19 railway corridors to connect Poland. Six of these corridors will strengthen links with Europe. Poland’s Integrated Railway Network is not simply a list of future railway projects. Its proposed main lines are designed to change how passengers and freight move across the country – and how Poland connects with its neighbours. Here are some of the most significant corridors in the plan.
Poland is planning its railway network for a future in which international rail travel, high-speed passenger services and growing freight flows are expected to play a much larger role.
The Integrated Railway Network (Zintegrowana Sieć Kolejowa – ZSK), developed by Port Polska and PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe at the request of the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, sets out a long-term framework for that future. Rather than focusing only on individual cities or existing routes, it looks at the railway system as a network, identifying major corridors that could carry traffic across Poland and beyond its borders.
Some of the most interesting proposals are found on the country’s international axes. They range from a 250 km/h passenger route between Poznań and Bydgoszcz to new connections towards Ukraine and the Czech Republic, while several major freight corridors would strengthen links between Poland’s seaports and the industrial heartland.
Baltic Main Line: a faster route along the coast
The Baltic Main Line would strengthen the railway connection between the Tri-City – Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot – and Szczecin, while improving rail access to towns along Poland’s Baltic coast.
The proposed solution is to modernise the route to a design speed of 200 km/h. This is intended as a balance between the requirements of the wider network and the demand for inter-regional travel.
The corridor would have two distinct sections.
Between the Tri-City and Koszalin, the plan proposes modernising the existing alignment of Railway Line No. 202. Between Koszalin and Szczecin, however, the main-line route would be moved closer to coastal towns, allowing more communities to benefit directly from the railway.
The corridor would have several roles. Some trains would use it as a terminal route from inland Poland to coastal destinations, while others would provide inter-regional services between towns in central Pomerania.
The result would be a stronger railway spine along Poland’s northern coast, connecting the major urban centres while improving access to the smaller communities between them.
Baltic–Czechia Main Line: a new route through the north
One of the more ambitious proposals is the Baltic–Czechia Main Line, which would create a new high-standard north–south axis between the Tri-City, Bydgoszcz, Poznań and the Czech Republic.
A key change would take place between Poznań and Bydgoszcz. ZSK proposes a new railway with a design speed of 250 km/h, beginning at Gniezno, where it would branch from Railway Line No. 353 towards Żnin before approaching Bydgoszcz from the south-west.
The new alignment is intended to provide a more direct connection between Poznań and Bydgoszcz while reducing pressure on the Toruń and Inowrocław railway hubs.
Importantly, trains arriving in Bydgoszcz from the south-west would be able to continue towards the Tri-City without reversing direction.
North of Bydgoszcz, the proposed route would branch from Railway Line No. 131 towards Świecie before continuing through Grudziądz and connecting with the planned CMK–North corridor. This would create a strong north–south axis from the Tri-City towards central, western and eastern Poland.
The wider corridor would also improve connections towards the Czech Republic. Faster links between Poznań and Wrocław, combined with the route from Wrocław through Legnica towards the Czech border, would establish a high-quality international passenger corridor.
Baltic–Black Sea Main Line: connecting the ports with Ukraine
The Baltic–Black Sea Main Line has a different strategic role. Its purpose would be to create a new transport axis between the Tri-City ports, eastern Poland and Ukraine.
The proposed corridor would run from the port area around Gdańsk and Gdynia through Elbląg and Olsztyn towards Lublin and Zamość, before continuing towards Ukraine.
For passengers, this would provide a new railway connection towards eastern Poland and the Ukrainian border. For freight, its significance could be even greater.
The corridor could support growing flows between the Baltic Sea and Ukraine and, in the longer term, the wider Black Sea region. It would also strengthen the position of the Tri-City ports by giving them additional rail access to markets in eastern and south-eastern Poland.
That could encourage investment in intermodal terminals and provide another option for freight moving between northern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe.
The corridor therefore combines several objectives: regional development, international connectivity, port competitiveness and the diversification of freight routes.
Sub-Sudeten Main Line: a new cross-border option
Not every international connection in ZSK is aimed at high-speed inter-city travel.
