Changes to the rolling stock in the locomotive sector of Polish railway operators after accession to the European Union

Abstract

Several trends occurred simultaneously on the rail transport market in Poland after accession to the European Union: a decline in the share of rail in favour of roads, a gradual improvement in the condition of railway infrastructure, the implementation of interoperability and the gradual liberalisation of the freight market. The effect of liberalisation has been an increase in the share of private operators at the expense of the PKP group. There is a lack of synthetic and comparative studies on rolling stock in the literature, especially in the context of operators’ needs. The aim of the research is to compare the rolling stock fleets of passenger and freight operators in Poland in the segment of mainline electric and diesel locomotives in the period after Poland’s accession to the European Union. The research background is the transformation in the passenger and freight transport market, and the resulting demand for new rolling stock. The application objective is to provide recommendations for the Polish rolling stock market. The primary research method was data research based on publicly available source materials from both manufacturers and users, supported by statistical data from official resources (e.g. the Central Statistical Office and Rail Transport Office), while the rolling stock databases maintained by railway enthusiasts were also included. Data analysis has shown that in the data of the Central Statistical and Rail Transport Offices there are significant differences between the numbers of diesel and electric locomotives in the stocks of operators. In the case of passenger operators, the market was almost exclusively limited to locomotives for long‑distance traffic, as regional and agglomeration transport was taken up by electric and diesel multiple units for cost and operational reasons. The demand for electric and diesel locomotives from operators outside the PKP group was initially met by importing used rolling stock from other EU countries. With the development of operators and the Polish market for rolling stock manufacturers, the purchase and leasing of new locomotives, operationally adapted to the needs of operators, is becoming increasingly important. The emergence of bi‑powered locomotives, i.e. electric with an additional diesel engine, is significant. Competition in the electric locomotive manufacturing market translates into the wide availability of different designs, meeting the differing needs of operators. There has been a noticeable shortage of new designs in the segment of mainline diesel locomotives.