Polish Railways – A Reason to Be Proud, Not to Complain

2026-03-24

Then and Now: A Solid Leap Forward

I remember it clearly: the year before my school-leaving exams, a friend and I headed to the seaside. Tents, backpacks, and 11 hours on a train to Sopot. After getting off, we spent ages looking for somewhere to leave our bags before we could finally see the Baltic.

That was almost 30 years ago.

Today? I walk into that same station (completely transformed, mind you) and I’m in Warsaw in an hour and a half. The sea? I get there in 5 hours.

We don’t need to compare ourselves to Japan (600 km/h) or Spain (300 km/h), which I recently crossed end-to-end in a single afternoon. I’ve also been to Portugal, where I spent 2.5 hours covering 150 km. What matters to me is usefulness, not chasing speed records.

A Rolling Office That Simply Works

Outside it’s -20°C, and inside it’s comfortably climate-controlled. I book a specific seat, pull out my laptop, plug my phone into the socket, put on my headphones. I travel, I work, I learn – whatever I feel like. The display reads nearly 160 km/h.

Because of how it works today, I can live in Białystok and study in Warsaw without it being a problem. Even a hybrid work schedule with one or two trips to the capital per week is perfectly manageable now.

To the Airport for 31 Złoty

Here’s a concrete example: a weekend in Budapest. A return ticket from Białystok to Warsaw Chopin Airport cost me 31 złoty.

I board at home, get off at Warsaw Central, change to the SKM fast city rail, and I’m at the terminal. Standard stuff, just like any major European city. The return journey is equally smooth. The app even lets me rebook onto an earlier train in seconds while I’m still on my way to the station. It just works.

The Direction: Europe

Our railways no longer end at the border. The success of the Warsaw–Croatia service showed that people want to travel by train for their holidays, and the announced new routes to Slovakia only confirm it. Berlin and the Czech Republic are already “within easy reach.” And interestingly, you increasingly see Czech and German rolling stock on our tracks. You can debate the economics of that competition, but from a passenger’s perspective it’s simply a massive leap in options and convenience.

Will It Get Even Better?

You might wonder whether what we have now is as good as it gets. I looked into the government plans (the National Railway Programme to 2030) and it looks like this is just the warm-up. The plan is ambitious: billions of złotych for completing the modernisation of key routes, digitalisation, and safety improvements.

It’s worth noting that this modernisation goes beyond tracks and locomotives. It includes stations too – and you can see it in almost every town. Renovated, modern buildings are becoming the face of cities rather than places you want to escape as quickly as possible. It’s a coherent network designed to connect regions with major hubs and with the rest of the continent. The goal: even shorter journey times and a standard that makes rail the first choice.

Should We Be Ashamed of Anything?

Sure, trains in the West go 300 km/h – but check the ticket prices. Polish railways meet European standards, and in terms of cost they often come out significantly ahead.

Instead of nitpicking and moaning about missing connections, it’s worth appreciating what we have. And what we have is a solid system.

Why Am I Writing This?

This piece isn’t just about trains. It’s about the fact that Poland works better than we give it credit for. A warm carriage, 160 km/h on the display, a socket by your seat, and coffee from Wars served to your table – this is our reality.

If we start noticing these positives instead of perpetual grumbling, we’ll sooner realise that we actually have a lot to be happy about.