Polish-Based PKP Cargo Aiming To Become European Leader In Rail Freight Transportation On New Silk Road

According to the document, PKP Cargo should take the leading position in the European rail freight market over the next fifteen years, the CFTS reports, citing RailFreight.com.

In addition, PKP Cargo set two additional important objectives for the next five years. The first is to become the leading rail freight carrier in the area of the "Three Seas Initiative" (the triangle between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas) and on the New Silk Road routes in the European Union (measured by freight turnover and freight volume) by 2023 and strengthen this position in the period of 2023-2038. The company has already taken steps in this direction over the past few years by acquiring and expanding its business in Central Eastern Europe. Specifically, PKP Cargo acquired AWT, the second biggest freight carrier in in the Czech Republic, in 2015.

The second objective is to increase its share of the total rail freight market in Poland (measured by freight turnover) from the current 43.5% (data for the period of January-September 2018) to 65% by 2023.

As reported, Polish rail freight companies transported a total of 239.87 million tons of cargo in 2017, increasing their freight turnover by 7.94%.

As in previous years, the leading rail freight carrier in 2017 was PKP Cargo. It increased its market share from 43.86% to 44.24% in 2017. DB Cargo Polska was second with 17.88%, Lotos Kolej third with 5.56%, PKP LHS fourth with 4.20%, and CTL Logistics fifth with 3.84%.

The following companies continue to play a significant role in the Polish rail freight market: PUK Kolprem (2.87%of the rail freight market), Freightliner PL (2.27%), Pol-Miedź Trans (2.20%), Orlen Kol-Trans (1.81%), Rail Polska (1.68%), CD Cargo Poland (1.33%), Ciech Cargo (1.26%), KP Kotlarnia (1.12%), and STK (1.03%).