Railway Sidings as an Important Part of the Railway Freight Transport Competitiveness as Well as the Realization of the Sustainable Transport Development Policy in Poland

The railway sidings handled by the freight transport are primordial operating points in relation to the freight transport as a whole. Every active railway siding constitutes a natural source for creation of a flow of loaded wagons where, in consequence, the transport becomes more frequent on the railway network and rare on the car one. The handled railway sidings influence the realization of the principles of the sustainable transport development policy. The number of the operated railway sidings measure, at the same time, the competitiveness of this transport branch in the Polish transportation system. In the article, the legal regulations, the current situation as well as the issues in relation to the functioning of the railway sidings in Poland are exposed. The propositions to make the railway sidings participate actively in Polish railway freight transport are also listed. They are particularly significant for the national transportation system.