Q: Whose idea was it for PKP Intercity to take over trains run by the regional carrier PKP Przewozy Regionalne: your owner’s or the government’s?

A: The idea came both from our owners PKP SA and the Infrastructure Minister, who represents the government. Also PKP Intercity came up with similar suggestions several years ago. Talks on the project with trade unions and employees took some time as both felt threatened by the changes and opposed it. In September 2008 Intercity recruited the necessary engine-drivers, our rolling stock was also increased by several locomotives. On December 1, 2008, in keeping with the government’s rail transportation strategy, PKP Intercity officially took over several interregional express lines from PKP Przewozy Regionalne. This was the second such broadscale reform on the Polish railways. The first was in 2001, when Poland’s national rail carrier PKP was subdivided into ten separate units operating under the then-founded PKP Group.

Q: What did you aim by this change – which, by the way, was something of an earthquake for passengers?

A: First of all we wanted to create a uniform system of intercity links with Intercity and express connections supplemented by economic “fast train” links on inter-regional routes. If such a system is managed by one company there’s more room for rationalization, and the result is a more complementary offer.

At the moment we’re in the course of imposing uniform standards. After years of negligence our fast trains were in such bad condition that passengers began to complain not only about the services but also the rolling stock. We want all our trains to offer standards comparable to aircraft or tourist coaches. However, preparing this new offer will take some time.

Q: What do you have at your disposal today?

A: Before the merger we had 120 trains running daily, today it is more than 550. We had 1,200 cars, our present fleet numbers over three thousand. We used to employ 2,500 people, today we employ 8,800. We had no engines at all, now we operate more than 380. This is a considerable change, also financially, but first of all in passenger figures. Discounting December, we carried 12 million passengers last year and this year we plan to raise this to 50 million.

Q: So you will not be replacing fast trains with express trains?

A: Of course not. If we did, passengers who had planned to travel by rail to save money would be forced to either take a bus or give up their plans altogether. We want to encourage more and more people to travel by rail, even if they are only going on a weekend trip. This is why we not only run luxury trains but also offer cheaper options, although passenger standards are similar on both. One must also remember that express trains mean higher track maintenance costs.

We are also trying to streamline our timetables to make them more passenger-friendly. On our most frequented routes we have an express train every hour and an economy-class train once every two hours. This way we make better use of our rolling stock, which should be exploited as much as possible and not allowed to stand idle.

Q: You mentioned raising standards. Don’t you regret that in times to come modern trains will move at speeds far different from those developed by German trains or TGV units?

A: We are in close touch with PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe, therefore I know that upgrade work is underway on many routes. Our rolling-stock purchases will largely depend on how fast they will be completed. Today most of the modernization work is taking place on route E65 from Warsaw to Gdynia. In effect, in 2012 it will only take 2.5 hours to get from Warsaw to Gdańsk. Last August we opened an international tender for 20 electric compartment-less trains adapted to work with three kinds of electric systems. These trains develop speeds up to 250 km/h and seat from 380 to 420.

There is already some improvement on the Warsaw – Łódź line, which is currently serviced by 38 trains, including 14 high-speed units. This, however, is proving not enough as now, with journey time down to 1.5 hours, more and more people are using it. So we’re now planning to put more and longer trains on the route.

Q: What about Warsaw – Poznań and other lines?

A: After modernization the existing lines will be suited for “classical” trains with speeds up to 230 km/h. High-speed rail travel starts from 200 km/h. The government is planning to build a high-speed route from Warsaw to Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław, the so-called Y Line..

The Warsaw – Poznań line is adapted to 160-km/h speeds and that’s how it will remain, but we aim to adapt the Central Railroad from Warsaw to Katowice and Cracow to 200 km/h or even higher speeds. We have already bought ten engines which develop such speeds.

Q: Have you applied for EU funding for your rollig-stock purchases?

A: We hope for funding under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment. The money would help finance high-speed trains. Recently we filed a feasibility study on the project to the Infrastructure Ministry and the Centre for EU Transport Projects. The chances are good, but first it must be examined by Regional Development Ministry consultants and experts appointed by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank.

We also want to apply for EU aid in the purchase of rolling stock for the Przemyśl – Cracow – Katowice – Wrocław regional line. The application month for this project is June. We also want to thoroughly modernize a fleet of 10-year-old cars previously used at PKP Przewozy Regionalne. Here we plan to refurbish the interiors, including the toilets, and install new air conditioning. The cars will also get new trolleys allowing them to travel up to 160 km/h.

Q: Your other plans?

A: When we carried through our merger our main rule was to rather take less than too much. We see today that we will have to employ more conductors and engineers, but right now we’re still holding back on this as it may turn out cheaper to hire such services from, say, PKP Przewozy Regionalne – especially in the case of end-of-line-stops.

Q: The falling zloty and the global crisis may cause more and more people, also foreigners, to turn to you. How good are your safety standards?

A: We tend to our rolling-stock in a service station in Warsaw which is the most advanced of its kind in central-east Europe. There we prepare our trains for travel using high-class maintenance and diagnosing systems.

If you mean protecting passengers from, say, theft and other crimes, we are in close touch with the police and railway security services. We try to act on such matters as soon as we are notified about them. I know that plainclothes policemen sometimes travel on the most crime-threatened trains. I think that the situation is pretty much under control at the moment, best proof of which is the sharply falling crime rate on the railways.