The proposed Sub-Sudeten Main Line would combine regional and inter-metropolitan services across southern Poland, linking centres along the Sudeten Foothills with the country’s main passenger axes.
The route would connect the area from Legnica and Jelenia Góra through Świdnica towards Katowice and Kraków. It would also provide connections towards Wrocław via Świdnica and Kamieniec Ząbkowicki, and towards Opole via Nysa.
One particularly interesting element is the proposed integration of Głuchołazy into the corridor. This could create another railway crossing between Poland and the Czech Republic and strengthen links between Opole Voivodeship and neighbouring Czech regions.
The line would also have an important freight role. By providing a functional freight bypass around Wrocław, it could release capacity in the Wrocław railway node, particularly for east–west traffic.
It could also provide rail access to aggregate-producing areas in the Sudetes, allowing materials to be moved north and towards central and southern Poland without passing through the largest metropolitan areas.
Coal Main Line: putting the ports at the heart of freight – not just for coal
The Coal Main Line would reinforce one of Poland’s most important north–south freight routes.
Its role is closely linked to the Tri-City ports. The corridor would allow large volumes of freight arriving by sea to move efficiently into Poland’s industrial and economic centres. With improved technical and operational parameters, the line could become an important backbone for port-related rail freight, supporting the movement of goods inland and strengthening the connection between maritime and rail transport.
The longer-term objective is to make Poland’s ports more competitive while expanding the national intermodal network.
That is increasingly important as European supply chains seek alternatives to road transport and as Poland’s ports handle growing volumes of international trade.
Oder Main Line: strengthening Poland’s western freight network
The Oder Main Line would perform a similar role in western Poland.
Its principal function would be to serve the hinterland of the Szczecin–Świnoujście ports and provide a high-capacity route connecting the coast with Lower Silesia, Greater Poland and other economically important regions.
Its position within the Oder corridor also gives the route an international dimension. Freight originating in Germany and arriving from the wider Western European transport network could use the corridor to reach markets in Poland and beyond.
In the longer term, the line is expected to help balance freight flows in western Poland, strengthen the position of the Szczecin–Świnoujście ports and provide an additional high-capacity option for domestic and cross-border traffic.
East–West Main Line: keeping the existing gateway moving
While ZSK proposes new corridors, it also recognises the importance of existing strategic routes.
The E20 Main Line runs from Kunowice on the German border through Poznań and Warsaw to Terespol on the Belarusian border. It is already one of Poland’s key east–west railway corridors, carrying both passenger and freight traffic.
Its eastern end is particularly important for international freight. Terespol is one of the principal gateways between the EU standard-gauge railway network and the broad-gauge network used further east.
Around 80–90% of rail freight consignments and trains carrying goods from China to EU markets are currently transhipped at the Belarus border, with cargo transferred between gauges and customs procedures carried out there.
ZSK therefore sees value not only in improving the route itself but also in releasing additional capacity for freight services.
This could help accommodate further growth in intermodal rail traffic along the east–west axis, while preserving capacity for passenger services.
A network rather than a collection of projects
Taken together, these corridors illustrate what makes the Integrated Railway Network different from a conventional list of infrastructure projects.
The objective is to create complementary routes.
A new high-speed passenger corridor in the north can connect with another route towards the Czech Republic. A new eastern corridor can connect Poland’s ports with Ukraine. Freight can be diverted around congested metropolitan areas, while existing international routes such as the E20 can be given additional capacity.
The plan also gives individual regions a role in the wider network. Coastal towns, the Sudeten Foothills, eastern Poland and the major industrial centres are not treated as isolated markets, but as parts of a national and European system. Much will depend on how the proposals are ultimately prioritised, funded and delivered. Railway infrastructure takes many years to plan and build, and the projects described in ZSK belong to a long-term investment horizon.
But the direction is clear: Poland is planning a railway network that is faster where high-speed services make sense, stronger where freight demand is greatest and more connected across national borders.
If delivered, these corridors could change not only how people travel around Poland, but also the country’s position on Europe’s railway map.
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