authority to create a precise plan for long-distance and international transport.
Long-distance passenger rail transport in Poland faces significant challenges, but also new opportunities. The current Public Service Contract (PSC) with PKP Intercity for long-distance services is set to expire in December 2030. The parties to enter into a new contract with the Ministry of Infrastructure will be selected through a competitive tendering. In parallel, leveraging the advanced investment process, we want to increase the number of connections running solely on a commercial basis, without relying on State subsidies. This will enable competition among railway operators ultimately leading to ticket price competition for the fastest trains. I am pleased that thanks to the joint work of experts from the Ministry of Infrastructure, CPK and PKP PLK, we will have the necessary tool to significantly improve the rail passenger transport in Poland.
Work on the HRJ project has been underway since 2022 and the passenger traffic forecast for 2031-2040, on the basis of which the long-distance route layout is planned, has been developed using the multimodal transport simulation and forecasting tool Passenger Transport Model (PMT). Market consultations on the HRJ with European railway operators start in the third quarter of this year.
Even the best theoretical model will not be successful if not validated by practitioners. That is why the HRJ project provides for extensive market consultations, to which foreign conventional and high-speed railway operators already operating in the market and brand-new entities interested in entering the Polish market are invited. The consultations will cover new regulations for market organisation in terms of public service obligation (PSO) and commercial transportation, as well as solutions for capacity allocation and train timetabling. What is extremely important, in order to meet the expectations of railway operators, during the consultation process we will provide detailed analytical data derived from traffic forecasts made in PMT.
A new transport plan for long-distance and international services will be developed based on HRJ, the tenders will be launched for the selection of operators for PSO services under multi-year contracts, and capacity will be allocated for commercial services on conventional and high-speed lines. As a result, a clock-face schedule will be launched in December 2030, ensuring greater accessibility of trains, their convenient interconnection and lower ticket prices.
The Horizontal Timetable Project will allow us to prepare for the implementation of the currently discussed EU project, the so-called CAP regulation on capacity management. Its strategic planning PKP PLK will be obligated to conduct, will be carried out on the basis of HRJ.
The HRJ project is jointly developed by the Ministry of Infrastructure (responsible among others for the PSO and the Polish railway market operating framework), PKP PLK, (responsible for capacity allocation and framework agreements with railway operators), CPK (responsible for coordinating the technical work on the HRJ and the construction of new high-speed rail lines in Poland), the Centre for EU Transport Projects (responsible for the substantive support of the project) in cooperation with the Office of Rail Transport (which ensures that the process of developing the HRJ does not discriminate against any interested entity).
CPK is a strategic investment aimed at creating a modern national transportation system that efficiently integrates air, rail, and road transport. As part of the CPK Programme, a new state-of-the-art central airport will be built between Warsaw and Łódź, along with a high-speed rail network.
The priority for CPK rail investments remains the so-called ‘Y’ high-speed rail line, connecting CPK with Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław, on which trains will be able to reach speeds of 300-320 km/h. The entire 480-kilometre project will be built in stages. The Warsaw-CPK-Łódź section will be the first to be commissioned, with the opening of the new central airport 37 km from Warsaw in 2032. In 2035, the entire line will be completed, supplemented by the Łódź-Sieradz-Wrocław and Sieradz-Poznań sections. The new rail infrastructure will enable journey times to be significantly reduced, e.g. on the route from Warsaw to Wrocław from 190 min to approx. 100 min or on the route from Warsaw to Poznań from 139 min to approx. 100 min.
