Voivodeship border and regional rail transport links on the example of Wielkopolska

Abstract

The Polish State Railways (PKP) held an organizational monopoly in the rail transportation sector for many years. In 2000, Poland began the process of regionalizing the railroads. Responsibility for provincial transportation was transferred to provincial governments. Two systems of organizing rail transportation were created. National related to higher category, high-speed trains. Provincial shaping regional transport links. The subject of the study was interprovincial passenger train connections of Wielkopolska and 7 neighboring provinces (a total of 33 routes). On 15 of them passenger services are carried out. The number of connections varies. On some routes it is very low (4 trains per day). One of the problems of shaping the transport network is interregional cooperation. There should be an emphasis on a national transportation system with significant regional participation. Long-distance connections and regional transport should complement each other. In the transportation plans (the document shaping the vision of the transportation network in the region), 19 lines are described in both documents (Wielkopolska and neighboring). 8 are omitted, and 6 are cited in one of the plans. This shows that the planned connections are treated differently by local governments. The transportation system should be mutually coordinated by neighboring local governments. Lack of integration of the network of public transport connections can lead to areas with limited transport accessibility (e.g., along provincial borders). The provincial border should not be a barrier to the creation of interregional public transportation systems. The Polish rail transport system in this regard is in the process of being formed.