Poland Launches Major Summer Rail Upgrade Programme Across National Network

Poland’s rail network is heading into one of its busiest summers in years, with major infrastructure works, reopened routes and faster connections appearing across the country as PKP PLK continues its large-scale railway modernisation programme.

The new timetable correction, which runs from 14 June until 29 August 2026, is tied directly to ongoing construction and upgrade works happening almost everywhere on the Polish network. According to PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK), the summer changes are designed to keep trains running while hundreds of investment and maintenance projects continue at the same time.

For passengers, that means a mix of temporary disruptions and long-awaited improvements: rebuilt stations, shorter travel times, modernised tracks and, in some cases, the return of rail connections that disappeared decades ago. The clearest example is Łomża, where passenger trains are returning after more than 30 years.

Passenger Trains Return to Łomża After Decades

For many people in north-eastern Poland, the reopening of passenger rail services to Łomża is more than just another timetable update. The city has been without regular passenger trains for over three decades, and for years the return of rail connections felt increasingly unlikely.

That is now changing as PKP PLK is rebuilding railway line 49 between Łomża and Śniadowo under the government’s Kolej Plus (Railway Plus) programme, which focuses on reconnecting towns that lost rail access in previous decades. The works include completely rebuilt tracks, new railway traffic control systems, a new station in Łomża and additional passenger stops at Koziki and Konarzyce.

Once fully operational, the line is expected to provide connections toward Białystok and Warsaw, with the fastest trains between Łomża and Białystok taking around 1 hour and 18 minutes.

Speaking about the summer timetable changes, PKP PLK CEO Piotr Wyborski described the return of trains to Łomża as symbolic of the wider changes happening across Polish railways. According to him, rail is once again becoming a realistic daily transport option rather than simply a long-distance alternative.

More Regional Routes Coming Back to Life

Łomża is not the only place seeing trains return. In Pomerania, regular passenger traffic is also resuming on the Somonino–Kartuzy railway line after more than 20 years without normal services. From mid-June, passengers will once again be able to travel directly toward the Tricity area and connect with the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway.

PKP PLK says the reopening follows extensive infrastructure works, including track replacement and upgrades to engineering structures along the route. The line forms part of the broader modernisation of railway line 201 between Bydgoszcz and the Baltic coast, one of the country’s major ongoing rail projects.

Summer traffic is also returning on the Białogard–Kołobrzeg line, where works are continuing but train services are being restored temporarily for the holiday season to improve access to the seaside. After the project is completed, trains on the route are expected to run at speeds of up to 120 km/h.

Warsaw and Southern Poland Remain Giant Construction Zones

Some of the biggest projects continue around Warsaw, where rail infrastructure is being expanded to deal with growing traffic. On the Warsaw Wawer–Otwock section, PKP PLK is building two additional tracks intended to separate suburban services from long-distance trains. The wider project also includes new underpasses, tunnels and upgraded passenger facilities.

Elsewhere in Mazovia, works continue on the Mostówka–Ostrołęka line, where journey times between Tłuszcz and Ostrołęka are expected to fall significantly after completion.

Further south, rail traffic is gradually returning as part of the enormous Podłęże–Piekiełko project, which aims to transform connections between Kraków, Podhale and the Sącz region. Passenger services between Nowy Sącz and Marcinkowice will resume from 14 June after another stage of works is completed.

At the same time, further reopening phases are planned later this summer toward Sandomierz, Stalowa Wola, Rzeszów, Mielec and Dębica.