The share of intermodal transport in rail freight in Poland is growing. In the first quarter of this year, intermodal transport accounted for 16.6% of the total freight transport performance. This is the highest share recorded for this transport segment in the statistics of the Office of Rail Transport (UTK) to date.
In the first quarter of 2025, railways in Poland transported 432.7 thousand intermodal units, which translated into 680.7 thousand TEUs. The total cargo weight reached 6.63 million tonnes, and the transport performance amounted to 2.21 billion tonne-kilometers. Although slight decreases were noted compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 — the number of units dropped by 1.3%, weight by 2.9%, and transport performance by 5.2% — on a year-over-year basis, the market remains stable. Compared to the first quarter of the previous year, the number of TEUs transported increased by 3.6%, and the number of container units by 1.1%.
“Intermodal transport is the backbone of modern railways. Its dynamic growth in recent years demonstrates that the Polish rail sector is effectively responding to the challenges of the logistics transformation. The data for the first quarter of 2025 confirm that the intermodal market remains highly stable,”
commented Dr. Eng. Ignacy Góra, President of the Office of Rail Transport.
Intermodal transport is gaining an increasingly significant share within the entire rail sector. In the first quarter of 2025, it accounted for 12.7% of the market in terms of cargo weight and 16.6% in terms of transport performance. This not only marks an increase compared to the same period last year, but also the highest values in the history of Polish rail transport. Stability at such a high level, despite economic challenges, confirms the potential of this market segment and its growing role in the national supply chain.
The largest intermodal operators continue to play a key role in the market. PCC Intermodal and PKP Cargo together account for nearly 40% of the transport, measured by both cargo weight and transport performance. DB Cargo Polska, LTE Polska, and Metrans Rail also play significant roles. Additionally, there has been increased activity from smaller operators such as Alza Cargo, LTG Cargo Polska, and Laude Smart Intermodal. The growing shares of these companies indicate increased competitiveness and greater flexibility in customer service.
The observed market stabilization, along with the increasing market share, confirms the maturity and strategic importance of intermodal transport. In light of rising expectations for sustainable transport, as well as ongoing digitization and automation in logistics, intermodal transport remains a key direction for the development of railways in Poland.
Detailed data on intermodal transport can be found on the Office of Rail Transport’s statistical portal “Dane Kolejowe” at dane.utk.gov.pl. The platform’s Intermodal Transport section presents up-to-date statistics on the intermodal transport market as well as historical data in a clear and accessible format.
