Between January and June 2025, Polish rail operators transported 104.9 million tonnes of cargo—a year-on-year drop of 5.1%. Transport performance measured in tonne-kilometres fell by 7.4% to 27 billion, Polish railway transport office UTK reports.
Across 31 European countries, freight trains moved 701.5 million tonnes in the first six months of the year, down 3% from the previous year. Total transport performance reached 198.6 billion tonne-kilometres, representing a 3.6% decline.
Germany accounted for the largest share of freight volume, with 165.2 million tonnes (23.6% of the total), followed by Poland with 104.9 million tonnes (15%) and Italy with 49 million tonnes (7%). At the opposite end of the spectrum, Ireland moved just 85,000 tonnes by rail, while Greece, North Macedonia, and Montenegro each remained under 600,000 tonnes.
In terms of transport performance, Germany led with 61.9 billion tonne-kilometres (31.2%), followed by Poland with 27 billion (13.6%), and France with nearly 17 billion (8.5%).
The latest figures indicate that, despite the ongoing contraction in the European rail freight sector, Poland continues to play a central role in terms of volume and performance within the region. However, the sharper year-on-year decline in both weight and performance compared to the European average suggests mounting pressure on the domestic freight sector.