Strategic partnership: PLK and Port of Gdańsk join forces to expand rail access to deepwater terminals

A key investment to strengthen national logistics

Rail remains the most efficient, safe and environmentally friendly mode of cargo transport. Increasing its share in port operations is one of PLK’s strategic priorities. The newly signed agreement aligns with these objectives, launching work on a comprehensive plan to enhance access to both existing and future terminals in the Northern Port.

Deputy minister of infrastructure Arkadiusz Marchewka emphasized during the signing ceremony that enhancing the capacity of rail lines serving Poland’s seaports is a prerequisite for maintaining their competitiveness in the coming decades.

In 2024 alone, the Port of Gdańsk handled over 355,000 rail wagons (data for ZMPG contractors only). Currently, all rail traffic from the deepwater area flows through a single bridge — now a major developmental bottleneck.

Port of Gdańsk: second bridge or tunnel is essential

Dorota Pyć, president of the Port of Gdańsk Authority, has repeatedly underlined the urgent need for a second access route — either a bridge or tunnel — to Stogi Island, home to over 80% of the port’s cargo throughput. Critical assets such as Naftoport, Gaspol, the Northern Port and Baltic Hub operate here, playing central roles in Poland’s energy security and logistics capacity.

- The current rail network has become a limiting factor for our growth. Ports cannot develop independently of the railway system. Intermodal connections are one of the pillars of our new strategy. Today’s agreement with PLK is not just a plan — it is a concrete, coordinated response to the challenges facing the Polish logistics sector, said president Dorota Pyć.

The planned investment will include the construction or modernization of port and access infrastructure, additional tracks, improved capacity at the Port Północny station and a new alternative entry and exit route from the island.

Gdańsk mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz welcomed the initiative, noting that the additional access route will relieve Stogi Island and support its sustainable transformation.

Three-stage development path

The cooperation between PLK and the Port of Gdańsk is structured into three stages:

1. Feasibility study (2026–2027)
   Comprehensive analyses of investment variants and technical assumptions.
2. Design documentation (from 2028)
   Development of detailed design materials enabling the acquisition of administrative permits.
3. Infrastructure implementation (target: by 2034)
   Modernisation and electrification of existing lines, construction of new rail sections and supporting access infrastructure.
   Construction works will commence once financing is secured and all formal decisions are obtained.

PLK continues major upgrades to Tri-city port rail corridors

PLK has been intensively upgrading access routes to both Gdańsk and Gdynia ports. Between 2019 and 2024, more than PLN 3 billion from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) was invested to improve port rail access, enabling longer, heavier and more frequent trains to reach the quays.

The company is also carrying out a major modernisation of line 201 (Bydgoszcz–Tri-city), vital for the Port of Gdynia, and has launched a tender for the “Pszczółki – Pruszcz Gdański” section on the Tczew–Gdynia corridor. Constructing an additional track will significantly increase capacity on the main freight outlet from the Tri-city, including routes to the Port of Gdańsk. Completion is expected in 2030.