Pasażerskie pociągi ekspresowe w Polsce – rozwój i ewolucja po II wojnie światowej

Abstract

The first express trains after the end of World War II were launched in Poland in the 1950s . Intensive development in this respect took place in the second half of the 1980s . In 1992, two new categories of express train were introduced: the EuroCity (on international routes) and InterCity (on domestic routes) . The largest number of these so-called qualified train connections was available at the end of the 1990s . Subsequently, due to the degradation of the railway infrastructure and the increasing duration of the runs, some trains were reclassified from “express” to “fast .” The railway infrastructure modernization projects carried out after Poland’s accession to the European Union, especially on the lines that were parts of the TEN-T network, in combination with the revitalization of a number of other sections, allowed the duration of runs to be shortened on many routes, especially those connecting Warsaw and the current capitals of provinces . At the same time, a new generation of rolling stock was introduced, including the Pendolino ED250 high-speed electric multiple units and new carriages and locomotives for long-distance trains . In the case of a number of routes, the shortest ever run times were achieved in recent years . In the article was analyzed main directions of development and evolution of the system of express trainsconnections in Poland as the aim . On the basis of historical timetables, the evolution of the express train offer of the Polish railways is analyzed, both quantitatively and qualitatively, as are the changes in terms of such train categories . Several ra-tios are proposed that allow comparative analyses to be carried out based on timetables . The research proved that the current development of express train connections in Poland has comes in waves . The first period of maximum development falls in the 1990s and the second period was after 2015 year . In the discussion, the authors attempt to specify the potential evolution directions of this passenger transport segment in the context of the programs concerning the development and modernization of railway infrastructure and rolling stock, the intensive development of motorways and expressways, and the implementation of the fourth railway package, the liberalization of the passenger transport mar-ket . The last two mentioned factors are challenges for the development of the express train segment in Poland .