photo: Podlasie24.pl on Facebook/Protesting PKP Cargo workers block a road holding a banner that reads: “They fire people, sell everything, and bury PKP Cargo.”
What began as a labour protest is turning into a political storm. Train drivers, eco-activists, and rail experts are uniting in Warsaw to challenge job cuts at PKP Cargo and to accuse the government of systematically favouring trucks over tracks.
Protests over impending layoffs at PKP Cargo have intensified with climate activists now joining the rail drivers. Backing the protesting train drivers are also railway experts who criticise the government for favouring road transport. Since last Monday, rail workers have blocked access for freight trucks at several PKP Cargo container terminals, including in Warsaw, as a protest against deteriorating management, government inaction, and job cuts at the Polish national freight carrier. The train drivers’ union leads the actions.
Train Drivers Demand Fair Competition and Transport Policy Change
The demonstrators aim to point out what they see as unequal competition in Poland’s freight transport market, urging the government to end its policy bias in favour of road haulage. In Warsaw, protesters are blocking trucks’ access to the container terminal on Marywilska Street between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. "We are blocking this container terminal to focus on freight trucks, not to obstruct Warsaw residents on their way home or to work," said Marcin Pochłód of the Inter-Industry Trade Union. "We oppose the planned layoffs at PKP Cargo. This results from years of the railway being neglected by previous governments and lobbying for road transport. It has come to a point where we must take to the streets."
Protesters carried banners reading: "Better exhaust fumes than rails! Government logic"; "Stop slowing down the railway"; "No plan, no strategy, endless shame"; "Enough road bias. Rail is also the nerve centre of the economy!"
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Radical Environmentalists Join the Fray
Radical left-wing activists from Ostatnie Pokolenie (Last Generation) — loosely connected to the Europe-wide extremist group Last Generation, known for blocking transport infrastructure and gluing themselves to roads and runways — have joined the protests. Their core demand is a dedicated Last Generation law to tackle the climate crisis.
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The group invokes the heritage of Poland’s anti‑communist Solidarity, and is backed by human rights advocate Władysław Frasyniuk, associated with Polish‑Czech solidarity initiatives. The proposed law would convert 100% of funds earmarked for new expressways into local and regional rail and bus transport. It would also establish a unified monthly transport pass priced at 50 PLN (~12 EUR) across the country.
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Rail Experts Support the Drivers’ Position
The influential Association of Polish Railway Experts and Managers endorsed the protests. In an open letter to Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak and Deputy Railway Minister Piotr Malepszak, they affirmed the union’s claim: a large share of freight has shifted from rail to road.
They point out that regulatory costs and infrastructure access fees significantly penalise rail compared to road. The association calls for urgent regulatory changes to restore freight flow to rail. "It is unacceptable that 80% of gravel and aggregate is moved by road," they wrote. "Cost disadvantages need to be immediately aligned. There’s no need for billions in capital investments."
They urged the government to mandate that PKP PLK (Poland’s rail infrastructure manager) transport major construction materials by rail. The group offered to support expert analysis commissioned by the government to address freight rail issues — emphasising that all necessary authority resides with the relevant ministers.
Drivers Press Political Case — Unequal Road Charges Under Fire
Protesters pointed out structural unfairness: while 19,000 km of rail lines in Poland are subject to access charges, only 5,000 km of state-managed roads (out of 19,500 km) levy tolls for heavy trucks. Ninety percent of roads are toll‑free to freight trucks. "There can be no real competition, so rail loses out — even though it is more economical, ecological, and efficient," said a union spokesperson.
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Prior to the protests, Minister Klimczak and his deputy told the PAP news agency that government policy aligns with trade union demands. "We are in constant dialogue. We also believe that freight and passenger volumes on rail should increase," said Klimczak. He added that new investments, including modern rolling stock for PKP Intercity, would enable growth.
Deputy Minister Malepszak reassured drivers, noting that many freight drivers transfer to passenger services after retraining. "Drivers in freight can easily switch — and many are — to passenger trains, where volumes are growing."
Layoffs Deepen Political Crisis
PKP Cargo has been under court‑supervised restructuring since summer 2024. Initially, thousands of employees were placed on forced leave before mass redundancies began. Approximately 3,665 jobs were cut, and the workforce is now about 10,000. In June 2025, PKP Cargo announced another round of layoffs: roughly 1,041 planned for 2025 and up to 1,388 in 2026. These cuts have become a flashpoint in national politics, amplifying public outrage and sparking debate over state policy and foreign influence in Poland’s rail sector.
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Source: TVN24