Niniejsze badania opierają się na analizie niepublikowanych danych o średniodobowym ruchu pociągów towarowych po sieci kolejowej zarządzanej przez PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe i PKP Linię Hutniczą Szerokotorową. Przedstawiono także zmiany, jakie zaszły w tym czasie na rynku kolejowych przewozów towarowych w Polsce, dotyczące wielkości i struktury towarowej przewozów, liczby przewoźników i ich udziału w rynku. Dekada 2010-2020 charakteryzowała się nasileniem inwestycji na sieci kolejowej w Polsce, a także dynamicznym rozwojem rynku przewoźników i wewnętrznej konkurencji między nimi. Zmiany te nie przyczyniły się jednak do zwiększenia roli kolei w strukturze gałęziowej transportu. Ruch kolejowy wykazywał tendencję do coraz większej koncentracji na głównych szlakach. Niezmiennie od wielu lat największym ruchem towarowym charakteryzowała się magistrala CE65 łącząca porty Trójmiasta z Górnym Śląskiem i granicą z Czechami. Wpływ na rozkład ruchu kolejowego miały aktualnie prowadzone inwestycje i związane z nimi zamknięcia torowe i trasowanie pociągów objazdami.

Spatial distribution of freight train traffic in Poland against the background of changes in the rail market in 2010-2020

This research is based on the analysis of unpublished data on the average daily traffic of freight trains on the railway network managed by PKP Polish Railway Lines and Broad Gauge Metallurgical Railway Line. The changes that took place at that time on the rail freight market in Poland were also presented in terms of the volume and structure of freight transport, the number of carriers, and their market share. The 2010-2020 decade was characterized by increased investments in the railway network in Poland, as well as the dynamic development of the carrier market and internal competition between them. However, these changes did not contribute to increasing the role of railways in the branch structure of transport. Rail traffic tended to be increasingly concentrated on the main routes. Invariably, for many years, the largest freight traffic was characterized by the CE65 main, connecting the ports of the Tri-City with Upper Silesia and the border with the Czech Republic. The current investments and the related track closures and routing trains by detours had an impact on the railway traffic distribution.

Keywords: railway, freight transport, train traffic, Poland

This research is based on the analysis of unpublished data on the average daily traffic of freight trains on the railway network managed by PKP Polish Railway Lines and Broad Gauge Metallurgical Railway Line. The changes that took place at that time on the rail freight market in Poland were also presented in terms of the volume and structure of freight transport, the number of carriers, and their market share. The 2010-2020 decade was characterized by increased investments in the railway network in Poland, as well as the dynamic development of the carrier market and internal competition between them. However, these changes did not contribute to increasing the role of railways in the branch structure of transport. Rail traffic tended to be increasingly concentrated on the main routes. Invariably, for many years, the largest freight traffic was characterized by the CE65 main, connecting the ports of the Tri-City with Upper Silesia and the border with the Czech Republic. The current investments and the related track closures and routing trains by detours had an impact on the railway traffic distribution.